Being an inpatient
If you have to spend planned or unplanned time in hospital there are a few things to consider to make your stay easier for you to manage. It is a good idea to:
- Let your Parkinson’s disease nurse specialist know when you are due to come in and why. If it’s an unplanned admission, ask a family member or friend to let them know you have been admitted.
- For planned admissions, please bring all medication, ideally in the original boxes and correctly labelled. If you are able to, it’s very useful to write down a list of all medications along with the timings and dosages. This will help the doctors and nurses who work on the wards. We always suggest that you carry a list with all medications, dosages and timings with you so that you are always able to share this information with medical staff.
- Prior to some planned admissions you may have a pre-operative assessment. This is a good time to think about any concerns you may have and want to discuss with the team.
- You may also wish to contact Parkinson's UK, who provide leaflets for patients with advice and tips for when you have to go to hospital and a wash bag with further information: Read going into hospital when you have Parkinson's.