Cheryl Field, with over 30 years of nursing experience, specializes in post-acute rehabilitation, emphasizing analytics, compliance, quality, and reimbursement, while also serving in roles such as clinical director, VP of Healthcare, and Chief Product Officer. Additionally, Cheryl Field is the author behind "Prepared: A Healthcare Guide for Aging Adults," extends her discussion with her book, a treasure trove of guidance for caregivers worldwide. We'll learn where to grab a copy and how Cheryl's mission is focused on empowering 60 million Americans with the resources they need.Certified in Rehabilitation Nursing and holding recent certifications in machine learning and artificial intelligence from MIT, Cheryl earned degrees from the University of Rochester and Boston College. She resides with her husband Ted of 30 years, and their three children: Michael, Rebecca, and Jennifer.
00:00 Cheryl Fields: Nurse, VP, Author, Speaker, Innovator
05:49 Kindness and mercy in caregiving are essential.
07:50 Author emphasizes sharing knowledge for better end-of-life care.
10:57 Juggling caregiving and personal needs, health concerns.
13:17 Balancing caregiver responsibilities, stress, and self-care.
19:10 Empowerment through boundaries and caregiving lessons.
22:29 Teaching transition for returning home from hospital.
25:44 Sharing expertise for caregivers amidst medical uncertainty.
29:10 Group text used for caregiver communication.
33:16 Use personal stories as instructional strategy for caregivers.
34:55 Prepare for incapacitation with proper estate planning.
37:16 Nurse leader develops AI for nursing predictability.
41:02 Happy to send note, help share book.
Quote on Setting Boundaries for Empowerment: "For women, we have a hard time setting boundaries. But this idea of not giving choices you don't have, but going out of your way to give lots and lots and lots of choices is a really nice way of saying you got to draw some boundaries and then enforce them. And within those boundaries, give some empowerment, give some purpose, give some freedom to that human who's otherwise feeling a bit like they're losing out on some control."
— Cheryl Field, MSN, RN
Website: https://www.cherylfield.com/
Li
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*Disclaimer: While our discussions aim to inform and educate, it's important to remember that the content provided here is for educational purposes only. We strongly advise consulting your healthcare professional before implementing any advice or recommendations from our guests.
1
00:00:00
Speaker 1: Let's say something happens to mom.
00:00:01
Now mom knows her five SIDS don't get along Like her five
00:00:06
children.
00:00:07
They don't all get along and it brings mom stress every day.
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The last day you want that to bring mom stress is when she's
00:00:14
in the hospital.
00:00:14
So I call these sick day rules.
00:00:16
You have a group text.
00:00:17
You've number one ahead of time .
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When they're not sick, you decide who is coordinating the
00:00:23
communication for mom.
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Let's say it's daughter number one.
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Okay, great, create a group of all the SIDS.
00:00:30
You only use it on sick days.
00:00:32
You can call it sick day rules If something happens to mom, for
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that caregiver the communication is a huge burden.
00:00:39
So they use this group text.
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They're the only ones communicating with the providers
00:00:44
.
00:00:44
Providers don't have time to talk to the five of you because
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you don't get along.
00:00:47
Mom needs to know while she's in the hospital recovering from
00:00:52
her heart attack, her children use sick day rules.
00:00:55
They're gonna be talking and communicating.
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It's a relief to mom.
00:01:02
Speaker 2: You're listening to Cold Press Conversations with Dr
00:01:05
Jewel White Williams, a lover of numbers, lists and a good
00:01:08
glass of cold press juice, who is sharing episodes each week to
00:01:13
help you explore the back end of healthcare and health
00:01:17
sciences, where a lot of that grit is done.
00:01:19
We'll dive into topics covering research, education and
00:01:23
clinical practices, as well as guest shows with other leaders
00:01:28
in the field.
00:01:28
Pull up a seat and let's dive into these amazing and
00:01:33
game-changing conversations.
00:01:35
Hello, this is Dr Jewel White Williams and I am here with an
00:01:42
amazing guest today.
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I have nurse Cheryl Field.
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She has a master's in nursing, but before we begin, I just
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wanna say thank you very much for coming to Cold Press
00:01:54
Conversations.
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This is gonna be in a vigorating conversation.
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It's very dear to me.
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This conversation is gonna be extremely dear to me because
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we're gonna be talking about aging.
00:02:04
We're talking about being prepared for aging.
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We're gonna be talking about how it is to be a caregiver and
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what the intrinsic parts are of being a caregiver, and that is
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gonna be pivotal for anybody of any age.
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And I say that because I began being a caregiver at age 24.
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And as I did it, I did it for seven people.
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So I'm telling you today.
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You are going to receive information that is valuable,
00:02:31
necessary and important as anyone ages, regardless of age,
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and it's also good for yourself because you become even more so
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an advocate as you move forward.
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I have Ms Cheryl Field.
00:02:47
She has 30 plus years of experience in nursing,
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specializing in rehabilitation and post-acute area, with a
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focus on analytics, compliance, quality and reimbursement.
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She has served various roles, including clinical director, vp
00:03:02
of healthcare and chief product officer.
00:03:05
She has spoken at state and national conventions for over 25
00:03:10
years on various healthcare industry topics.
00:03:13
A two-time international bestselling author, cheryl's
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recent book Prepare A healthcare guide for aging adults guides
00:03:22
caregivers all over the world with her system of advocacy
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which anyone can follow.
00:03:28
She makes learning complex systems easy with simple
00:03:31
analogies and relevant and often personal stories to maximize
00:03:37
audience engagement.
00:03:38
Cheryl is a certified rehabilitation nurse and is
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recently certified in machine learning and artificial
00:03:45
intelligence from MIT.
00:03:47
She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from the
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University of Rochester and a Master of Science in Nursing
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from Boston College.
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She is married for over 30 years to her third grade
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sweetheart, ted, and has three children Michael, rebecca and
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Jennifer.
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I wanna say welcome, cheryl.
00:04:08
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Dr Joule.
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What a pleasure to be here.
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Thank you so much for that kind introduction.
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I really don't know how I've done all of that just in like 30
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years on this planet.
00:04:20
Speaker 2: You know, time flies when you're having fun.
00:04:24
Speaker 1: And we have 100% been having fun.
00:04:26
In fact, I loved how you mentioned that you were a
00:04:29
caregiver at 24.
00:04:30
I actually started being a caregiver at age 10.
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I was sitting with my grandmother who had end stage
00:04:36
envozema.
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I went on to sit with neighbors who had Parkinson's disease and
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at 15, I took my first in-home job, where I was an overnight
00:04:46
nursing assistant from Friday after school until Monday
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morning for a gentleman who actually was patented for
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embedding the fetish.
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Speaker 2: So very early on Are you serious, yeah?
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Speaker 1: yeah, it was very early on.
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I had a calling for, you know, really caring for our most
00:05:05
vulnerable.
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You know those seniors in our space who had paved the way for
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others and lived the life I felt .
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They had so many stories to share.
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It was so much that I could learn from them that I was just
00:05:18
attracted to this type of care.
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Speaker 2: I have to say, when you care for someone, whether it
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is a family, friend or just anyone who needs your help
00:05:30
talking to them, you get such a wealth of information from them,
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don't you?
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Speaker 1: It's really, you know , honestly, I loved being a
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caregiver.
00:05:39
I loved being a certified nursing assistant and I remember
00:05:42
your parents will say you're too smart to be a nurse.
00:05:45
You know, go be a doctor.
00:05:47
But I loved direct care.
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I loved putting someone to bed and washing their feet, giving
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them a little foot massage and having them say to me I've lived
00:05:56
in this nursing home for two years and no one has ever washed
00:06:01
my feet.
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You know that kind of feedback that comes to you as a human.
00:06:05
It is the greatest gift we have to give.
00:06:08
You know kindness and mercy to one another, especially at a
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time where we're not able to care for ourselves, we're not
00:06:15
healthy.
00:06:15
So it's a hundred percent my passion, you know both, being a
00:06:19
nurse, that's a type of a caregiver when you work for
00:06:22
provider as well as being an advocate, caregiver, maybe an
00:06:26
unpaid caregiver.
00:06:28
The world is full of them and, let's be honest, 70% of women
00:06:34
worldwide average age of 49, make up our caregivers.
00:06:40
So I know I'm talking to you and you and you all of you
00:06:44
listening in are managing your families, maybe those little,
00:06:49
not so little's that are now high school, college, average
00:06:54
age 49,.
00:06:54
You're near the peak of your career.
00:06:57
You've got pressures at work, you have aging parents, you
00:07:03
might even be facing this thing we all call menopause yes,
00:07:07
that's fun and on top of that, you have potentially a
00:07:12
relationship with a partner that you're trying to nurture.
00:07:15
So, as a caregiver women, you are really sandwiched between
00:07:21
all of these pressures, and so thank you for all of you who
00:07:25
serve in that role, paid and unpaid.
00:07:28
It is critical to the human condition that we care for one
00:07:32
another, and I'm really I'm just again so blessed that you would
00:07:37
offer up this time, or we could talk about the amount of work
00:07:41
that I placed in this one book called Prepared, which you said.
00:07:45
Caregivers or you're an aging person on this planet, there are
00:07:50
common themes that we all need to learn and level up in order
00:07:56
to really get the best care near the end of life.
00:07:59
And so that's the reason I did that writing and put that work
00:08:03
together because, you know, I had seen, I knew the system as a
00:08:07
provider, a paid provider, a paid caregiver, if you will but
00:08:12
I saw a lot of gaps in the care that was being delivered from
00:08:16
the family advocacy side, and so to fill those gaps I designed
00:08:21
systems, systems that I use and I didn't want I didn't want it
00:08:26
to be like a family recipe, a secret.
00:08:29
You know those secret recipes no one shares.
00:08:30
No, I want everyone to know my recipe.
00:08:34
I want everyone to know that you can really guide your loved
00:08:40
one or yourself through changes in health, through the system
00:08:44
and leverage.
00:08:45
You know what you need from that system.
00:08:47
And that's why I wrote, prepared, you know, I didn't
00:08:49
want it in my head, I didn't want it in my heart, I wanted it
00:08:52
in the world, and so sat down to do that work and, yeah,
00:08:57
that's why we're here tonight.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: Well, I'm going to say you brought up two things
00:09:02
that I think is important, as I was a caregiver for my parents
00:09:07
and it was an extended period of time because mom cared for dad
00:09:11
and then then I cared for dad because mom died unexpectedly.
00:09:16
The thing about it is a lot of people don't realize you
00:09:21
mentioned the word sandwich.
00:09:22
It's called the sandwich generation.
00:09:26
We talk about all the different time and generations that we
00:09:29
have.
00:09:29
We have the Gen Z millennials who go through the whole process
00:09:32
, but it is really a true generation, the sandwich
00:09:37
generation.
