Hospital Sitters: Critical Care For Older Patients
One of the most critical places to have a caregiver with you is during a hospital stay. Many people find this a surprising concept. You would think that having nurses, doctors and medical staff so close by would make hospitals one of the safest places to be. Sadly, this isn’t the case. With one or two busy nurses, working 12-hour shifts and handling many patients with critical needs, it can be a long wait between the time you push a call button until anyone comes to check on you. Plus, it only takes an instant for a dangerous fall to occur. Ten percent of fatal falls for older adults occur in hospitals. Dementia, disorientation and medication are the leading factors that contribute to falls in hospitals.
Hospital sitters are the solution
The best safety precaution is a specialized caregiver known as a hospital sitter. Hospital sitters provide round-the- clock companionship and make observations of any problems the patient may be having. Sitters monitor and keep the patient company, converse and read or even run errands for the patient. However, sitters cannot aid or participate in any patient care or physical contact and must stay out of the way of hospital staff. When sitters are used, they are under the direction of the patient registered nurse. In the event of an urgent patient need, a fall or a medical emergency, the sitter will be there to immediately summon the nurse in charge. Hospital administrators are so concerned by common safety risks, they even hire hospital sitters themselves to watch over their high-profile patients, especially those who have made major donations to the hospital. A physician may prescribe a continuous, one-to- one sitter for patients who have an impaired ability to understand or follow directions or who are unable to realize the potential that they could harm themselves as a consequence of their actions.
Sitters warm hearts, not just seats
While safety is critically important, hospital sitters do more than help prevent falls and alert nurses to medical emergencies. “Raw companionship is great medicine,” says Dr. Mynra Lee, a physician at Mt. Zion Medical Center. “Despite so many busy people running around, hospitals are lonely places.” Knowing another person is in the room watching over them—especially if it’s someone familiar like a regular caregiver, make patients feel more secure and makes a hospital room more human.
An extra set of eyes and ears
One of the most helpful tasks that sitters can do is to keep a journal. Sitters can record every doctor visit/outcome that occurs during their shift, describe any procedures done and the expected and actual outcomes, observations of the patient. Sitters can also maintain emergency contact information for the patient’s family, as well as essential legal documents—including a copy of the patient’s Advanced Directives, in case a relative is unable to be contacted for a critical decision. Hospital sitters provide peace of mind for the patient’s family. They supply vigilance that ensures safety and companionship that reduces a patient’s boredom and depression. They also enable the patient’s family to go home and rest, knowing their loved one will never be alone.
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