The More You Know, The More You Can Advocate

Posted on July 06, 2015 in Elder Law

Having recently stepped into the Caregiver role for my mother after her 4 day hospital stay, followed by a 10 day readmission, I am in the process of arming myself with as much knowledge as I can about her medical condition.  Prior to these developments, my mother lived independently, managed her own finances, gardened, cooked, drove locally (but not at night), read and belonged to a book club, followed politics and enjoyed lively discussions about current events.  All this at 80.  That is why her unexpected mental decline during the hospital stay was so worrisome.  Would she ever recover to her former capacity?  While the jury is still out on that question, there have been signs of real improvement.  In looking to better understand just what caused that precipitous decline, I came across the article linked below.  I share this with all of you so that if you experience these events in your family, you may have a better insight and can then better advocate for your loved one.

https://www.nextavenue.org/delirium-a-surprising-side-effect-of-hospital-stays/