Prescription for Admission: A Caregiver's Guide to Navigating Hospital Stays, Medical Advocacy and Better Experiences in Heal

Dr. Monique Nugent
  • 4.6 (10)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

Are you struggling to care for your parents’ medical needs and find their hospital admissions end in more frustration than help? If you’re tired of managing hospital admissions alone. Dr. Nugent will guide you through each stage of a hospitalization so you can plan ahead and advocate for your parents to get the best care possible. Tune in to discover how to get the best possible care for your parents while navigating the hospital admission and discharge process. If you're ready to feel less overwhelmed during a hospitalization. Hit play on the most recent episode NOW.

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 71: How Caregiver Support Changes When Someone Is Dying in the Hospital

    Dying in the Hospital: Comfort, Dignity, and Support for Caregivers What does it mean when your loved one comes to the hospital to get better, but instead, you realize they are dying? This is a difficult question, and in this episode, I want to challenge one of the ideas we often carry about hospitals: that if someone dies there, something has gone wrong. Sometimes, despite everything we do medically, a person reaches the end of their life while they are in the hospital. That does not mean you have failed as a caregiver. It does not mean the medical team has failed. And it does not mean we are stopping care. Instead, the care plan can change. We can focus on what matters most in those final hours or days: comfort and dignity. I talk about what dying in the hospital can look like, why trying to move someone home for hospice is not always the most comfortable or safest option, and how the hospital can provide caregiver support during an incredibly difficult time. In this episode, you'll learn: How to recognize when the goal of medical care needs to change from trying to fix every problem to supporting someone through the dying process.Why comfort and dignity should guide decisions about where someone dies, especially when moving them home may cause additional pain, stress, or discomfort.How caregiver support can extend beyond medical care, including nursing support, chaplain services, visitation accommodations, volunteers, and other hospital resources. If you are caring for someone who is seriously ill, or if you are facing the possibility that your loved one may die in the hospital, I hope this episode helps you let go of some of the guilt and understand that supporting someone through a peaceful, dignified death is still care. Listen to this episode to understand what dying in the hospital can look like and how you can focus on comfort, dignity, and meaningful support for your loved one. Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.

  2. 6d ago

    #26 - Quick Tip: How to Prioritize Prevention With a Flu Vaccine During Your Hospital Stay

    Could your loved one get a flu vaccine before leaving the hospital, and why might that matter? When I’m caring for older adults in the hospital, I’m always thinking about what we can do to prevent the next hospital stay. That is why I want you to think about the hospital stay itself as an opportunity for prevention. If your loved one is getting ready for discharge, this may be a perfect time to ask about getting a flu vaccine. For older adults and medically frail people, influenza can lead to serious complications, hospitalization, and even death. Getting vaccinated may help reduce the risk of those outcomes. In this quick tip episode, I’m talking about why I want caregivers to ask about the flu vaccine before discharge, what the vaccine can help prevent, and what other vaccines you may want to ask about while your loved one is in the hospital. You’ll learn: Why influenza can be especially serious for older and medically vulnerable adults.How getting a flu vaccine during a hospital stay can support prevention and help reduce the risk of serious flu-related complications.What other vaccines you can ask your hospitalist about before discharge, including pneumococcal and COVID-19 vaccines. Listen to this quick tip to learn how you can use your loved one’s hospital stay as an opportunity for prevention and help set them up for success after discharge.

  3. Sep 24

    Episode 69: How Anticipatory grief Helped One Caregiver Find Meaning After 10 Years of End-of-life caregiving With Caregiver Support

