Written by Laura Greenwald on December 22, 2020
People are always asking us what they can do to keep the people they love safe while they’re in the hospital.
Since we wrote and enacted three Next of Kin laws to protect hospital patients after my grandmother Elaine Sullivan’s ill-fated hospitalization, it’s a question that makes a lot of sense.
Usually, our advice is pretty straightforward.
Go to the hospital with them and don’t leave them alone. Just pitch a tent at their bedside and get comfortable.
Okay, there’s a little more to it than that. But THAT was before Coronavirus reared its ugly head.
Now every hospital here in the U.S. and around the world has a new mandate to keep everyone as safe as possible.
No visitors. No family. No argument.
Now what?
What can you do to keep someone you love as safe and connected as possible if they end up in the hospital in the middle of the pandemic?
A lot more than you think.
The good news is that with the tools and tips in this book, along with a little prep work, you can keep your loved one and her medical staff safety at arm’s length while keeping a pulse on her and her condition.
Whether that person has COVID-19 or is hospitalized for some other reason, like treatment for burns, chronic conditions or surgery, the key is making it easy for the hospital to stay connected with you and your family.
Here are ways that you can stay in constant communication with the person you love and their medical team, even if you cannot set foot in the hospital.
This is probably the easiest way to talk to a loved one in the hospital. Even if he or she can’t speak, a member of the medical staff can always put the phone up to their ear or put the call on speaker so you can talk to them.
I don’t have to tell you what a difference hearing a familiar voice on the phone can make for someone who is unconscious or unresponsive. After my Grandma’s stroke, the moment she heard Mom’s and my voices on the phone, her eyes snapped open and she came out of her coma. Enough said.
Video calls are a great way to stay in touch with anyone in the hospital. One of the worst things about not being able to be at someone’s bedside is not being able to see them and have them see you. FaceTime, Skype, Webex and Zoom solve that problem. Remember, many COVID -19 and burn patients have to be on a ventilator for at least part of their treatment, which makes them unable to speak. But a video call – quick and easy for any staff member to do – gives both of you the real time contact you need to see each other and to see exactly what’s going on.
If you want to use FaceTime or Skype, be sure to write down the user names or passwords you’ll need on your Information Central page, so you and the medical staff will have them handy. And don’t forget to make sure the app is working on both of your phones before you send your loved one’s phone with him to the hospital.
Is your loved one is awake and able to use his or her phone, but not able to carry on a long conversation? Then texting is a great alternative. The whole family texting little updates, well wishes, pictures, videos and even jokes can really make the day of someone stuck in bed. Texts can also be read back to him once he’s awake and able to listen. Some phones like iPhones also let you send an audio or video text which is a great way to send love to or from the hospital or help relieve boredom during recovery.
When you have to communicate fast, don’t forget Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They all have instant messaging, so if you need to reach family members quickly, they might just see a direct message faster than a missed call or text.
If your family or friends play group games like Words With Friends online, be sure to tuck this login in your loved ones contacts so they’ll have it with them if they want to stay connected. It’s a great way to keep some normalcy when everything else seems to be spiraling out of control.
When you have a chance to talk to the nurses taking care of your loved one, ask them – if they have the time – if they would take a moment to jot down a few updates about your patient on the whiteboard in her room. Any improvements that she’s made, what she had for lunch, how they feel her day went. Then when they call to give you an update (preferably twice a day) you won’t just get a medical rundown. They’ll be able to give you a quick status along with a personal update.
If you have time, put together a playlist of power songs, relaxing songs and just plain favorites for your love one to listen to during rough times and recovery. You can also assemble a list of favorite movies that can be streamed along with the name of the streaming service you use, so it’s easy for a hospital staff member to help your loved one to find her favorites.
There is no one more inventive than a family desperate to communicate with someone they love. We’ve all heard stories the last few weeks of people using walkie-talkies and baby monitors outside their husband’s or mom’s hospital window to be with them, so they won’t be alone.
Some newer makeshift hospitals might not even have phones at their patient’s bedsides. So whatever way you find to stay in communication with sick loved ones – don’t ever let anyone – a hospital, doctor, nurse, first responder – anyone – tell you that you won’t be able to communicate with the person you love. You just have to figure out HOW to make it happen.
The most important thing to remember is that the person you love is not alone. You’re only a FaceTime (or call or text or Tweet) away.
This is an excerpt from Get your Stuff Together: COVID-19 Edition. It gives families everything they need to stay in constant communication with hospitalized loved ones and their medical team as often as possible, without setting foot in the hospital.
Janet Greenwald and Laura Greenwald are one of the only mother/daughter writing teams in the entertainment industry. They began their careers in production on network sitcoms at MGM and Warner Bros and are currently developing their original movies and television series.
The Greenwalds were introduced to emergency preparedness the hard way, when a jumbo-jet crashed across the street from their home. But it was a horrendous medical tragedy – one that took the life of their mother/grandmother, Elaine Sullivan – that propelled them into new territory. When Elaine’s hospital failed to notify Jan and Laura of her hospitalization they were not only prevented from being at her side, but they were also kept from preventing the drug interaction that took Elaine’s life.
After uncovering a loophole in the laws which regulate the notification of the next of kin of hospital patients, Laura & Jan joined forces with legislators in Illinois and California to enact three Next of Kin Laws, before creating Notify In 7, a training program that provides hospital professionals with the skills they need to notify and reunite trauma victims with their loved ones, quickly and easily. Between their books, blog and website, over 1.3 million people have used Jan and Laura’s shortcut sheets, action plans and materials to keep themselves, their homes, their families and the things that they love, safe and secure.