It’s hard to imagine anyone describing a hospital as a ‘cruise-liner’, but when you’ve seen this short video you’ll understand why we have chosen this term. The point being made here is that, although people need to be cared for when they are unwell, not everything has to be done for everyone…all of the time.
This is difficult to change. We are hard wired to believe that staff will do ALL the caring and patients will be ‘totally’ cared for. But there is a middle ground.
For many people, going home is not like entering ‘safe harbour’. Hospital staff can help prepare patients for this, to provide a safety-net, to get patients ready to manage this difficult period.
Hospital staff want to provide the best care, but it can be a shock to patients when they get home and they have to do everything for themselves. If we can help patients to take charge of things again e.g. taking their medications, dressing themselves or having a shower, we can help them to cope better when they get home. It will be less of a shock.