    Anticipatory Grief, Caregiver Support & End-of-Life Caregiving Have you ever felt like you were grieving your loved one even though they were still here? As a hospitalist, I see this often. When someone is living with a progressive illness, caregivers can experience a series of small, repeated losses long before their loved one dies. There may be changes in function, independence, personality, relationships, routines, and even the future they imagined together. But we do not always call those experiences grief. In this episode of Prescription for Admission, I talk with grief specialist Caroline Shelby about anticipatory grief, what it looks like, and why it matters for caregivers navigating end-of-life caregiving. Caroline shares her experience caring for her mother with Alzheimer's for more than a decade. We talk about the grief that can come with watching someone change over time, taking on a new caregiving role, losing parts of your own identity, and trying to balance caregiving with your work, family, relationships, and life. I also learned a lot from our conversation about what caregiver support can actually look like. Sometimes it is not about asking someone, "What can I do?" It is about showing up, witnessing what they are going through, and permitting them to feel what they are feeling. In this episode, we talk about: How to recognize anticipatory grief and understand why you can grieve while your loved one is still alive.The many losses that can happen during caregiving, including changes in identity, relationships, independence, time, and your sense of control.How caregiver support can help, including simple ways family members, friends, and healthcare professionals can validate a caregiver's experience and show up for them. If you are caring for someone who is seriously ill or approaching the end of life, I hope this conversation gives you some language for what you may be experiencing and reminds you that you do not have to wait until someone dies to acknowledge your grief. Listen to this episode for a compassionate conversation about anticipatory grief, caregiver support, and what it really means to care for someone through the end of life. About Carolyn Shelby Caroline is a grief educator and founder of Grief Clarity Labs, drawing on more than a decade caring for her mother through Alzheimer's and a series of profound losses in 2024 that turned her personal experience into a calling. Through coaching, writing, and her recently published book, Living Beside the Leaving, she helps people understand grief not as something to move on from, but something to learn to move with. Her mission is to help people feel less alone, more understood, and better equipped to navigate one of life's most universal, yet misunderstood, experiences. Connect with Caroline via Social Media: Website: https://www.griefclaritylabs.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineshelby/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580363698420 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefclaritylabs/ Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.

    Episode 69: How Anticipatory grief Helped One Caregiver Find Meaning After 10 Years of End-of-life caregiving With Caregiver Support

  4. Sep 17

    Episode 68: The Conversations That Make Goals of Care, Setting Limits, and Death and Dying Less Overwhelming

    How would you know what your loved one would want if you suddenly had to make healthcare decisions for them? Conversations about goals of care, setting limits, and death and dying can feel uncomfortable, especially when everyone is focused on doing everything possible. But I want to help you have these conversations before you're sitting in a hospital room being asked to make an urgent decision. In this episode, I talk about why I encourage families to discuss treatment limits at home, revisit those decisions after hospital stays or health changes, and document specific wishes before a crisis happens. By listening, you'll learn: How to have more specific conversations about treatment limits so you and your loved ones have a clearer plan when difficult decisions arise.How to recognize a slower process of dying that can involve repeated hospitalizations, declining function, and treatments that may no longer change the overall outcome.How setting limits can still mean providing active, compassionate care focused on comfort, dignity, and honoring what your loved one actually wants. Listen to this episode to feel more prepared to have goals-of-care conversations and support your loved one with greater clarity when decisions about death and dying arise. Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.

  5. Sep 16

    #10 - Quick Tip: Why Hospital Status Matters for Caregiving Families

    Have you ever been told that your loved one is “admitted” to the hospital, only to find out later that they’re actually under observation? I know how confusing and frustrating that can be, especially when you’re trying to advocate for someone you love and the hospital paperwork seems to tell a different story. One of the things I want every caregiving family to understand is the difference between Observation level of care and a true inpatient admission. In this episode, I walk you through what’s really happening when your loved one is physically in a hospital bed but receives a MOON (Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice) saying they’re considered an outpatient. I’ll explain why this happens, how observation status is determined, and why the distinction between inpatient vs. outpatient matters when it comes to care, billing, and what happens next. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand: Why you may receive a MOON even when your loved one is staying in a hospital bedHow Observation level of care is determined and why it involves more than just the doctor’s decisionWhat inpatient vs. outpatient status can mean for your loved one’s care, billing, and next steps I want you to feel more confident the next time you’re faced with confusing hospital paperwork. If a MOON appears, you’ll know what it means and, more importantly, what questions to ask. Listen to this episode so you can better understand your loved one’s hospital status and feel prepared to advocate for the care and information your family needs. Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.

    #10 - Quick Tip: Why Hospital Status Matters for Caregiving Families

  6. Sep 10

    Episode 67: How Healthcare Communication Strengthens Caregiver Advocacy & Patient-Centered Care