00:09:38
Do you mind going a little bit into the definition of what a
00:09:44
person is when they're considered a part of the
00:09:47
sandwich generation?
00:09:49
Speaker 1: I'll share with you what it means for me and that
00:09:52
again, think about a sandwich.
00:09:54
You're in the middle of a couple of slices of bread.
00:09:57
You're in that center.
00:09:58
So again, if you really put yourself into a 40, 50,
00:10:05
60-year-old woman maybe younger, like you said, for you it
00:10:08
started younger you have your own children who have needs from
00:10:13
you as a caregiver.
00:10:15
Think of them as the bread on the left, and then you may have
00:10:19
your own parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles on the right,
00:10:25
and you're in that middle.
00:10:27
You're the meat Everyone is really trying to get a bite of.
00:10:31
They need you without even really considering your own
00:10:36
personal needs, your needs for resilience, your needs for
00:10:38
stress management.
00:10:39
Then, on top of that sandwich, you have your own career to
00:10:43
maintain.
00:10:44
You absolutely have your own health and mental health
00:10:47
concerns to maintain.
00:10:48
The sheer number of roles that a person tries to play becomes
00:10:55
so complex and so complicated.
00:10:57
They really are sandwiched between the needs of others and,
00:11:02
as I said, everyone's trying to take a little bite out of you
00:11:06
and at some point you worry that there's nothing left for
00:11:09
yourself as that caregiver.
00:11:11
So that's how I define the sandwich generation, but you may
00:11:14
have a different definition from textbooks or academia that
00:11:18
you want to share?
00:11:19
Speaker 2: No, no, not actually.
00:11:20
I like to just say it from experience because in which
00:11:25
we're going to discuss it deals with multiple areas your own
00:11:30
health, because there are statistics and I'm not going to
00:11:34
go into it.
00:11:34
I'm going to give you let you give the statistics, but there
00:11:36
are statistics about the health of the caregiver.
00:11:39
And one reason I realized I needed to take not a step back
00:11:46
per se, but a step back and really take a focus on who I was
00:11:50
while I was caregiving is because I was sitting in my
00:11:55
parents' place reading an article and I can't quote where
00:11:59
it was because they had multiple articles and books and
00:12:03
magazines and it was about caregiving.
00:12:06
So I wanted to read a little bit about caregiving and they
00:12:10
gave a statistic about how many caregivers passed before the
00:12:14
person they're caregiving for.
00:12:16
That was alarming to me.
00:12:18
I'm like hold on a second.
00:12:19
I'm in my 40s right now.
00:12:21
What I can't do this.
00:12:23
And at the time my plate was full.
00:12:26
I was a mom, I was a wife and I was a principal at the same
00:12:33
time, and still caring for my family.
00:12:36
Let's talk about that.
00:12:38
Let's talk about how that actually plays a huge role in
00:12:44
caregiving.
00:12:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I will share with you.
00:12:48
I do a talk for caregivers and I talk with them about their
00:12:52
stress and I talk about the gaps , and so I think the first
00:12:56
observation that I have of caregivers is it's like they go
00:12:58
to school and they come home with their Wonder Woman
00:13:01
bracelets.
00:13:02
They have this myth in their head that they have to do it all
00:13:06
.
00:13:06
So one of the first questions that I ask them is I actually
00:13:10
make them pretend that as a caregiver look at the plan you
00:13:13
have in place for your loved one and are you the cook?
00:13:18
Are you the taxi?
00:13:20
Are you the housekeeper?
00:13:23
Are you doing the lawn?
00:13:24
Are you removing snow?
00:13:25
Are you doing their bath?
00:13:27
Are you doing hopefully, your own bath?
00:13:29
Are you doing all of the laundry?
00:13:32
Are you going all the grocery shopping?
00:13:34
Are you physically moving them about?
00:13:36
Plus doctors appointments, plus , plus, plus.
00:13:41
Now, if you're doing all of that , I have them draw a picture,
00:13:45
all the multiple rules they're fulfilling, and then I say well,
00:13:50
what happens to your loved one if you're not in that picture?
00:13:53
To your point, the stress will oftentimes create heart attack,
00:13:59
stroke, depression.
00:14:00
How about just plain old illness?
00:14:03
You know your immune system is so impaired by that chronic
00:14:07
stress.
00:14:08
You get everything.
00:14:09
Especially, like you said, you're a principal.
00:14:11
You are working in the Petrie dish of schools, bringing all
00:14:14
that stuff home to yourself and to your parents.
00:14:16
So I make them draw on paper all the rules.
00:14:19
Then I make them erase themselves and I ask them to
00:14:22
look at how far apart are those resources, how close to
00:14:27
completing the gap are they?
00:14:29
If they are everything their loved one has nothing.
00:14:32
So I encourage them to and this is a tip that I give always be
00:14:38
aligned with the strategic decisions and delegate as many,
00:14:44
as many as you can, of just tact , just getting done.
00:14:51
We've decided you're going to go to radiation for four weeks.
00:14:55
That was a decision.
00:14:56
I went to the doctors, we made a strategic decision.
00:15:00
We understand the care treatment plan, but delegate
00:15:03
every single one of those rights .
00:15:04
Don't be driving under radiation.
00:15:07
Be involved in strategy.
00:15:09
Delegate the execution, and I say that because if you were
00:15:13
then to draw out the plan for this person, if there's someone
00:15:16
to drive to radiation, someone else is picking up groceries,
00:15:19
someone else is coming over once a weekend doing some music
00:15:24
therapy, watching a movie, playing cards, someone else is
00:15:27
doing the laundry, someone else is doing the lawn Not then.
00:15:30
So that's it.
00:15:30
Then your job is go to doctor's appointments, go to work, try
00:15:36
to exercise like take care of yourself and get someone to help
00:15:40
with the showers.
00:15:41
The reason I say that is now take yourself out of the plan.
00:15:45
There's very little gap in a plan that's well resourced, it's
00:15:50
dynamic, it has many, many players, just in execution.
00:15:55
What I really encourage caregivers to do is stay in
00:15:59
strategy, seek resources very early in the job.
00:16:03
Please don't get into it for six months all alone, becoming
00:16:07
Wonder Woman, becoming depressed .
00:16:09
Then you become that caregiver who has a heart attack or has a
00:16:12
stroke or falls out of exhaustion.
00:16:14
Oftentimes older caregivers aren't so busy trying to care
00:16:18
for their loved one that they don't hydrate properly, they
00:16:21
have bladder infections, they become septic.
00:16:23
Suddenly, as you said, someone dies before someone else and it
00:16:27
wasn't expected and it's because the stress of caregiving.
00:16:30
We do have to surround our caregivers with resources for
00:16:36
themselves, resources for the person they're caring for,
00:16:40
resources for the whole family.
00:16:42
I say do that early, don't wait until you're burnt out to say I
00:16:47
can't do this anymore.
00:16:48
Right from the beginning, go in and come up with a plan so
00:16:51
you're not doing all the jobs.
00:16:53
Speaker 2: I like the way that you were teaching and giving the
00:16:56
tips.
00:16:57
As you know, COPA's conversation is when you take
00:17:00
all that good stuff and you give the good information to let
00:17:03
people move forward.
00:17:04
You are a writer, you are a nurse.
00:17:09
I really would like for you to just give some key messages or
00:17:15
strategies that you would like to empower our caregivers with.
00:17:20
That will also help improve senior care outcomes.
00:17:25
Speaker 1: One of the first empowerment concepts is don't
00:17:29
give choices you don't have.
00:17:30
The contrast of that is give lots and lots and lots of choice
00:17:36
.
00:17:36
You use a fantastic word, which is empowerment.
00:17:39
What do I mean when I say that you don't give choices you don't
00:17:43
have?
00:17:43
We just went to a meeting where we decided you're going to do
00:17:46
four weeks of radiation.
00:17:47
It's been a decision.
00:17:48
The medical regime says let's do this.
00:17:51
You're diabetic, going to take insulin.
00:17:53
It's not a choice not to take it.
00:17:56
However, who drives you?
00:17:58
Do you want to do it in the morning?
00:18:00
Do you want to do it at night?
00:18:00
What do you want to wear when you go?
00:18:02
What would you like to eat before?
00:18:03
What would you like to eat after?
00:18:05
Give that person for whom you're providing care all those
00:18:09
choices.
00:18:09
Let your diabetics go to the grocery store or, if they're
00:18:13
using an app to order those groceries that can be involved
00:18:16
in planning the menu, picking their favorite proteins, their
00:18:19
favorite carbs, their favorite fruits and vegetables, so they
00:18:23
feel empowered.
00:18:24
Now they're not eating donuts and chocolates and bonbons
00:18:27
because they're diabetic, but you're letting them choose that
00:18:31
low glycemic index, sugar-free treat that really fits within
00:18:36
their medical regime.
00:18:38
That's empowering.
00:18:40
It gives a sense of purpose.
00:18:41
In fact, I encourage caregivers to say to the person you know
00:18:46
what?
00:18:46
Yeah, what are we eating this week?
00:18:48
You figure out the menu.
00:18:50
It gives them purpose, it's one less thing for you to do and
00:18:54
they have a sense of control.
00:18:56
At a time in our life when we're losing our health, we
00:19:00
really feel out of control, and so as many opportunities for
00:19:04
control that we can give helps with the mental health of the
00:19:07
patient.
00:19:07
It reduces the amount of burden on the caregiver.
00:19:10
For women, we have a hard time setting boundaries.
00:19:14
We do but this idea of not giving choices.
00:19:17
You don't have but going out of your way to give lots and lots
00:19:21
and lots of choices is a really nice way of saying you've got to
00:19:25
draw some boundaries and then enforce them and within those
00:19:29
boundaries, give some empowerment, give some purpose,
00:19:32
give some freedom to that human who's otherwise feeling a bit
00:19:36
like they're losing out on some control.
00:19:39
Speaker 2: As a caregiver, you tend to ditch some of your fun
00:19:45
stuff that makes you whole, while we consider your book
00:19:49
prepared, a health care guide for aging adults.
00:19:52
What would you say because I'm going to be honest with you as a
00:19:56
writer, I know you're partial to your book super partial, but
00:20:02
even as a writer, and the way that you are instructing because
00:20:06
you are instructing, you're giving us an invaluable lesson
00:20:10
today, as we age.
00:20:13
What would you say was one of your favorite sections to write?
00:20:21
Speaker 1: Probably one of my favorite sections was also an
00:20:27
area where people really have the most feelings of fear and
00:20:33
uncertainty.
00:20:34
Through the work, I feel that I give them the gift of calm and
00:20:38
confidence.
00:20:39
The book is two parts.
00:20:41
The first part is all the information you should have
00:20:45
already in advance of a sudden change in health.
