February 4, 2019
Discharge Planning is a Family Affair


“Good news, Mr. A. You can go home tomorrow!” For most hospital patients and their families, being discharged from the hospital is good news. Yet this announcement often means a new set of challenges to consider. Ideally the decisions and needs will have been discussed before the day of discharge. 

This webinar will describe hospital discharge planning—who does it, what it’s intended to accomplish, and what a family caregiver should know to be fully prepared for the transition, whether a patient goes home, with or without formal home care, or to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) for short-term rehab or further care.   

Topics for the webinar include typical family caregiver’s roles in discharge planning, a hospital’s obligation to patients and families to inform and educate about hospital discharge and post-discharge care instructions (as mandated in state CARE Acts—known in California as the California Hospital and Family Caregiver Law), and new research from the United Hospital Fund on choosing a post-acute care setting when going home is not feasible. The webinar will guide viewers through the key steps and offer time for questions and answers. 

Objectives:
  • Discuss why discharge planning is important and why family caregivers should be involved in decisions
  • Describe important features of good discharge planning
  • Outline the roles and responsibilities of various hospital and community-based agency staff
  • Learn who can help when problems arise
Carol Levine directs the Families and Health Care Project at United Hospital Fund in New York City, where she led the development of Next Step in Care , a suite of educational materials for family caregivers and health care providers to help them work together during care transitions. A former caregiver for her late husband, she is a researcher, writer, and advocate for family caregivers. Her latest books are Navigating Your Later Years For Dummies (Wiley and AARP, 2018) and Living in the Land of Limbo: Fiction and Poetry about Family Caregiving (Vanderbilt University Press, 2014). She holds an MA from Columbia University in Public Law and Government.

Kristina Ramos-Callan is a program manager at United Hospital Fund in New York City, where she works to promote improvements in the health care delivery system around patient and family experience, and to foster clinical-community partnerships to address social determinants of health. Kristina is also a life-long family caregiver. She holds an MA in Urban Studies (Health Care Administration) from the Murphy Institute of the City University of New York .

When:  Wednesday, February, 27, 11 a.m. to 12 noon (PT)
Where:  ONLINE
Cost:  No charge
Contact:  Calvin Hu,  chu@caregiver.org , (415) 434-3388 x 313
Registration:  Click here
(415) 434-3388 | (800) 445-8106

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) seeks to improve the quality of life for caregivers through education, services, research, and advocacy. Through its National Center on Caregiving, FCA offers information on current social, public policy, and caregiving issues and provides assistance in the development of public and private programs for caregivers. For residents of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, FCA provides direct support services for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s, and other debilitating health conditions that strike adults.
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