    What if understanding how your doctor is trained to communicate could completely change the way you approach a medical visit? As a hospitalist and caregiver advocate, I know how overwhelming healthcare conversations can feel, especially when you are trying to speak up for someone you love. But healthcare communication does not have to be a mystery. In this conversation, I sit down with Gabby Ceccolini, a healthcare communications specialist who trains medical students, clinicians, and standardized patients to understand how effective medical conversations actually work. We talk about why patient-centered care requires more than simply telling patients to "speak up." Patients and caregivers need to understand the language, timing, purpose, and structure of the conversation so they can participate with confidence. Gabby shares how standardized patients have taken the communication skills they learn in medical education and used them in their own healthcare visits. We also discuss how caregivers can use their unique knowledge of a loved one's symptoms, patterns, and daily life to become powerful advocates without taking over the conversation. In this episode, I also explore some of the language I use in the hospital, including "goals of care," "not helping," "declining," and "non-curative," and why recognizing these phrases can help you understand when your medical team is trying to have a bigger conversation about what comes next. You will learn: How to prepare for a medical visit by understanding the information your healthcare team is actually trying to gather, including the history of present illness, symptoms, and timelines.How to clarify your role as a caregiver so you can contribute important information without unintentionally taking the patient's voice away.How to recognize important healthcare language that may signal your medical team wants to discuss changing goals, treatment options, or the direction of care. If you want to feel more prepared, confident, and useful in the medical room, listen to this episode and learn how understanding healthcare communication can help you become a stronger caregiver advocate and partner in patient-centered care. About Gabby Ceccolini Gabby Ceccolini, MS is a healthcare communication specialist, educator, and leader with more than 13 years of experience advancing communication, empathy, and patient-centered care in healthcare education. As Director of the Standardized Patient & Assessment Center at Quinnipiac University, she leads a large-scale standardized patient program supporting more than 500 clinical simulation sessions annually and oversees approximately 100 standardized patients. In addition to her work in healthcare education, Gabby is the founder of Better Med Visit, an initiative focused on empowering patients with the communication skills and confidence needed to participate more effectively in their healthcare. Her professional passion lies at the intersection of healthcare communication, education, patient engagement, and organizational leadership, with a commitment to improving conversations that ultimately improve care. You can connect with her through her LinkedIn Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.

    Episode 67: How Healthcare Communication Strengthens Caregiver Advocacy & Patient-Centered Care

  7. Sep 9

    #11 - Quick Tip: What One Thing Caregivers Can Do Early in a Hospitalization to Prevent Problems

    Are you waiting for something to go wrong before speaking up during a hospital stay? If you’re a caregiver, the first few hours of a hospitalization can make a bigger difference than you might realize. Simple requests early on can help protect your loved one’s sleep, safety, and comfort, especially overnight. Too often, families hesitate to speak up or ask for what their loved one needs. By the time problems like confusion, agitation, or unsafe behaviors arise, it can be much harder to get things back on track. In this episode, you’ll learn why speaking up early can change the course of a hospital stay and why early advocacy is one of the most important tools you have as a caregiver. What you’ll take away: How to help prevent nighttime confusion, disrupted sleep, and unsafe behaviors before they begin The specific requests caregivers should make on the first day of a hospital stay When it may be worth reconsidering a hospital stay if your loved one’s critical needs can’t be met Listen now to learn how one simple decision to speak up early can help protect your loved one and give you greater peace of mind throughout the hospital stay. Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠ Follow me on socials: ⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠ ⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠ ⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠ ⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠ ⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent

    #11 - Quick Tip: What One Thing Caregivers Can Do Early in a Hospitalization to Prevent Problems

  8. Sep 4

    Episode 66: How You Can Use Palliative Care to Define Goals of Care During Death and Dying

    What if you didn’t have to wait until your loved one was actively dying to bring palliative care into the conversation? When someone is seriously ill or approaching the end of life, it can be incredibly difficult to know what you’re actually working toward. In the hospital, you may meet a different physician each day, hear different recommendations from different specialists, and feel like you’re constantly trying to figure out the next step. That’s where palliative care can make a tremendous difference. In this episode, I explain what palliative care actually does, why it is different from hospice, and why I believe families should consider bringing the palliative care team in sooner rather than later. I also talk about how palliative care can help you define goals of care, manage difficult symptoms, and provide consistency when everything else feels overwhelming. By listening, you’ll learn: How palliative care can help you define clear goals of care so you know what you’re actually trying to accomplish during a hospital stay and beyond.How palliative care can help manage difficult symptoms during serious illness and the death and dying process, including situations where standard approaches aren’t enough.Why bringing palliative care in earlier can provide consistency and support for both you and your loved one instead of waiting until the final days or hours. If you’re navigating serious illness, hospitalization, or death and dying with someone you love, listen to this episode to understand how palliative care can help you create a clearer, more achievable plan of care—and make the experience more supported for everyone involved. Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.

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Are you struggling to care for your parents’ medical needs and find their hospital admissions end in more frustration than help? If you’re tired of managing hospital admissions alone. Dr. Nugent will guide you through each stage of a hospitalization so you can plan ahead and advocate for your parents to get the best care possible. Tune in to discover how to get the best possible care for your parents while navigating the hospital admission and discharge process. If you're ready to feel less overwhelmed during a hospitalization. Hit play on the most recent episode NOW.

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