00:20:49
Every single person should read part one and do the paperwork
00:20:54
Power of attorney, hipaa forms, medication assessments, pain,
00:20:58
activities of daily living, really understanding yourself
00:21:02
All these resources I have on my website, so I save pages and
00:21:06
I'll refer people to come to the website and find the form you
00:21:09
need and completed, go back and go back every time.
00:21:12
The rest of the book is now that sudden change in health has
00:21:16
happened and it's very tactical.
00:21:18
It walks you through.
00:21:20
You know you're headed to the emergency room.
00:21:22
What should you bring?
00:21:24
Here's a checklist.
00:21:25
What should you ask?
00:21:27
Here's some questions.
00:21:28
What's going to happen?
00:21:29
Because you don't know.
00:21:31
The same is true for the hospital phase and the part that
00:21:34
is so hard for people that are aging is facing a short stay in
00:21:41
a nursing home for rehabilitation.
00:21:43
Nobody wants to go and the piece of the work that became my
00:21:48
favorite was really thinking that decision through, thinking
00:21:55
about it like a stock investment .
00:21:58
You know you buy a stock.
00:21:59
You don't want to sell it on the way up Like you want to let
00:22:03
it go and go and go before you sell.
00:22:05
And if you just go into a hospital and you get a couple
00:22:09
days of care and they really recommend that you continue the
00:22:13
healing journey at a skilled facility for a short period of
00:22:16
time, that's a ticker on the rise.
00:22:18
Don't sell too soon, don't shortcut yourself.
00:22:22
See the positives that you can gain from those providers.
00:22:25
Leverage the offerings that they have.
00:22:29
And in order to do that, you have to level up.
00:22:32
So I teach them You're the names of the people by title
00:22:37
You're going to see when you get to that center.
00:22:38
Here's what they do, here's what you can ask them and the
00:22:43
parts where you partner with them to leverage what you need
00:22:47
from the system with a goal of going home.
00:22:50
And at what point can you go home safely that you're going to
00:22:55
stay home and not, you know, end right back up in that
00:22:59
hospital setting.
00:23:00
So that's the hardest part for most people is to transition
00:23:05
multiple times in emergency room and upstairs to be admitted.
00:23:08
And now you know it's been a few more days and you're still
00:23:11
not able to really move around by yourself or manage your own
00:23:15
pain, manage your own medicine.
00:23:17
Maybe you're learning something new from the health condition
00:23:19
that's occurred and you need a little more time to really
00:23:23
balance that body.
00:23:24
Take the time you know, invest in yourself, make sure you have
00:23:29
services around you before you transition and ask those
00:23:32
questions ahead.
00:23:33
I walk people through how to think about finding a facility
00:23:38
and I try to demystify some of the rating systems.
00:23:42
They do a terrible job helping you to understand if the
00:23:46
facility is really going to be able to meet your needs, so kind
00:23:49
of walk them through that systematically.
00:23:50
It's a hard part here and it's a hard part here, but there's so
00:23:54
much good that comes from that partnership.
00:23:56
Speaker 2: I'm glad you mentioned that I also work with
00:23:57
the Community Paramedic Program.
00:23:59
I'm the one who helps with the scheduling.
00:24:02
I may attend the IDT meetings and oftentimes we may get in a
00:24:08
position where I make a call home and the patient goes, and
00:24:12
not just one.
00:24:12
I've had a couple.
00:24:13
You know, maybe I should have done the rehabilitation.
00:24:16
Speaker 1: They can go right back in.
00:24:17
I actually teach them that.
00:24:18
So when you're a Medicare beneficiary or a managed care
00:24:21
beneficiary and you've had to stay in a hospital, if you don't
00:24:25
go to that rehab facility, you actually have 30 days to go back
00:24:28
in.
00:24:28
So thank you for mentioning it.
00:24:30
Thank you, you know what?
00:24:32
I sort of teach it like an amusement park.
00:24:34
You know, when you leave an amusement park and they stamp
00:24:36
your hand, do you want to come back today?
00:24:37
And I'm like I always want to think you're coming back, but
00:24:40
you know you're not coming back that day.
00:24:41
The stamp that the hospital puts on your hand when you leave
00:24:44
is good for 30 days.
00:24:46
So you could reenter that rehab facility and receive those
00:24:50
skilled services for 30 days from the time that you leave the
00:24:54
hospital.
00:24:56
When you do go home, I know the nurses tell people this, but in
00:24:59
the haste and the panic and the rushing to get home, nobody
00:25:02
remembers that.
00:25:03
Oh, by the way, if things don't go well when you get home, you
00:25:06
could actually go to that rehab facility.
00:25:09
Now you have to make a phone call, make sure they have a bed,
00:25:12
get all that information ahead of time.
00:25:13
However, it's an option and I want people to know that.
00:25:17
So they don't get home and really decline, decline, decline
00:25:20
to the point where you know they become septic, they pass.
00:25:25
People unfortunately wait too long to reaccess healthcare and
00:25:31
that's the poor health outcomes that I see and that's why the
00:25:36
important messages within prepared actually level up.
00:25:39
The only person really accountable for your health
00:25:43
outcomes is you.
00:25:45
And so I want everyone to have you know me as their expert, by
00:25:49
their side as they're moving through the system, and have you
00:25:53
know, like I said, I didn't want it to be a knowledge base
00:25:57
and a recipe, a system that I know and I follow.
00:26:00
I want it to be a system that's simple, that everyone can learn
00:26:04
and follow every single time.
00:26:07
It happens and you know from being a caregiver, going in and
00:26:11
out of the hospital is a repetitive process, as sometimes
00:26:16
the uncertainty and the fear can be overwhelming.
00:26:20
But if you have a plan and you have a system, you go in with
00:26:25
confidence.
00:26:27
And you know, recently a member of my family who has a copy of
00:26:30
the book had a neighbor that they were advocating for through
00:26:35
a transition.
00:26:36
And so you know, this person says to me you just don't
00:26:39
understand.
00:26:39
I'm running around the hospital with, you know, four or five
00:26:41
different bookmarks in the book and I'm just turning to the page
00:26:45
and saying, okay, do you see this?
00:26:46
I need these answers.
00:26:47
And the feeling was, although this person wasn't medical, they
00:26:52
actually knew what to do, gave them a confidence and gave them
00:26:56
direction, and that's what I really want to make sure.
00:27:01
There are 60 million Americans, just in the United States, over
00:27:07
the age of 65 and every day, 10 more reach age 65.
00:27:12
And that's going to continue for another I don't know three
00:27:14
to five years.
00:27:15
Yeah, they did say my real concern is they are not prepared
00:27:18
for the sudden changes that are coming.
00:27:20
So I want themselves and or their adult children, their
00:27:25
caregivers, their neighbors, whoever is in their circle, to
00:27:28
know about this very affordable resource that gives them that
00:27:31
empowerment, that gives them that calm and that confidence.
00:27:34
I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I'm going to say
00:27:37
you're going to go in with a plan which makes you in charge
00:27:41
and not Just I don't want to say a victim of the system.
00:27:45
But you get lost in the system.
00:27:47
You really do get lost with misinformation and misguidance
00:27:51
and just uncertain to you, don't know where to turn and prepared
00:27:55
turns you into a well organized , assertive, confident advocate,
00:28:01
caregiver.
00:28:03
Speaker 2: It takes away the overwhelm.
00:28:04
That's what you're trying to do is take away that overwhelm.
00:28:07
The first time go round, it was only because I'm a researcher.
00:28:12
I like to figure out what to do , and the process did go pretty
00:28:16
smooth.
00:28:17
Speaker 1: One more nugget.
00:28:18
I think this is like the million dollar nugget.
00:28:21
I call it sick day rules.
00:28:23
Not every family member gets along.
00:28:26
However, there are people in the family who should be
00:28:34
communicated with in case, let's say, something happens to mom.
00:28:37
Now mom knows her five Sibs don't get along Like her five
00:28:42
children.
00:28:43
They don't all get along and it brings mom stress every day.
00:28:46
The last day you want that to bring mom stress is when she's
00:28:50
in the hospital.
00:28:50
So I call these sick day rules.
00:28:52
You have a group text.
00:28:53
You've number one ahead of time .
00:28:55
When they're not sick, you decide who is coordinating the
00:28:59
communication for mom.
00:29:00
Let's say it's daughter number one.
00:29:03
Ok, great, create a group of all the Sibs.
00:29:06
You only use it on sick days.
00:29:08
You can call it sick day rules If something happens to mom.
00:29:12
For that caregiver the communication is a huge burden,
00:29:16
so they use this group text.
00:29:17
They're the only ones communicating with the providers
00:29:20
.
00:29:20
Providers don't have time to talk to the five of you because
00:29:23
you don't get along.
00:29:23
Mom needs to know while she's in the hospital recovering from
00:29:28
her heart attack, her children use sick day rules.
00:29:31
They're going to be talking and communicating.
00:29:34
It's a relief to mom.
00:29:36
So for all of you out there who it's OK that you don't get
00:29:39
along every other day, but when somebody goes face down in your
00:29:42
family, you all get along for the betterment of that person
00:29:46
and they know ahead of time this is how you're going to behave.
00:29:49
It reduces the stress which is enormous at that time when
00:29:54
something happens to your loved one.
00:29:56
It reduces that tension of not getting along and I think, in a
00:30:00
nice way it shows sometimes shows people that actually can
00:30:04
get along more than they thought they could.
00:30:06
Speaker 2: And that's the reason why I was bringing up.
00:30:08
It was smooth, but I've been in situations where it's not not
00:30:13
personally but for others and I've witnessed how it can't be.
00:30:17
And I'm glad you talked about the sick day rules.
00:30:20
That is so important and it helps out the hospital.
00:30:24
It helps out if they're in a nursing home, assisted living or
00:30:28
even in a larger independent facility that actually has
00:30:31
someone who speaks on their behalf.
00:30:33
It gives them that option to have that one person to talk to
00:30:37
instead of trying to return five and six and seven calls Because
00:30:40
of cousins, sisters, children.
00:30:43
It can go on and the list can get more expansive.
00:30:48
Speaker 1: And don't be that person who says I'm calling
00:30:51
anyway.
00:30:53
I'm going to call the hospital anyway.
00:30:54
I know you are the one that's doing it, but you know what I'm
00:30:57
going to do it anyway.
00:30:58
Don't be that person.
00:30:59
Here's why, when you make that call, you take that nurse away
00:31:03
from the bedside.
00:31:04
It's either coming away from your mom or someone else's mom
00:31:08
and there are just not enough hours for nurses.
00:31:11
Today Our nurses are stressed.
00:31:13
We, as family members, we have to partner with our nurses and
00:31:20
we have to behave.
00:31:20
We have to acknowledge this and we have to behave.
00:31:24
So have this conversation with nobody being sick.
