Navigating Healthcare When All They Can See Is that You Can't

In one volume

Navigating our complicated health care system is essential for anyone interested in remaining healthy. If you happen to be blind, chances are you are familiar with the misperception by others of what our blindness means. From technicians who try to help us take off our clothes in the dressing room to doctors who shine lights in our prosthetic eyes, we have all dealt with this phenomenon at one point or another. This is not a book about Obamacare or Medicare or any other sort of medical insurance. It is not a manual on choosing health care coverage plans. It is, rather, a look at how best to navigate those health care situations when "all they can see is that you can't." Deborah Kendrick looks at various health care situations, physically and programmatically, and explores which setting is most appropriate in given situations and what to expect when you get there. Sometimes, your strategies will involve techniques. Sometimes, they will involve technology. Always, they will involve attitude — your own and the ones you help manifest in those whose job it is to provide your health care.

Table of Contents
Medical Disclaimer
Introduction
Chapter 1: At the Doctor's Office
Concierge Medicine
The Office Visit
Those Pesky Medical Forms
On with the Show
Chapter 2: Outpatient Tests and Procedures
A Handful of Tests
What About the Dog
Surgery and Other Outpatient Procedures
Same-Day Surgery from a Blindness Perspective
Chapter 3: Emergencies
Calling 9-1-1
In the ER
Walk-in Clinics
Urgent Care Centers
Minute and Other Retail Clinics
Chapter 4: Hospital Stays
The Room with No View
Blindness According to You
A Word About Gratitude
Be an Advocate and Bring One
Blind but Intelligent
The Planned Hospital or Rehab Stay
Short-Term Rehabilitation
Chapter 5: For Blind Parents and Grandparents
Stay Close
Getting the Picture First
Not Just Children
Chapter 6: Managing Medications
Braille Labels
Measuring Meds
ScripTalk
Chapter 7: Using Technology to Narrow the Gap
Evaluating Your Future Doctor
WebMD
More Search Engine Tips
A Word About Forms and Patient Portals
Seeing What's Around You
Monitoring Health at Home
Talking Scales
Smart Bluetooth Scale
Talking Thermometer
Talking Blood Pressure Monitor
Smart Blood Pressure Monitor
Talking Glucose Meter
Continuous Glucose Monitor
Talking Oximeter
Chapter 8: The Art of Knowing When
Knowing When Blindness Is an Issue