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How Should I Proceed


LIguy

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I collapsed in January and I have spent 15 weeks in the hospital where I was trached,foleyed,had a feeding tube put in and kept in bed.  I was then transferred to a rehab facility where I have been for 10 weeks and now I’m at 80% recovery and being released on Monday.

My PT,OT,Respitory T,and CNA aide were absolutely incredible and I wanted to give them a cash gift but upon googling I found out that they cannot accept gifts and could lose their job.  Has anyone else been to rehab and handled it the way I wish too?  I would appreciate any info.

I have a mass near my esophagus which seems to have affected my lungs and diagnosed as Lymphoma. I had 3 bouts of pneumonia during this and now have heart failure and gained 2 pounds a day of water which has finally been reversed.

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First I'm very sorry to hear what you went through in the last 6 months and your diagnosis of your current conditions. I hope you are able to continue to receive the kind of medical treatment you have had so far.

About expressing appreciation to those who have helped you along the way, if you can't give them a cash payment, perhaps you could donate something to the organizations they work for. The medical community suffers from a lack of sufficient funding in many cases and charitable gifts are always appreciated. I wouldn't give to a for profit organization, but some of those that helped you may work in the non-profit sector.

 

Best of luck in the future.

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18 hours ago, LIguy said:

I collapsed in January and I have spent 15 weeks in the hospital where I was trached,foleyed,had a feeding tube put in and kept in bed.  I was then transferred to a rehab facility where I have been for 10 weeks and now I’m at 80% recovery and being released on Monday.

My PT,OT,Respitory T,and CNA aide were absolutely incredible and I wanted to give them a cash gift but upon googling I found out that they cannot accept gifts and could lose their job.  Has anyone else been to rehab and handled it the way I wish too?  I would appreciate any info.

I have a mass near my esophagus which seems to have affected my lungs and diagnosed as Lymphoma. I had 3 bouts of pneumonia during this and now have heart failure and gained 2 pounds a day of water which has finally been reversed.

First, congratulations on your recovery! 

Yes it is true that healthcare worker can't accept gifts or tips for patients. The exception being only if you privately hire them yourself for homecare. However it is common place to have a nice bouquet of flowers sent to the main nurses desk on the floor where you received you care together with a card of thanks and gratitude. Also a nice letter to management describing your satisfaction and fine treatment by staff members which you can mention by name and position does go a long way. These letters are not overlooked when it comes time for promotions, pay raises  or if future complaints ever arrive against mentioned staff members. Few people take the time these days to express thanks to exceptional care or services or to complain when things are bad. For this reason I always fill out surveys because how else will management know how clients feel about products and services. 

May you have a full and speedy recovery!

Danny-Darko

(Former Healthcare Worker)

Edited by Danny-Darko
spelling error
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I’m a healthcare worker. It’s true that we are not allowed to accept gifts except for those of trivial value (and certainly not cash or equivalent). However what I and many of my colleagues prefer is a note expressing thanks and appreciation. Such encouragement is rare and goes a long way when facing our next patients’ challenges. Thank you for considering.  

Edited by InChiTown
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4 hours ago, LIguy said:

I collapsed in January and I have spent 15 weeks in the hospital where I was trached,foleyed,had a feeding tube put in and kept in bed.  I was then transferred to a rehab facility where I have been for 10 weeks and now I’m at 80% recovery and being released on Monday.

My PT,OT,Respitory T,and CNA aide were absolutely incredible and I wanted to give them a cash gift but upon googling I found out that they cannot accept gifts and could lose their job.  Has anyone else been to rehab and handled it the way I wish too?  I would appreciate any info.

I have a mass near my esophagus which seems to have affected my lungs and diagnosed as Lymphoma. I had 3 bouts of pneumonia during this and now have heart failure and gained 2 pounds a day of water which has finally been reversed.

You reported a very difficult time since your January incident.  

Fortunately, you have done well since then with various therapies.  

I want to recommend a video for you to watch that was produced by a physician who, himself, was nearly killed in a bizarre accident. 

The video is about "palliative care" which many people think is only for end-of-life patients.  However, palliative care is also for patients who are working through major health issues such as you reported. 

If you watch the video, you will see that the physician speaker is permanently disabled because of his bizarre accident.  He was not expected to live following his accident.  Through many surgeries and palliative care, he recovered enough to finish college and go to medical school. 

He is on the faculty of a major medical school teaching palliative care skills that he helped develop.    

Anyone watching the video will learn that palliative care is for those who do not have a long life expectancy but also for those who have a normal life expectancy - but need health/physical therapy.  

I found the video extremely interesting and philosophical.  The video is about twenty minutes in duration.  Here is a link to the video that I hope will be helpful to you during your recuperation:

 

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I used to work in health care, and I will second all of these suggestions. I received promotions and pay raises based primarily on unsolicited notes about the quality of my care that patients and their families sent to the administration. 
 

Flowers (and healthy treats!) and a card sent to the floor nurses’ station are always appreciated!

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Flowers are indeed discouraged due to scent and allergies.  

As for a gift for those that assisted you, while monetary gifts are generally discouraged, some health care workers such as aides are not making a lot of money.  A card with words of thanks is great, especially to those that have made a special effort.   And if there happens to be a gift card in there, well these things happen

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14 hours ago, InChiTown said:

I’m a healthcare worker. It’s true that we are not allowed to accept gifts except for those of trivial value (and certainly not cash or equivalent). However what I and many of my colleagues prefer is a note expressing thanks and appreciation. Such encouragement is rare and goes a long way when facing our next patients’ challenges. Thank you for considering.  

...sorry to have heard about all that you've endured and am happy that you're progressing.  I agree with ChiTown and would have written something similar, but he posted much earlier than I.  Yes, if you can write a message or messages of appreciation-- that would be mighty appropriate.  I wish you a full recovery....

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Congratulations on the recovery, and best wishes for your future care. Letters of appreciation to the employee and his employer are appreciated. Nobody frowned when I received food-type gifts. One of my patients hunted and used to send me venison, which I appreciated. 

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  • 9 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Glowing letters to the management and a big basket of treats for them to share. I don't think it needs to be healthy, everyone has a little junk food monster inside them. Just make sure the treats are wrapped.

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