00:31:28
Set it up ahead of time like a fire drill.
00:31:31
You don't wait for the house to be on fire until you figure out
00:31:33
where you're going to meet in the yard.
00:31:34
It's done ahead of time and stick to the rules.
00:31:39
It'll help the providers give better care to your loved ones
00:31:43
and it'll help the caregiver or the coordinator of information,
00:31:48
who's really dealing with a lot of stress.
00:31:50
They don't need to have four phone calls at the end of the
00:31:52
day giving everybody an individual update.
00:31:54
No one text group send out the message.
00:31:57
People can ask questions in the group.
00:31:59
You answer the questions in the group.
00:32:01
It's concise, it's easy.
00:32:03
It's an important tip to reduce the stress for caregivers.
00:32:08
Speaker 2: I'm so glad you mentioned that.
00:32:09
Of course, I have some other questions.
00:32:11
I just want you to just reiterate one thing we both are
00:32:15
mentioning the hospital.
00:32:16
There's a team at the hospital and a lot of people who have
00:32:21
people or are at the hospital.
00:32:22
They just see maybe just the doctor or they say, oh, there is
00:32:26
the social worker, but there is in fact a large team that
00:32:31
discusses and tries to give the best care.
00:32:34
And that social worker or that case manager because, remember,
00:32:39
there are multiple people, it's not just the case manager, and
00:32:42
the case manager 9 to the 10, is a nurse A lot of people don't
00:32:47
realize that they're like, oh, that's just.
00:32:49
No, it's not just, it's a nurse, someone who had.
00:32:53
That's why you have a nurse navigator.
00:32:54
There's so many pieces to the puzzle and that's why I needed
00:33:00
you here today.
00:33:00
I wanted them to hear it from you and, being a nurse who is
00:33:06
really in to understanding why we must be prepared when we're
00:33:10
working with our loved ones.
00:33:12
Now, you talked about some instructional strategies here.
00:33:16
I love the way that you talk about what is one instructional
00:33:20
strategy that you use as a game changer to help teach those who
00:33:27
are caregivers?
00:33:28
Speaker 1: Well, I love stories and anytime I think I can share
00:33:32
a personal story and show my vulnerability and where I made
00:33:35
mistakes, because it's through our mistakes that we learn.
00:33:38
It's through our mistakes where we build systems.
00:33:40
So I do as an instructional strategy.
00:33:43
I like to be open, honest, raw and share stories around where,
00:33:47
even as a nurse, things that I might have known academically
00:33:50
but I didn't know it coming in as a caregiver, I really can't
00:33:53
emphasize enough the importance of being prepared, and you
00:33:57
mentioned that you've worked as an EMT You've come into the home
00:34:01
in an emergency where someone is maybe down on the floor,
00:34:05
whatever, and if you're not ready for that moment, there's
00:34:10
no catching up at that point.
00:34:12
So I can't emphasize enough how important it is to do the work
00:34:16
to be prepared for sudden change in health, and I hope for every
00:34:20
one of you.
00:34:20
It never happens, but the odds are against you that it will
00:34:24
happen.
00:34:24
So if you truly want to be in control and I know you do, I
00:34:30
know I do having your advanced directives, having your durable
00:34:36
powers of attorney for anyone over the age of 18, it's
00:34:41
essential.
00:34:42
In the absence of you being able to give instruction in the
00:34:48
moment, someone in a court system will make decisions for
00:34:52
you.
00:34:53
Thank, you.
00:34:53
Speaker 2: I'm glad you made it.
00:34:55
Speaker 1: And that is a burden to your family.
00:34:57
I think we think about oh, if I die, no big deal, right?
00:35:03
Oh, they'll figure it out, it's not the death.
00:35:07
It's the incapacitation that really is the challenge, and I
00:35:12
learned this when I partner with experts in the state panning.
00:35:17
My book isn't about that, but my book does talk about, in the
00:35:21
first part, getting these documents organized so that you
00:35:25
remain in control and you know what that person wants for their
00:35:30
health in the sudden change in health situation.
00:35:33
So I teach their stories.
00:35:36
I have made these mistakes where someone that I loved was
00:35:41
in a really bad spot and we did not have proper paperwork to
00:35:46
make those decisions, although we had power of attorney, but we
00:35:50
didn't have a will and we didn't have the ability to write
00:35:54
a check and pay a bill, and that was really, really hard on
00:35:58
the family.
00:35:59
It was exhausting in both time and emotion.
00:36:03
It took away from our ability to be present during the illness
00:36:07
that was happening because there were other competing
00:36:10
priorities.
00:36:11
So my approach is to speak genuine and be honest, and
00:36:16
you'll see that through the book .
00:36:17
I tell a lot of little stories of lessons that I've learned and
00:36:20
I've put everything I've learned, packed it into the book
00:36:23
, made it available in a digital format, a large print edition,
00:36:29
in addition to paperback, because I don't want anyone to
00:36:33
feel a barrier to accessing this invaluable resource.
00:36:37
And, trust me, I wish someone else had written this book.
00:36:40
I went and I looked and I looked and I looked and I said
00:36:42
someone else must have done this .
00:36:44
It's so logical.
00:36:45
It's a map, it's a navigator.
00:36:47
No, it hadn't been done and therefore there was a gap and I
00:36:51
set my mind to filling that gap.
00:36:53
Speaker 2: So I go and try.
00:36:54
So give me one of your greatest moments as a health science
00:37:01
profession.
00:37:02
Speaker 1: I shared earlier.
00:37:03
For me there's no greater joy than easing the pain someone's
00:37:08
experiencing in that moment, bringing them some mercy, some
00:37:11
grace, some simple joy.
00:37:12
As a direct care nurse I could do that.
00:37:16
Then I became a nurse leader who taught other nurses to give
00:37:20
that care, that compassion.
00:37:22
My expression is you can be a chocolate chip cookie or you can
00:37:26
be a chocolate chip cookie maker.
00:37:29
As my career moved on, I was blessed to move into clinical
00:37:34
informatics where I can build the software that nurse leaders
00:37:39
use to understand what's happening in their population,
00:37:45
to see changes in people's conditions before it's really
00:37:49
obvious and really a train wreck .
00:37:50
And there's probably no greater joy than knowing that the tools
00:37:54
that I work on every day in artificial intelligence and with
00:37:58
machine learning are building predictors that notify nurses of
00:38:03
changes in condition before as a human we would pick up on it.
00:38:06
I know that that helps that agency nurse, that tired nurse,
00:38:11
the second shift nurse, that I'm a new nurse nurse.
00:38:13
It helps all of them to augment their decision making.
00:38:18
It'll never take the place of a nurse, but we can help with
00:38:22
data, with predictions.
00:38:24
We can help nurses to increase that index of suspicion, enhance
00:38:29
the clinical decision they're about to make.
00:38:32
That makes a difference in the care they deliver.
00:38:34
It makes a difference in their resiliency and coming to work
00:38:37
every day and I know that touches that patient whose feet
00:38:41
I loved to rub.
00:38:43
It touches that patient in another way.
00:38:46
That's really powerful.
00:38:48
So you know, for me my greatest moments are close to humans and
00:38:53
my greatest joy comes from the work that I do.
00:38:55
That empowers those humans who are in those direct care roles.
00:39:01
Speaker 2: I'm so glad you had a chance to squeeze in your MIT
00:39:03
stuff because I really I mean we're about to run out of time.
00:39:05
But I have to say this has been personally an amazing interview
00:39:13
because it's dear to my heart.
00:39:16
I've been there, I've seen it.
00:39:18
I'm in the healthcare setting for the second time, but it's
00:39:23
given me an opportunity to have someone with your expertise to
00:39:27
share it with my audience.
00:39:29
It is so important.
00:39:32
I mean, it's critical.
00:39:34
I want you to give me your favorite cold pressed juice.
00:39:38
It's cold pressed juice conversations, so I don't want
00:39:41
to know what's your favorite cold pressed juice.
00:39:46
Speaker 1: I'm a pomegranate.
00:39:48
Oh, are you really Gotta love me that pomegranate juice?
00:39:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, what pomegranate.
00:39:56
Speaker 1: It's just got that little bite.
00:39:58
It's clean, it feels refreshing , it cleanses that palate, it's.
00:40:04
That's a joy for me.
00:40:05
You're the first.
00:40:06
Speaker 2: I like that.
00:40:07
I like that Well audience.
00:40:09
Hopefully you got a lot of nuggets from this.
00:40:10
Cheryl Field she is a MSN RN and everything in between,
00:40:17
because she has written this book called Prepare a Health
00:40:20
Care Guide for Aging Adults, and it's providing valuable
00:40:26
guidance to caregivers worldwide .
00:40:28
She's taking it where she is, simplifying the complex systems
00:40:33
through engaging storytelling and analogies, and it's
00:40:37
important for you to please go on and get this book.
00:40:40
Tell them where they can get it , please.
00:40:42
Speaker 1: Cheryl, you know you can get it on Amazon, Walmart,
00:40:46
Barnes, Noble, anyplace, Books a Million wherever you buy books.
00:40:51
You can grab it there.
00:40:52
You actually can also go to my website if you want a
00:40:55
personalized copy.
00:40:56
My website is wwwcherylfieldcom .
00:41:01
And yeah, I'm happy to, you know, include a little note for
00:41:05
someone and send it off to you in the mail.
00:41:07
So, however, it's best for you to get a copy of prepared.
00:41:11
It's just best for you to get a copy of prepared and honestly,
00:41:15
thank you so much for anyone who has already read the book or is
00:41:19
going to read the book.
00:41:20
Share it with your friends, your family.
00:41:22
I do not want this to be a resource people simply don't
00:41:26
know is there.
00:41:27
So I'm on a mission to get to those 60 million Americans and I
00:41:32
cannot do that without a whole lot of help.
00:41:37
Speaker 2: You're going to get there.
00:41:38
You're going to get there.
00:41:39
I'm telling you, we're going to make sure people hear about
00:41:42
this area it's going to happen, it's going to happen.
00:41:45
Speaker 1: It's like that old commercial they told two friends
00:41:47
and so on and so on.
00:41:48
Remember those commercial early lessons, I think in the 70s.
00:41:52
Speaker 2: What is the call the how?
00:41:53
You're the only like, just a step away from someone who you
00:41:56
know who's famous.
00:41:57
That's right.
00:41:58
Speaker 1: I have to say that I have had an extraordinary
00:42:02
ordinary life.
00:42:03
I'm a regular down to earth gal and I'm so honored to share my
00:42:10
knowledge and my passions and my secrets with everyone.
00:42:13
So thank you so much for your time and thank you, audience,
00:42:17
for listening.
00:42:17
I know this was a long conversation.
00:42:19
No message me on LinkedIn.
00:42:21
Message me on Facebook.
00:42:22
Come to my website, join my newsletter.
