Being an Advocate for your Patients
Being an occupational therapist means we need to be knowledgeable with many different medical diseases and conditions. We deal with everything from stroke to Parkinson's to dementia, and more. Through school, hopefully you received plenty of information about resources and agencies that deal with specific afflictions. Passing this knowledge on to our patients and family is what one of my teachers always said was one of the most important parts of our job.
Since we tend to treat our patients more holistically, ie- as a whole person, not as the hip fracture or the debilitated and demented lady, this information sharing may just come as a natural extension of your treatments. With the easy access today to find information via the internet, linking to sites that may interest our patient population is a simple task. In our clinic, we have lists of internet DME suppliers, local DME suppliers (with websites, if available), and copies of several agencies and their contact info to hand out as needed. These sure come in handy when a family member needs to find a piece of equipment, or wants some information and education on Parkinson's, CVA, etc.
Anyway, my thought here is that this sharing of information is a small part of being a patient advocate. Keeping them connected to knowledge. And as they say, knowledge is power. And a person who is better informed (ie- knowledgeable) can better defend their rights; in their vote, with insurance companies, etc., etc.
For anyone who works in LTC, one good source for patient advocacy is your Social Service Director. Since they deal with every conceivable dilemma known to humans, most have contacts with local agencies, resources for funding, and more. Plus sometimes you can't do all that is needed for a patient. Kind of like the other day when I went into a patient's room to find her sobbing uncontrollably. When asked what was wrong, she stated she did not want to go out to her physical therapy appointment. She stated they made her contracted leg hurt on a daily basis, and the pain lasted all night. As much as I could not cancel her appointment, the Social Service Director called the family to report the issue, but was unable to contact them. However, I had informed the patient that she was in charge here. If she did not feel like going, she could refuse, and that was her right. I later found out that when the transport arrived, she put her foot down on the ground and said "No".
However, being a patient advocate doesn't stop there. We need to help defend the rights of anyone who is handicapped or challenged. Rally against Medicare cuts, protest the rising cost of insurance, study and vote for the best laws and lawmakers in the interest of those who we serve.
Change is hard, but with just a few doing what is needed, change will never come. The voice needs to be loud and strong to make a change. That means everyone has to join together and make the needs of our seniors heard. Remember, we'll all be senior citizens someday, and the longer we allow things to remain the same, the harder change will be to enact later.
Until next time, hope all your thoughts are good,
Tim