| I have the right to expect that… |
Expectation/Activity |
| 1. Staff know how to care for older adults |
- New staff learn about care of older adults
- There are nurses, doctors, and/or social workers who are specialists in the care of older adults
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| 2. I will be treated as someone with my own care needs and feelings about my care. |
- Staff name tags have their name and what they do (e.g. staff nurse; doctor) in large print
- Staff tell me and write down the name of my doctor(s), my nurse and my social-worker
- Staff ask me about my goals and plans when I leave the hospital
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| 3. My care will be based on my own habits and needs, and how I plan to manage when I leave the hospital. |
Staff ask me:
- Where I live and how I care for myself, cook, shop, take medicines, etc.
- If I have or need someone to help me when I go home
- If caring for me at home is a strain on my family
- If I have a problem with my memory or how I understand things
- If staff need to remind me about things like going to the bathroom
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| 4. Staff will tell me in a timely way about my care. |
- I or my family can learn about care of older people in writing and on the hospital television (website)
- Staff will tell me, in advance, what to expect about tests and/or surgery
- Staff will give me paper and pencil so that I can write down what they tell me, and questions I have about my care
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| 5. Staff will listen to and answer my questions truthfully to the extent I want and in ways I can understand. |
- Staff will ask and tell me about my care and answer my questions when I am:
- sitting and comfortable
- not in pain, hungry or sleepy
- have my glasses and my hearing aide
- Staff will help me and give me time to ask questions about my care
- Staff will help me to write things down that I want to remember
- If I am nervous, afraid, and unsure about my care, staff will help me with these feelings, and may give me medicines
- To make sure I understand, staff will ask me to say back in my own words what they have told me
- If I do not understand what staff tell me, staff will ask a geriatric specialist (doctor, nurse or social worker) to speak with me
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| 6. If I am able, only I will decide about my care. I can choose a family member or someone I trust to decide with me, or I can choose a family member or someone I trust to decide for me |
- Staff will expect me to make my own choices about my care unless I tell them to ask someone else
- Staff will talk to me and/or the person I chose in a way that respects my wishes
- If I am able, only I will decide about tests, surgery, to sign a consent, and/or to be in a research study
- If I have a health care proxy or living will, staff will ask me for a copy and put it in my chart
- My care will be guided by my health care proxy or living will if I am not able to decide for myself
- If I refuse a treatment, staff will not take it as a sign that I am not able to decide about my care (e.g., that I am incompetent)
- Staff will make sure that my proxy knows about my care and about decisions they need to make
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| 7. I will not be in pain |
- Staff will ask me if I have pain
- If I cannot answer, staff will use other ways to see if I am in pain
- Staff will keep me pain free, or in as little pain as possible
- Staff will ask me if I want to see a clergy or spiritual counselor
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| 8. Staff will keep me safe and will not tie me down (restraint-free) |
- Staff will know how to keep me safe and not tie me down
- Staff will not give me medicines instead of tying me down
- If staff must tie me down for my safety, they will use ties safely and keep them on for as short a time as possible.
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| 9. Staff will prevent and/or spot early signs of problems that can set-back my care |
- Staff will know how to prevent and/or spot early signs of problems that can set-back my care such as:
- Confusion
- Bed sores
- Urinary incontinence
- Constipation
- Loss of weight
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| 10. I will get back to my strength and my usual state of mind as quickly as possible. |
- Staff will help me keep and get back my strength and my normal mental state. To do this, staff will help me keep and get back my:
- Appetite
- Strength to walk, even with help
- Bowel and bladder function
- Sleep
- Usual mood and sense of well-being
- Sharpness of mind
- I can get general advice on how to keep and get back my strength and normal state of mind in writing and on the television in my room
- If I need or want, geriatric specialits will be asked to help me keep and get back my strength and my usual state of mind
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| 11. Family, or those I choose, can stay with me |
- My family can be with me in the emergency room, in tests, and in critical care
- My family can learn how to help with an older adults care in writing and on the hospital television (website)
- If they ask, my family can learn how to help me eat, bathe, and do other care
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| 12. I, or those I choose, will have enough time to make plans for my care when I leave the hospital. |
- Staff will talk to me and those I choose ahead of time about the care I will need when I leave, and where to get that care
- My family can learn about care of older adults when they leave the hospital in writing and on the hospital television (website)
- I, or those I choose, will decide ahead of time about where I will get my care when I leave (go home, to rehabilitation, a nursing home, or assisted living)
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| 13. In enough time before I leave the hospital, I (or those I choose), and my doctor and other caregivers will get my plan of care in writing |
- If I am 75 years old or older and going home, staff will arrange for me to get home care
- 48 hours before I leave, staff will give me and/or my family or proxy in writing, and send to my doctor, home care agency, rehabilitation facility, nursing home or assisted living facility, my plan of care:
- what I can eat
- my medicines (new and changed)
- my treatments
- what I can and cannot do (e.g., walk, bath)
- when I see the doctor next
- a contact person at the hospital
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