00:42:25
If I can be of service to you, please send me an email.
00:42:28
I'm here to serve.
00:42:30
Speaker 2: That is amazing.
00:42:31
Thank you once again, everyone, for tuning into cold press
00:42:35
conversations.
00:42:35
We've had the phenomenal guest, cheryl field, and I thank you
00:42:40
for coming on and presenting to us so many tools so that we can
00:42:46
be prepared as we age and as we care to get for others.
00:42:49
May each one of you have a wonderful, wonderful day.
00:42:53
I hope you enjoyed this episode of cold press conversations.
00:42:58
If you love this episode as much as I did, I need you to
00:43:02
head on over and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
00:43:05
This is Dr Jules signing off to health and cognitive happiness.
Speaker 1: Let's say something happens to mom.
00:00:01
Now mom knows her five SIDS don't get along Like her five
00:00:06
children.
00:00:07
They don't all get along and it brings mom stress every day.
00:00:10
The last day you want that to bring mom stress is when she's
00:00:14
in the hospital.
00:00:14
So I call these sick day rules.
00:00:16
You have a group text.
00:00:17
You've number one ahead of time .
00:00:19
When they're not sick, you decide who is coordinating the
00:00:23
communication for mom.
00:00:24
Let's say it's daughter number one.
00:00:27
Okay, great, create a group of all the SIDS.
00:00:30
You only use it on sick days.
00:00:32
You can call it sick day rules If something happens to mom, for
00:00:36
that caregiver the communication is a huge burden.
00:00:39
So they use this group text.
00:00:41
They're the only ones communicating with the providers
00:00:44
.
00:00:44
Providers don't have time to talk to the five of you because
00:00:47
you don't get along.
00:00:47
Mom needs to know while she's in the hospital recovering from
00:00:52
her heart attack, her children use sick day rules.
00:00:55
They're gonna be talking and communicating.
00:00:58
It's a relief to mom.
00:01:02
Speaker 2: You're listening to Cold Press Conversations with Dr
00:01:05
Jewel White Williams, a lover of numbers, lists and a good
00:01:08
glass of cold press juice, who is sharing episodes each week to
00:01:13
help you explore the back end of healthcare and health
00:01:17
sciences, where a lot of that grit is done.
00:01:19
We'll dive into topics covering research, education and
00:01:23
clinical practices, as well as guest shows with other leaders
00:01:28
in the field.
00:01:28
Pull up a seat and let's dive into these amazing and
00:01:33
game-changing conversations.
00:01:35
Hello, this is Dr Jewel White Williams and I am here with an
00:01:42
amazing guest today.
00:01:44
I have nurse Cheryl Field.
00:01:47
She has a master's in nursing, but before we begin, I just
00:01:52
wanna say thank you very much for coming to Cold Press
00:01:54
Conversations.
00:01:55
This is gonna be in a vigorating conversation.
00:01:58
It's very dear to me.
00:01:59
This conversation is gonna be extremely dear to me because
00:02:02
we're gonna be talking about aging.
00:02:04
We're talking about being prepared for aging.
00:02:06
We're gonna be talking about how it is to be a caregiver and
00:02:09
what the intrinsic parts are of being a caregiver, and that is
00:02:13
gonna be pivotal for anybody of any age.
00:02:16
And I say that because I began being a caregiver at age 24.
00:02:19
And as I did it, I did it for seven people.
00:02:22
So I'm telling you today.
00:02:24
You are going to receive information that is valuable,
00:02:31
necessary and important as anyone ages, regardless of age,
00:02:38
and it's also good for yourself because you become even more so
00:02:42
an advocate as you move forward.
00:02:46
I have Ms Cheryl Field.
00:02:47
She has 30 plus years of experience in nursing,
00:02:49
specializing in rehabilitation and post-acute area, with a
00:02:53
focus on analytics, compliance, quality and reimbursement.
00:02:58
She has served various roles, including clinical director, vp
00:03:02
of healthcare and chief product officer.
00:03:05
She has spoken at state and national conventions for over 25
00:03:10
years on various healthcare industry topics.
00:03:13
A two-time international bestselling author, cheryl's
00:03:18
recent book Prepare A healthcare guide for aging adults guides
00:03:22
caregivers all over the world with her system of advocacy
00:03:26
which anyone can follow.
00:03:28
She makes learning complex systems easy with simple
00:03:31
analogies and relevant and often personal stories to maximize
00:03:37
audience engagement.
00:03:38
Cheryl is a certified rehabilitation nurse and is
00:03:42
recently certified in machine learning and artificial
00:03:45
intelligence from MIT.
00:03:47
She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from the
00:03:51
University of Rochester and a Master of Science in Nursing
00:03:55
from Boston College.
00:03:56
She is married for over 30 years to her third grade
00:04:01
sweetheart, ted, and has three children Michael, rebecca and
00:04:04
Jennifer.
00:04:04
I wanna say welcome, cheryl.
00:04:08
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Dr Joule.
00:04:10
What a pleasure to be here.
00:04:12
Thank you so much for that kind introduction.
00:04:14
I really don't know how I've done all of that just in like 30
00:04:17
years on this planet.
00:04:20
Speaker 2: You know, time flies when you're having fun.
00:04:24
Speaker 1: And we have 100% been having fun.
00:04:26
In fact, I loved how you mentioned that you were a
00:04:29
caregiver at 24.
00:04:30
I actually started being a caregiver at age 10.
00:04:33
I was sitting with my grandmother who had end stage
00:04:36
envozema.
00:04:37
I went on to sit with neighbors who had Parkinson's disease and
00:04:41
at 15, I took my first in-home job, where I was an overnight
00:04:46
nursing assistant from Friday after school until Monday
00:04:50
morning for a gentleman who actually was patented for
00:04:53
embedding the fetish.
00:04:55
Speaker 2: So very early on Are you serious, yeah?
00:04:58
Speaker 1: yeah, it was very early on.
00:05:00
I had a calling for, you know, really caring for our most
00:05:05
vulnerable.
00:05:05
You know those seniors in our space who had paved the way for
00:05:10
others and lived the life I felt .
00:05:12
They had so many stories to share.
00:05:14
It was so much that I could learn from them that I was just
00:05:18
attracted to this type of care.
00:05:20
Speaker 2: I have to say, when you care for someone, whether it
00:05:24
is a family, friend or just anyone who needs your help
00:05:30
talking to them, you get such a wealth of information from them,
00:05:34
don't you?
00:05:35
Speaker 1: It's really, you know , honestly, I loved being a
00:05:38
caregiver.
00:05:39
I loved being a certified nursing assistant and I remember
00:05:42
your parents will say you're too smart to be a nurse.
00:05:45
You know, go be a doctor.
00:05:47
But I loved direct care.
00:05:49
I loved putting someone to bed and washing their feet, giving
00:05:52
them a little foot massage and having them say to me I've lived
00:05:56
in this nursing home for two years and no one has ever washed
00:06:01
my feet.
00:06:02
You know that kind of feedback that comes to you as a human.
00:06:05
It is the greatest gift we have to give.
00:06:08
You know kindness and mercy to one another, especially at a
00:06:12
time where we're not able to care for ourselves, we're not
00:06:15
healthy.
00:06:15
So it's a hundred percent my passion, you know both, being a
00:06:19
nurse, that's a type of a caregiver when you work for
00:06:22
provider as well as being an advocate, caregiver, maybe an
00:06:26
unpaid caregiver.
00:06:28
The world is full of them and, let's be honest, 70% of women
00:06:34
worldwide average age of 49, make up our caregivers.
00:06:40
So I know I'm talking to you and you and you all of you
00:06:44
listening in are managing your families, maybe those little,
00:06:49
not so little's that are now high school, college, average
00:06:54
age 49,.
00:06:54
You're near the peak of your career.
00:06:57
You've got pressures at work, you have aging parents, you
00:07:03
might even be facing this thing we all call menopause yes,
00:07:07
that's fun and on top of that, you have potentially a
00:07:12
relationship with a partner that you're trying to nurture.
00:07:15
So, as a caregiver women, you are really sandwiched between
00:07:21
all of these pressures, and so thank you for all of you who
00:07:25
serve in that role, paid and unpaid.
00:07:28
It is critical to the human condition that we care for one
00:07:32
another, and I'm really I'm just again so blessed that you would
00:07:37
offer up this time, or we could talk about the amount of work
00:07:41
that I placed in this one book called Prepared, which you said.
00:07:45
Caregivers or you're an aging person on this planet, there are
00:07:50
common themes that we all need to learn and level up in order
00:07:56
to really get the best care near the end of life.
00:07:59
And so that's the reason I did that writing and put that work
00:08:03
together because, you know, I had seen, I knew the system as a
00:08:07
provider, a paid provider, a paid caregiver, if you will but
00:08:12
I saw a lot of gaps in the care that was being delivered from
00:08:16
the family advocacy side, and so to fill those gaps I designed
00:08:21
systems, systems that I use and I didn't want I didn't want it
00:08:26
to be like a family recipe, a secret.
00:08:29
You know those secret recipes no one shares.
00:08:30
No, I want everyone to know my recipe.
00:08:34
I want everyone to know that you can really guide your loved
00:08:40
one or yourself through changes in health, through the system
00:08:44
and leverage.
00:08:45
You know what you need from that system.
00:08:47
And that's why I wrote, prepared, you know, I didn't
00:08:49
want it in my head, I didn't want it in my heart, I wanted it
00:08:52
in the world, and so sat down to do that work and, yeah,
00:08:57
that's why we're here tonight.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: Well, I'm going to say you brought up two things
00:09:02
that I think is important, as I was a caregiver for my parents
00:09:07
and it was an extended period of time because mom cared for dad
00:09:11
and then then I cared for dad because mom died unexpectedly.
00:09:16
The thing about it is a lot of people don't realize you
00:09:21
mentioned the word sandwich.
00:09:22
It's called the sandwich generation.
00:09:26
We talk about all the different time and generations that we
00:09:29
have.
00:09:29
We have the Gen Z millennials who go through the whole process
00:09:32
, but it is really a true generation, the sandwich
00:09:37
generation.
00:09:38
Do you mind going a little bit into the definition of what a
00:09:44
person is when they're considered a part of the
00:09:47
sandwich generation?
00:09:49
Speaker 1: I'll share with you what it means for me and that
00:09:52
again, think about a sandwich.
00:09:54
You're in the middle of a couple of slices of bread.
00:09:57
You're in that center.
00:09:58
So again, if you really put yourself into a 40, 50,
00:10:05
60-year-old woman maybe younger, like you said, for you it
00:10:08
started younger you have your own children who have needs from
00:10:13
you as a caregiver.
00:10:15
Think of them as the bread on the left, and then you may have
00:10:19
your own parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles on the right,
00:10:25
and you're in that middle.
