{"id":14623,"date":"2024-03-05T19:00:40","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T19:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener\/?p=14623"},"modified":"2025-01-07T22:39:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T22:39:12","slug":"ways-seniors-can-be-proactive-about-patient-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/resources\/ways-seniors-can-be-proactive-about-patient-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways Seniors Can Be Proactive About Patient Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Whether in the hospital, assisted living, or at home, safety is a top concern. That means understanding potential risks and taking steps to reduce them. This does not fall solely to patients, but rather it is a combined effort from everyone involved in their care. Patient Safety Awareness Week is held every March and is a great time to promote safer practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are just a few ways that seniors can be more involved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_36 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/resources\/ways-seniors-can-be-proactive-about-patient-safety\/#Speak_up_about_your_health_in_Burlington\" title=\"Speak up about your health in Burlington. \">Speak up about your health in Burlington. <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/resources\/ways-seniors-can-be-proactive-about-patient-safety\/#Stay_involved_in_communication\" title=\"Stay involved in communication. \">Stay involved in communication. <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/resources\/ways-seniors-can-be-proactive-about-patient-safety\/#Ask_for_help\" title=\"Ask for help. \">Ask for help. <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Speak_up_about_your_health_in_Burlington\"><\/span><strong>Speak up about your health in Burlington.<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No one knows you better than you know yourself. You know your body, your experiences, and your medical history. While you may not remember every detail with perfect clarity, self-advocacy is a good place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let providers know about any changes in your health or symptoms you\u2019re experiencing. It may not seem that important to you, but it may be meaningful to your doctor and enable them to address concerns more quickly and effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps when you were brought to the hospital you didn\u2019t have your walker or cane, but letting your care team know that you normally use a mobility device can help them be more aware about putting proper safety precautions in place to <a href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcare.com\/resources\/causes-recurrent-falls-elderly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reduce risk of falls<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep a list of medications you take on hand that includes the name of the drug, how much you take, when you take it, why it was prescribed, and who prescribed it. All of this information should be in your medical record, but errors do occur, so being prepared can be advantageous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stay_involved_in_communication\"><\/span><strong>Stay involved in communication.<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s your health, so you should be actively engaged in discussions with your healthcare providers. Write down questions you have so you don\u2019t forget to ask. If something doesn\u2019t get answered, follow up. Verify that the information you heard or have written down is correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may see multiple doctors, so when they come to your room or call on the phone, confirm that you are both on the same page and talking about the same issue. If something doesn\u2019t make sense or seems to conflict with previous information, ask for clarification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ask_for_help\"><\/span><strong>Ask for help.<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t have to do everything on your own. Use the call button from your hospital bed to ask for assistance with reaching something, changing positions, or getting out of bed. If you\u2019re being <a href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcare.com\/resources\/after-hospital-care-for-elderly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">discharged back home<\/a>, ask about receiving in-home care while you recover and regain your independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a trained professional come to your home to assist with mobility, safety supervision, grooming, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, and more can be invaluable. It can reduce some of the pressure you feel to keep on top of everything yourself and enable you to focus on getting better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/<iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2896.8180904627357!2d-79.69935092250351!3d43.44351506596574!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x882b5df6cd5da32b%3A0xea38b66104475ea0!2sAlways%20Best%20Care%20-%20Home%20Care%20%26%20Dementia%20Care%20Services%20in%20Burlington%2C%20Oakville%2C%20Milton%2C%20%26%20Mississauga!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1736286659881!5m2!1sen!2sca&quot; width=&quot;600&quot; height=&quot;450&quot; style=&quot;border:0;&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; referrerpolicy=&quot;no-referrer-when-downgrade&quot;&gt;<\/iframe&gt;\">Always Best Care Oakville<\/a> can create a personalized home care plan that fits your needs and can be adjusted as the level of care you require changes. Be proactive about your safety and well-being by <a href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener\/contact\/\">contacting us<\/a> today at (905) 592-4886 to schedule a care consultation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether in the hospital, assisted living, or at home, safety is a top concern. That means understanding potential risks and taking steps to reduce them. This does not fall solely to patients, but rather it is a combined effort from everyone involved in their care. Patient Safety Awareness Week is held every March and is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":14629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[170],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14623"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15479,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14623\/revisions\/15479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/kitchener-waterloo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}