Being ill is not much fun, and being in hospital is really unenjoyably. That may sound obvious but there are things you do not think of that make the whole experience much worse than it needs to be!
- Attending any outpatient appointments is hard work – especially if walking is a challenge. The car park is the first hurdle, followed by over-running clinics, being sent to different places for different things, and if it’s the weekend you may not be able to get a cup of tea! Go with someone – it makes the patient journey much nicer.
- Once you are admitted as an in-patient the real fun begins! Don’t take valuables – it is hard enough to stay awake once you get into patient mode let alone have to worry about where your stuff is. If you need to lock your case, get a number lock, not one with a key.
- Being on a ward is awful – not only do you feel ill but you are also immersed in the illnesses being experienced by the other people in your ward. This is not like the salon – you get to know everything about them but it is usually the reason why they are there, not where they are going on their holidays – and it is totally not private!
- And people snore, cough, pass wind, talk in their sleep – nighttime is gross. Take ear plugs.
- Other peoples visitors are really annoying – the 2 per bed rule doesn’t make a bit of difference – if they are coming a long way then they expect to stay round the bed – and they are LOUD! They talk at the tops of their voices, their children continuously want to come in and out of the ward, they bring smelly food in, and they are in fact the germ spreaders!
- The personal TV’s are really impersonal, not much fun when every bed is watching a different channel. Ear plugs are again useful, but headphones may help with this situation.
- Need help? Then press the emergency button…… and nobody comes for ages. Seriously – you could die waiting. Alarms are going off all over the place – nobody bats an eyelid, or comes to sort it out. The sound of those alarms will be ringing in my ears for days. If you are really desperate ask someone else to find a nurse.
- No matter how busy they are, the staff never seem to be in a rush.
O.W. Concierge 