00:10:27
You're the meat Everyone is really trying to get a bite of.
00:10:31
They need you without even really considering your own
00:10:36
personal needs, your needs for resilience, your needs for
00:10:38
stress management.
00:10:39
Then, on top of that sandwich, you have your own career to
00:10:43
maintain.
00:10:44
You absolutely have your own health and mental health
00:10:47
concerns to maintain.
00:10:48
The sheer number of roles that a person tries to play becomes
00:10:55
so complex and so complicated.
00:10:57
They really are sandwiched between the needs of others and,
00:11:02
as I said, everyone's trying to take a little bite out of you
00:11:06
and at some point you worry that there's nothing left for
00:11:09
yourself as that caregiver.
00:11:11
So that's how I define the sandwich generation, but you may
00:11:14
have a different definition from textbooks or academia that
00:11:18
you want to share?
00:11:19
Speaker 2: No, no, not actually.
00:11:20
I like to just say it from experience because in which
00:11:25
we're going to discuss it deals with multiple areas your own
00:11:30
health, because there are statistics and I'm not going to
00:11:34
go into it.
00:11:34
I'm going to give you let you give the statistics, but there
00:11:36
are statistics about the health of the caregiver.
00:11:39
And one reason I realized I needed to take not a step back
00:11:46
per se, but a step back and really take a focus on who I was
00:11:50
while I was caregiving is because I was sitting in my
00:11:55
parents' place reading an article and I can't quote where
00:11:59
it was because they had multiple articles and books and
00:12:03
magazines and it was about caregiving.
00:12:06
So I wanted to read a little bit about caregiving and they
00:12:10
gave a statistic about how many caregivers passed before the
00:12:14
person they're caregiving for.
00:12:16
That was alarming to me.
00:12:18
I'm like hold on a second.
00:12:19
I'm in my 40s right now.
00:12:21
What I can't do this.
00:12:23
And at the time my plate was full.
00:12:26
I was a mom, I was a wife and I was a principal at the same
00:12:33
time, and still caring for my family.
00:12:36
Let's talk about that.
00:12:38
Let's talk about how that actually plays a huge role in
00:12:44
caregiving.
00:12:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I will share with you.
00:12:48
I do a talk for caregivers and I talk with them about their
00:12:52
stress and I talk about the gaps , and so I think the first
00:12:56
observation that I have of caregivers is it's like they go
00:12:58
to school and they come home with their Wonder Woman
00:13:01
bracelets.
00:13:02
They have this myth in their head that they have to do it all
00:13:06
.
00:13:06
So one of the first questions that I ask them is I actually
00:13:10
make them pretend that as a caregiver look at the plan you
00:13:13
have in place for your loved one and are you the cook?
00:13:18
Are you the taxi?
00:13:20
Are you the housekeeper?
00:13:23
Are you doing the lawn?
00:13:24
Are you removing snow?
00:13:25
Are you doing their bath?
00:13:27
Are you doing hopefully, your own bath?
00:13:29
Are you doing all of the laundry?
00:13:32
Are you going all the grocery shopping?
00:13:34
Are you physically moving them about?
00:13:36
Plus doctors appointments, plus , plus, plus.
00:13:41
Now, if you're doing all of that , I have them draw a picture,
00:13:45
all the multiple rules they're fulfilling, and then I say well,
00:13:50
what happens to your loved one if you're not in that picture?
00:13:53
To your point, the stress will oftentimes create heart attack,
00:13:59
stroke, depression.
00:14:00
How about just plain old illness?
00:14:03
You know your immune system is so impaired by that chronic
00:14:07
stress.
00:14:08
You get everything.
00:14:09
Especially, like you said, you're a principal.
00:14:11
You are working in the Petrie dish of schools, bringing all
00:14:14
that stuff home to yourself and to your parents.
00:14:16
So I make them draw on paper all the rules.
00:14:19
Then I make them erase themselves and I ask them to
00:14:22
look at how far apart are those resources, how close to
00:14:27
completing the gap are they?
00:14:29
If they are everything their loved one has nothing.
00:14:32
So I encourage them to and this is a tip that I give always be
00:14:38
aligned with the strategic decisions and delegate as many,
00:14:44
as many as you can, of just tact , just getting done.
00:14:51
We've decided you're going to go to radiation for four weeks.
00:14:55
That was a decision.
00:14:56
I went to the doctors, we made a strategic decision.
00:15:00
We understand the care treatment plan, but delegate
00:15:03
every single one of those rights .
00:15:04
Don't be driving under radiation.
00:15:07
Be involved in strategy.
00:15:09
Delegate the execution, and I say that because if you were
00:15:13
then to draw out the plan for this person, if there's someone
00:15:16
to drive to radiation, someone else is picking up groceries,
00:15:19
someone else is coming over once a weekend doing some music
00:15:24
therapy, watching a movie, playing cards, someone else is
00:15:27
doing the laundry, someone else is doing the lawn Not then.
00:15:30
So that's it.
00:15:30
Then your job is go to doctor's appointments, go to work, try
00:15:36
to exercise like take care of yourself and get someone to help
00:15:40
with the showers.
00:15:41
The reason I say that is now take yourself out of the plan.
00:15:45
There's very little gap in a plan that's well resourced, it's
00:15:50
dynamic, it has many, many players, just in execution.
00:15:55
What I really encourage caregivers to do is stay in
00:15:59
strategy, seek resources very early in the job.
00:16:03
Please don't get into it for six months all alone, becoming
00:16:07
Wonder Woman, becoming depressed .
00:16:09
Then you become that caregiver who has a heart attack or has a
00:16:12
stroke or falls out of exhaustion.
00:16:14
Oftentimes older caregivers aren't so busy trying to care
00:16:18
for their loved one that they don't hydrate properly, they
00:16:21
have bladder infections, they become septic.
00:16:23
Suddenly, as you said, someone dies before someone else and it
00:16:27
wasn't expected and it's because the stress of caregiving.
00:16:30
We do have to surround our caregivers with resources for
00:16:36
themselves, resources for the person they're caring for,
00:16:40
resources for the whole family.
00:16:42
I say do that early, don't wait until you're burnt out to say I
00:16:47
can't do this anymore.
00:16:48
Right from the beginning, go in and come up with a plan so
00:16:51
you're not doing all the jobs.
00:16:53
Speaker 2: I like the way that you were teaching and giving the
00:16:56
tips.
00:16:57
As you know, COPA's conversation is when you take
00:17:00
all that good stuff and you give the good information to let
00:17:03
people move forward.
00:17:04
You are a writer, you are a nurse.
00:17:09
I really would like for you to just give some key messages or
00:17:15
strategies that you would like to empower our caregivers with.
00:17:20
That will also help improve senior care outcomes.
00:17:25
Speaker 1: One of the first empowerment concepts is don't
00:17:29
give choices you don't have.
00:17:30
The contrast of that is give lots and lots and lots of choice
00:17:36
.
00:17:36
You use a fantastic word, which is empowerment.
00:17:39
What do I mean when I say that you don't give choices you don't
00:17:43
have?
00:17:43
We just went to a meeting where we decided you're going to do
00:17:46
four weeks of radiation.
00:17:47
It's been a decision.
00:17:48
The medical regime says let's do this.
00:17:51
You're diabetic, going to take insulin.
00:17:53
It's not a choice not to take it.
00:17:56
However, who drives you?
00:17:58
Do you want to do it in the morning?
00:18:00
Do you want to do it at night?
00:18:00
What do you want to wear when you go?
00:18:02
What would you like to eat before?
00:18:03
What would you like to eat after?
00:18:05
Give that person for whom you're providing care all those
00:18:09
choices.
00:18:09
Let your diabetics go to the grocery store or, if they're
00:18:13
using an app to order those groceries that can be involved
00:18:16
in planning the menu, picking their favorite proteins, their
00:18:19
favorite carbs, their favorite fruits and vegetables, so they
00:18:23
feel empowered.
00:18:24
Now they're not eating donuts and chocolates and bonbons
00:18:27
because they're diabetic, but you're letting them choose that
00:18:31
low glycemic index, sugar-free treat that really fits within
00:18:36
their medical regime.
00:18:38
That's empowering.
00:18:40
It gives a sense of purpose.
00:18:41
In fact, I encourage caregivers to say to the person you know
00:18:46
what?
00:18:46
Yeah, what are we eating this week?
00:18:48
You figure out the menu.
00:18:50
It gives them purpose, it's one less thing for you to do and
00:18:54
they have a sense of control.
00:18:56
At a time in our life when we're losing our health, we
00:19:00
really feel out of control, and so as many opportunities for
00:19:04
control that we can give helps with the mental health of the
00:19:07
patient.
00:19:07
It reduces the amount of burden on the caregiver.
00:19:10
For women, we have a hard time setting boundaries.
00:19:14
We do but this idea of not giving choices.
00:19:17
You don't have but going out of your way to give lots and lots
00:19:21
and lots of choices is a really nice way of saying you've got to
00:19:25
draw some boundaries and then enforce them and within those
00:19:29
boundaries, give some empowerment, give some purpose,
00:19:32
give some freedom to that human who's otherwise feeling a bit
00:19:36
like they're losing out on some control.
00:19:39
Speaker 2: As a caregiver, you tend to ditch some of your fun
00:19:45
stuff that makes you whole, while we consider your book
00:19:49
prepared, a health care guide for aging adults.
00:19:52
What would you say because I'm going to be honest with you as a
00:19:56
writer, I know you're partial to your book super partial, but
00:20:02
even as a writer, and the way that you are instructing because
00:20:06
you are instructing, you're giving us an invaluable lesson
00:20:10
today, as we age.
00:20:13
What would you say was one of your favorite sections to write?
00:20:21
Speaker 1: Probably one of my favorite sections was also an
00:20:27
area where people really have the most feelings of fear and
00:20:33
uncertainty.
00:20:34
Through the work, I feel that I give them the gift of calm and
00:20:38
confidence.
00:20:39
The book is two parts.
00:20:41
The first part is all the information you should have
00:20:45
already in advance of a sudden change in health.
00:20:49
Every single person should read part one and do the paperwork
00:20:54
Power of attorney, hipaa forms, medication assessments, pain,
00:20:58
activities of daily living, really understanding yourself
00:21:02
All these resources I have on my website, so I save pages and
00:21:06
I'll refer people to come to the website and find the form you
00:21:09
need and completed, go back and go back every time.
00:21:12
The rest of the book is now that sudden change in health has
00:21:16
happened and it's very tactical.
00:21:18
It walks you through.
00:21:20
You know you're headed to the emergency room.
00:21:22
What should you bring?
00:21:24
Here's a checklist.
00:21:25
What should you ask?
00:21:27
Here's some questions.
00:21:28
What's going to happen?
00:21:29
Because you don't know.
