discharge planning

Failure to Communicate: Why Seniors Are Readmitted to the Hospital So Often

Seniors continue to be readmitted to the hospital too frequently. But when it comes to explaining why, patients and providers are on Mars and Venus. The patients blame doctors and nurses. Doctors and nurses blame patients. And everybody blames the hospitals. The problem, everyone seems to agree, is that hospital discharges are a mess. Patients don’t understand what they need [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2013-02-18T20:08:58-05:00February 18th, 2013|Aging, Health Care, Hospitals|2 Comments

We Need Better Ways to Train and Support Family Caregivers

Last week, I wrote about an important new survey of family caregivers that shows nearly half are performing work that is often done by nurses, such as managing medications, caring for wounds, and operating medical equipment. The report, by AARP and United Hospital Fund, sheds important light on the often unrecognized role of these family caregivers. And it raises a critical question: [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2012-10-12T15:57:59-04:00October 12th, 2012|family caregivers, long term care reform|5 Comments