Is Mom in the Hospital? Remember the 8 Ds

Dr. Warren Wong

The hospital is a hard place for older patients. In a previous post, I described three awful things that happen too often. I was frequently asked to help care for frail older patients in the hospital. Based on these experiences, I came up with 8D's.

When you have an older loved one in the hospital, think of these 8 Ds:

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Mom’s Hospitalized – Time to Cross our Fingers

In our last post, Dr. Bruce Leff talked about Hospital at Home. When someone becomes acutely ill or injured, hospital care is needed to treat the problem.  But hospitalization causes its own problems.  One of Dr. Leff’s patients described the hospital as a “crappy hotel.” I’ll describe three things that make the hospital feel like a crappy hotel.1. Who’s in charge? 3 different doctors in 2 days???When a patient is hospitalized at night, the nighttime doctor examines the patient and writes the orders. The next morning, the doctor goes home. Another provider assumes care. However, […]

Managing Diabetes Better in Older Patients – What does that mean?

Diabetes is one of the most common conditions managed by doctors. Diabetes results in increased risk for cardiovascular, kidney, eye diseases, infections, and amputations. Is Diabetes well managed in older adults? From a geriatrician’s perspective, management could be much better. The reason why might be unexpected. Many older adults are over treated, not under treated, with serious consequences.

I hear you: Listening with your heart

Alyson Kuhn is co-author of the book I hear you: Talking and listening to people with Alzheimers. In a previous post Alyson said: “My goal was always to help my mother feel in charge.” In it, Alyson talks about learning to “kuhncierge” to care for her mom.

In this post, Alyson talks about communications. It is the most overlooked and neglected aspect of caring for people with dementia. For some caregivers, communicating is intuitive; for others, it’s like learning a foreign language. It’s a skill we can all polish—and apply to everyone we care about. Alyson provides three practical pointers.

video
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I say it over and over again: There's no one more important than the caregiver in the daily life of a frail person.
Warmest Aloha,


“I hear you” by Jane Mahakian, PhD and Alyson Kuhn
is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com,
and through your local bookseller

I’m not sure I should go back on hospice. What do you think?

Most of my patients who passed away received hospice care at home. Hospice provides the best care possible at end of life. The hospice team focuses on physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing. Comfort and dignity are provided to both the patient and loved ones.

I am a strong advocate for hospice care. But, for many patients the choice to enroll in hospice is a difficult one. A recent patient told me why she dropped out of hospice:

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My goal was always to help my mother feel in charge

My friend Alyson Kuhn is co-author of the book I Hear You, about talking and listening to people with Alzheimer’s.  Alyson and her co-author, gerontologist Jane Mahakian, provide great insights about how to avoid “talking down” to someone living with dementia.
 
There is no greater gift to a person than conversing with love and respect. In today's video, Alyson presents a “social solution” to entice her mother to eat lunch.

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Rest and Revel

Dr. Warren Wong

The Holidays are almost over. After a challenging and exhausting year, I am pausing to rest. I hope you do too.

Just recently I reconnected with a friend from high school Alyson Kuhn. She is co-author of a wonderful book I Hear You. Alyson and her co-author, gerontologist Jane Mahakian, provide insights on conversing with a person with Alzheimer’s. We thought it would be great to interview Alyson and wanted to get a post out before Christmas. We decided, however, to take a bit more time and not rush at the end of a long year.

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