00:21:31
The same is true for the hospital phase and the part that
00:21:34
is so hard for people that are aging is facing a short stay in
00:21:41
a nursing home for rehabilitation.
00:21:43
Nobody wants to go and the piece of the work that became my
00:21:48
favorite was really thinking that decision through, thinking
00:21:55
about it like a stock investment .
00:21:58
You know you buy a stock.
00:21:59
You don't want to sell it on the way up Like you want to let
00:22:03
it go and go and go before you sell.
00:22:05
And if you just go into a hospital and you get a couple
00:22:09
days of care and they really recommend that you continue the
00:22:13
healing journey at a skilled facility for a short period of
00:22:16
time, that's a ticker on the rise.
00:22:18
Don't sell too soon, don't shortcut yourself.
00:22:22
See the positives that you can gain from those providers.
00:22:25
Leverage the offerings that they have.
00:22:29
And in order to do that, you have to level up.
00:22:32
So I teach them You're the names of the people by title
00:22:37
You're going to see when you get to that center.
00:22:38
Here's what they do, here's what you can ask them and the
00:22:43
parts where you partner with them to leverage what you need
00:22:47
from the system with a goal of going home.
00:22:50
And at what point can you go home safely that you're going to
00:22:55
stay home and not, you know, end right back up in that
00:22:59
hospital setting.
00:23:00
So that's the hardest part for most people is to transition
00:23:05
multiple times in emergency room and upstairs to be admitted.
00:23:08
And now you know it's been a few more days and you're still
00:23:11
not able to really move around by yourself or manage your own
00:23:15
pain, manage your own medicine.
00:23:17
Maybe you're learning something new from the health condition
00:23:19
that's occurred and you need a little more time to really
00:23:23
balance that body.
00:23:24
Take the time you know, invest in yourself, make sure you have
00:23:29
services around you before you transition and ask those
00:23:32
questions ahead.
00:23:33
I walk people through how to think about finding a facility
00:23:38
and I try to demystify some of the rating systems.
00:23:42
They do a terrible job helping you to understand if the
00:23:46
facility is really going to be able to meet your needs, so kind
00:23:49
of walk them through that systematically.
00:23:50
It's a hard part here and it's a hard part here, but there's so
00:23:54
much good that comes from that partnership.
00:23:56
Speaker 2: I'm glad you mentioned that I also work with
00:23:57
the Community Paramedic Program.
00:23:59
I'm the one who helps with the scheduling.
00:24:02
I may attend the IDT meetings and oftentimes we may get in a
00:24:08
position where I make a call home and the patient goes, and
00:24:12
not just one.
00:24:12
I've had a couple.
00:24:13
You know, maybe I should have done the rehabilitation.
00:24:16
Speaker 1: They can go right back in.
00:24:17
I actually teach them that.
00:24:18
So when you're a Medicare beneficiary or a managed care
00:24:21
beneficiary and you've had to stay in a hospital, if you don't
00:24:25
go to that rehab facility, you actually have 30 days to go back
00:24:28
in.
00:24:28
So thank you for mentioning it.
00:24:30
Thank you, you know what?
00:24:32
I sort of teach it like an amusement park.
00:24:34
You know, when you leave an amusement park and they stamp
00:24:36
your hand, do you want to come back today?
00:24:37
And I'm like I always want to think you're coming back, but
00:24:40
you know you're not coming back that day.
00:24:41
The stamp that the hospital puts on your hand when you leave
00:24:44
is good for 30 days.
00:24:46
So you could reenter that rehab facility and receive those
00:24:50
skilled services for 30 days from the time that you leave the
00:24:54
hospital.
00:24:56
When you do go home, I know the nurses tell people this, but in
00:24:59
the haste and the panic and the rushing to get home, nobody
00:25:02
remembers that.
00:25:03
Oh, by the way, if things don't go well when you get home, you
00:25:06
could actually go to that rehab facility.
00:25:09
Now you have to make a phone call, make sure they have a bed,
00:25:12
get all that information ahead of time.
00:25:13
However, it's an option and I want people to know that.
00:25:17
So they don't get home and really decline, decline, decline
00:25:20
to the point where you know they become septic, they pass.
00:25:25
People unfortunately wait too long to reaccess healthcare and
00:25:31
that's the poor health outcomes that I see and that's why the
00:25:36
important messages within prepared actually level up.
00:25:39
The only person really accountable for your health
00:25:43
outcomes is you.
00:25:45
And so I want everyone to have you know me as their expert, by
00:25:49
their side as they're moving through the system, and have you
00:25:53
know, like I said, I didn't want it to be a knowledge base
00:25:57
and a recipe, a system that I know and I follow.
00:26:00
I want it to be a system that's simple, that everyone can learn
00:26:04
and follow every single time.
00:26:07
It happens and you know from being a caregiver, going in and
00:26:11
out of the hospital is a repetitive process, as sometimes
00:26:16
the uncertainty and the fear can be overwhelming.
00:26:20
But if you have a plan and you have a system, you go in with
00:26:25
confidence.
00:26:27
And you know, recently a member of my family who has a copy of
00:26:30
the book had a neighbor that they were advocating for through
00:26:35
a transition.
00:26:36
And so you know, this person says to me you just don't
00:26:39
understand.
00:26:39
I'm running around the hospital with, you know, four or five
00:26:41
different bookmarks in the book and I'm just turning to the page
00:26:45
and saying, okay, do you see this?
00:26:46
I need these answers.
00:26:47
And the feeling was, although this person wasn't medical, they
00:26:52
actually knew what to do, gave them a confidence and gave them
00:26:56
direction, and that's what I really want to make sure.
00:27:01
There are 60 million Americans, just in the United States, over
00:27:07
the age of 65 and every day, 10 more reach age 65.
00:27:12
And that's going to continue for another I don't know three
00:27:14
to five years.
00:27:15
Yeah, they did say my real concern is they are not prepared
00:27:18
for the sudden changes that are coming.
00:27:20
So I want themselves and or their adult children, their
00:27:25
caregivers, their neighbors, whoever is in their circle, to
00:27:28
know about this very affordable resource that gives them that
00:27:31
empowerment, that gives them that calm and that confidence.
00:27:34
I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I'm going to say
00:27:37
you're going to go in with a plan which makes you in charge
00:27:41
and not Just I don't want to say a victim of the system.
00:27:45
But you get lost in the system.
00:27:47
You really do get lost with misinformation and misguidance
00:27:51
and just uncertain to you, don't know where to turn and prepared
00:27:55
turns you into a well organized , assertive, confident advocate,
00:28:01
caregiver.
00:28:03
Speaker 2: It takes away the overwhelm.
00:28:04
That's what you're trying to do is take away that overwhelm.
00:28:07
The first time go round, it was only because I'm a researcher.
00:28:12
I like to figure out what to do , and the process did go pretty
00:28:16
smooth.
00:28:17
Speaker 1: One more nugget.
00:28:18
I think this is like the million dollar nugget.
00:28:21
I call it sick day rules.
00:28:23
Not every family member gets along.
00:28:26
However, there are people in the family who should be
00:28:34
communicated with in case, let's say, something happens to mom.
00:28:37
Now mom knows her five Sibs don't get along Like her five
00:28:42
children.
00:28:43
They don't all get along and it brings mom stress every day.
00:28:46
The last day you want that to bring mom stress is when she's
00:28:50
in the hospital.
00:28:50
So I call these sick day rules.
00:28:52
You have a group text.
00:28:53
You've number one ahead of time .
00:28:55
When they're not sick, you decide who is coordinating the
00:28:59
communication for mom.
00:29:00
Let's say it's daughter number one.
00:29:03
Ok, great, create a group of all the Sibs.
00:29:06
You only use it on sick days.
00:29:08
You can call it sick day rules If something happens to mom.
00:29:12
For that caregiver the communication is a huge burden,
00:29:16
so they use this group text.
00:29:17
They're the only ones communicating with the providers
00:29:20
.
00:29:20
Providers don't have time to talk to the five of you because
00:29:23
you don't get along.
00:29:23
Mom needs to know while she's in the hospital recovering from
00:29:28
her heart attack, her children use sick day rules.
00:29:31
They're going to be talking and communicating.
00:29:34
It's a relief to mom.
00:29:36
So for all of you out there who it's OK that you don't get
00:29:39
along every other day, but when somebody goes face down in your
00:29:42
family, you all get along for the betterment of that person
00:29:46
and they know ahead of time this is how you're going to behave.
00:29:49
It reduces the stress which is enormous at that time when
00:29:54
something happens to your loved one.
00:29:56
It reduces that tension of not getting along and I think, in a
00:30:00
nice way it shows sometimes shows people that actually can
00:30:04
get along more than they thought they could.
00:30:06
Speaker 2: And that's the reason why I was bringing up.
00:30:08
It was smooth, but I've been in situations where it's not not
00:30:13
personally but for others and I've witnessed how it can't be.
00:30:17
And I'm glad you talked about the sick day rules.
00:30:20
That is so important and it helps out the hospital.
00:30:24
It helps out if they're in a nursing home, assisted living or
00:30:28
even in a larger independent facility that actually has
00:30:31
someone who speaks on their behalf.
00:30:33
It gives them that option to have that one person to talk to
00:30:37
instead of trying to return five and six and seven calls Because
00:30:40
of cousins, sisters, children.
00:30:43
It can go on and the list can get more expansive.
00:30:48
Speaker 1: And don't be that person who says I'm calling
00:30:51
anyway.
00:30:53
I'm going to call the hospital anyway.
00:30:54
I know you are the one that's doing it, but you know what I'm
00:30:57
going to do it anyway.
00:30:58
Don't be that person.
00:30:59
Here's why, when you make that call, you take that nurse away
00:31:03
from the bedside.
00:31:04
It's either coming away from your mom or someone else's mom
00:31:08
and there are just not enough hours for nurses.
00:31:11
Today Our nurses are stressed.
00:31:13
We, as family members, we have to partner with our nurses and
00:31:20
we have to behave.
00:31:20
We have to acknowledge this and we have to behave.
00:31:24
So have this conversation with nobody being sick.
00:31:28
Set it up ahead of time like a fire drill.
00:31:31
You don't wait for the house to be on fire until you figure out
00:31:33
where you're going to meet in the yard.
00:31:34
It's done ahead of time and stick to the rules.
00:31:39
It'll help the providers give better care to your loved ones
00:31:43
and it'll help the caregiver or the coordinator of information,
00:31:48
who's really dealing with a lot of stress.
00:31:50
They don't need to have four phone calls at the end of the
00:31:52
day giving everybody an individual update.
00:31:54
No one text group send out the message.
00:31:57
People can ask questions in the group.
00:31:59
You answer the questions in the group.
00:32:01
It's concise, it's easy.
00:32:03
It's an important tip to reduce the stress for caregivers.
