2023: The Year in Caregiving

1. Home and community-based healthcare are definitely coming to the forefront Most care of frail older adults happens in the home and community. Up to now, the healthcare system has not acknowledged this reality. Healthcare has been based in the clinic, hospital, and nursing facilities. The result has been intense care in those settings and few services in the home. Caregivers receive little support. We are now at a turning point. The importance of home and community-based services is finally being recognized. Providing more healthcare in the home setting is good news for frail older […]

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, […]