Hospital Admitting Clerks Day
Senior Care in Lowell MI
Most people know that April 1 is April Fools’ Day, but did you know that it is also Hospital Admitting Clerks Day? If your aging parent ever needs to visit the emergency room or get treatment in a hospital setting, these clerks are a vital element of the experience. Knowing the most effective and efficient ways to interact with these clerks can help you to make what could be a stressful time in
your senior care journey smoother and easier.
Use these tips to make checking your elderly loved one into the hospital easier:
- Have all information easily accessible. No matter what the reason behind your parent’s visit to the hospital, you are going to need a considerable amount of information to handle the admission process. Whether she will be visiting the emergency department or actually being admitted, make sure that you have all of this information readily accessible. Consider making a folder that has your parent’s personal information, medical and medication history, any allergies, insurance information, and contact information so you can easily grab it when needed. Make sure that her senior health care services provider knows where to find this information as well.
- Stay calm. Any time that your parent is in need of medical attention it is easy to get overwhelmed and feel nervous. When you are talking to the admitting clerk, however, make sure that you stay as calm as possible. Being anxious and not speaking clearly can cause the clerk to not understand you or to record inaccurate information. Work on speaking clearly and slowly, and answering questions as fully as you can.
- Divide care if possible. It can be even more stressful getting through all of the questions and paperwork of admission if you are also worrying about taking care of your parent. If possible, have an extra caregiver or your parent’s senior health care services provider available to take care of your parent in the waiting room while you handle the admission process.
- Be thorough. Remember that it is the admitting clerk’s job to find out about each patient who comes into the emergency department or other treatment area. This means that she will likely ask questions that seem very personal or will need you to describe the exact reason that your parent came into the hospital. Be prepared to answer these questions as best to your ability.
- Try not to get frustrated. Be aware that there can be confusion, congestion, and other issues when admitting your parent. Often these have nothing to do with the admitting clerk and she has nothing that she can do about it. This goes also for HIPPA regulations and how much information she is allowed to take from you, or share with you. Do your best to stay calm and not get frustrated when issues are outside of her control. Staying calm and “going with the flow” as much as possible will minimize stress as much as possible and help you get through the issue effectively.
If you or someone you know needs help with senior care in Lowell, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
Owner at Gauthier Family Home Care
Call (616) 258-2300. Gauthier Family Home Care exists to provide options for our clients to retain their independence in their own homes, improve their quality of life and support their extended families. We will accomplish that by providing compassionate, professional caregivers who will nurture, stimulate, and cater to each client’s specific needs without fail.
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