00:32:08
Speaker 2: I'm so glad you mentioned that.
00:32:09
Of course, I have some other questions.
00:32:11
I just want you to just reiterate one thing we both are
00:32:15
mentioning the hospital.
00:32:16
There's a team at the hospital and a lot of people who have
00:32:21
people or are at the hospital.
00:32:22
They just see maybe just the doctor or they say, oh, there is
00:32:26
the social worker, but there is in fact a large team that
00:32:31
discusses and tries to give the best care.
00:32:34
And that social worker or that case manager because, remember,
00:32:39
there are multiple people, it's not just the case manager, and
00:32:42
the case manager 9 to the 10, is a nurse A lot of people don't
00:32:47
realize that they're like, oh, that's just.
00:32:49
No, it's not just, it's a nurse, someone who had.
00:32:53
That's why you have a nurse navigator.
00:32:54
There's so many pieces to the puzzle and that's why I needed
00:33:00
you here today.
00:33:00
I wanted them to hear it from you and, being a nurse who is
00:33:06
really in to understanding why we must be prepared when we're
00:33:10
working with our loved ones.
00:33:12
Now, you talked about some instructional strategies here.
00:33:16
I love the way that you talk about what is one instructional
00:33:20
strategy that you use as a game changer to help teach those who
00:33:27
are caregivers?
00:33:28
Speaker 1: Well, I love stories and anytime I think I can share
00:33:32
a personal story and show my vulnerability and where I made
00:33:35
mistakes, because it's through our mistakes that we learn.
00:33:38
It's through our mistakes where we build systems.
00:33:40
So I do as an instructional strategy.
00:33:43
I like to be open, honest, raw and share stories around where,
00:33:47
even as a nurse, things that I might have known academically
00:33:50
but I didn't know it coming in as a caregiver, I really can't
00:33:53
emphasize enough the importance of being prepared, and you
00:33:57
mentioned that you've worked as an EMT You've come into the home
00:34:01
in an emergency where someone is maybe down on the floor,
00:34:05
whatever, and if you're not ready for that moment, there's
00:34:10
no catching up at that point.
00:34:12
So I can't emphasize enough how important it is to do the work
00:34:16
to be prepared for sudden change in health, and I hope for every
00:34:20
one of you.
00:34:20
It never happens, but the odds are against you that it will
00:34:24
happen.
00:34:24
So if you truly want to be in control and I know you do, I
00:34:30
know I do having your advanced directives, having your durable
00:34:36
powers of attorney for anyone over the age of 18, it's
00:34:41
essential.
00:34:42
In the absence of you being able to give instruction in the
00:34:48
moment, someone in a court system will make decisions for
00:34:52
you.
00:34:53
Thank, you.
00:34:53
Speaker 2: I'm glad you made it.
00:34:55
Speaker 1: And that is a burden to your family.
00:34:57
I think we think about oh, if I die, no big deal, right?
00:35:03
Oh, they'll figure it out, it's not the death.
00:35:07
It's the incapacitation that really is the challenge, and I
00:35:12
learned this when I partner with experts in the state panning.
00:35:17
My book isn't about that, but my book does talk about, in the
00:35:21
first part, getting these documents organized so that you
00:35:25
remain in control and you know what that person wants for their
00:35:30
health in the sudden change in health situation.
00:35:33
So I teach their stories.
00:35:36
I have made these mistakes where someone that I loved was
00:35:41
in a really bad spot and we did not have proper paperwork to
00:35:46
make those decisions, although we had power of attorney, but we
00:35:50
didn't have a will and we didn't have the ability to write
00:35:54
a check and pay a bill, and that was really, really hard on
00:35:58
the family.
00:35:59
It was exhausting in both time and emotion.
00:36:03
It took away from our ability to be present during the illness
00:36:07
that was happening because there were other competing
00:36:10
priorities.
00:36:11
So my approach is to speak genuine and be honest, and
00:36:16
you'll see that through the book .
00:36:17
I tell a lot of little stories of lessons that I've learned and
00:36:20
I've put everything I've learned, packed it into the book
00:36:23
, made it available in a digital format, a large print edition,
00:36:29
in addition to paperback, because I don't want anyone to
00:36:33
feel a barrier to accessing this invaluable resource.
00:36:37
And, trust me, I wish someone else had written this book.
00:36:40
I went and I looked and I looked and I looked and I said
00:36:42
someone else must have done this .
00:36:44
It's so logical.
00:36:45
It's a map, it's a navigator.
00:36:47
No, it hadn't been done and therefore there was a gap and I
00:36:51
set my mind to filling that gap.
00:36:53
Speaker 2: So I go and try.
00:36:54
So give me one of your greatest moments as a health science
00:37:01
profession.
00:37:02
Speaker 1: I shared earlier.
00:37:03
For me there's no greater joy than easing the pain someone's
00:37:08
experiencing in that moment, bringing them some mercy, some
00:37:11
grace, some simple joy.
00:37:12
As a direct care nurse I could do that.
00:37:16
Then I became a nurse leader who taught other nurses to give
00:37:20
that care, that compassion.
00:37:22
My expression is you can be a chocolate chip cookie or you can
00:37:26
be a chocolate chip cookie maker.
00:37:29
As my career moved on, I was blessed to move into clinical
00:37:34
informatics where I can build the software that nurse leaders
00:37:39
use to understand what's happening in their population,
00:37:45
to see changes in people's conditions before it's really
00:37:49
obvious and really a train wreck .
00:37:50
And there's probably no greater joy than knowing that the tools
00:37:54
that I work on every day in artificial intelligence and with
00:37:58
machine learning are building predictors that notify nurses of
00:38:03
changes in condition before as a human we would pick up on it.
00:38:06
I know that that helps that agency nurse, that tired nurse,
00:38:11
the second shift nurse, that I'm a new nurse nurse.
00:38:13
It helps all of them to augment their decision making.
00:38:18
It'll never take the place of a nurse, but we can help with
00:38:22
data, with predictions.
00:38:24
We can help nurses to increase that index of suspicion, enhance
00:38:29
the clinical decision they're about to make.
00:38:32
That makes a difference in the care they deliver.
00:38:34
It makes a difference in their resiliency and coming to work
00:38:37
every day and I know that touches that patient whose feet
00:38:41
I loved to rub.
00:38:43
It touches that patient in another way.
00:38:46
That's really powerful.
00:38:48
So you know, for me my greatest moments are close to humans and
00:38:53
my greatest joy comes from the work that I do.
00:38:55
That empowers those humans who are in those direct care roles.
00:39:01
Speaker 2: I'm so glad you had a chance to squeeze in your MIT
00:39:03
stuff because I really I mean we're about to run out of time.
00:39:05
But I have to say this has been personally an amazing interview
00:39:13
because it's dear to my heart.
00:39:16
I've been there, I've seen it.
00:39:18
I'm in the healthcare setting for the second time, but it's
00:39:23
given me an opportunity to have someone with your expertise to
00:39:27
share it with my audience.
00:39:29
It is so important.
00:39:32
I mean, it's critical.
00:39:34
I want you to give me your favorite cold pressed juice.
00:39:38
It's cold pressed juice conversations, so I don't want
00:39:41
to know what's your favorite cold pressed juice.
00:39:46
Speaker 1: I'm a pomegranate.
00:39:48
Oh, are you really Gotta love me that pomegranate juice?
00:39:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, what pomegranate.
00:39:56
Speaker 1: It's just got that little bite.
00:39:58
It's clean, it feels refreshing , it cleanses that palate, it's.
00:40:04
That's a joy for me.
00:40:05
You're the first.
00:40:06
Speaker 2: I like that.
00:40:07
I like that Well audience.
00:40:09
Hopefully you got a lot of nuggets from this.
00:40:10
Cheryl Field she is a MSN RN and everything in between,
00:40:17
because she has written this book called Prepare a Health
00:40:20
Care Guide for Aging Adults, and it's providing valuable
00:40:26
guidance to caregivers worldwide .
00:40:28
She's taking it where she is, simplifying the complex systems
00:40:33
through engaging storytelling and analogies, and it's
00:40:37
important for you to please go on and get this book.
00:40:40
Tell them where they can get it , please.
00:40:42
Speaker 1: Cheryl, you know you can get it on Amazon, Walmart,
00:40:46
Barnes, Noble, anyplace, Books a Million wherever you buy books.
00:40:51
You can grab it there.
00:40:52
You actually can also go to my website if you want a
00:40:55
personalized copy.
00:40:56
My website is wwwcherylfieldcom .
00:41:01
And yeah, I'm happy to, you know, include a little note for
00:41:05
someone and send it off to you in the mail.
00:41:07
So, however, it's best for you to get a copy of prepared.
00:41:11
It's just best for you to get a copy of prepared and honestly,
00:41:15
thank you so much for anyone who has already read the book or is
00:41:19
going to read the book.
00:41:20
Share it with your friends, your family.
00:41:22
I do not want this to be a resource people simply don't
00:41:26
know is there.
00:41:27
So I'm on a mission to get to those 60 million Americans and I
00:41:32
cannot do that without a whole lot of help.
00:41:37
Speaker 2: You're going to get there.
00:41:38
You're going to get there.
00:41:39
I'm telling you, we're going to make sure people hear about
00:41:42
this area it's going to happen, it's going to happen.
00:41:45
Speaker 1: It's like that old commercial they told two friends
00:41:47
and so on and so on.
00:41:48
Remember those commercial early lessons, I think in the 70s.
00:41:52
Speaker 2: What is the call the how?
00:41:53
You're the only like, just a step away from someone who you
00:41:56
know who's famous.
00:41:57
That's right.
00:41:58
Speaker 1: I have to say that I have had an extraordinary
00:42:02
ordinary life.
00:42:03
I'm a regular down to earth gal and I'm so honored to share my
00:42:10
knowledge and my passions and my secrets with everyone.
00:42:13
So thank you so much for your time and thank you, audience,
00:42:17
for listening.
00:42:17
I know this was a long conversation.
00:42:19
No message me on LinkedIn.
00:42:21
Message me on Facebook.
00:42:22
Come to my website, join my newsletter.
00:42:25
If I can be of service to you, please send me an email.
00:42:28
I'm here to serve.
00:42:30
Speaker 2: That is amazing.
00:42:31
Thank you once again, everyone, for tuning into cold press
00:42:35
conversations.
00:42:35
We've had the phenomenal guest, cheryl field, and I thank you
00:42:40
for coming on and presenting to us so many tools so that we can
00:42:46
be prepared as we age and as we care to get for others.
00:42:49
May each one of you have a wonderful, wonderful day.
00:42:53
I hope you enjoyed this episode of cold press conversations.
00:42:58
If you love this episode as much as I did, I need you to
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head on over and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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This is Dr Jules signing off to health and cognitive happiness.
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