The Journey Through our Healthcare System

By Terry Halliday, VP of Business Development, Chelsea Jewish Lifecare
As people enter the healthcare system, they embark upon a journey with unexpected twists and turns. It is one that most people are not prepared to understand.
We, as healthcare professionals, can ease the burden to families and their loved ones as they anxiously wait to return home from a rehab facility. Issues are not always easy — or black and white. But as the professionals, we are expected to come up with the right answers. For those who rely on us, we need to find a way to reassure and help them during this difficult time.
Picture yourself in a foreign country without the ability to understand or speak the language. This is exactly how our clients feel when they are thrust into a world with shorthand expressions, abbreviations and insider lingo. Often they are bewildered and confused as to what the next steps might be.
Picture yourself in a land where you pay for purchases with Master Card, but some charges are rejected. And you have no idea why. This is similar to what our clients and families feel when they find out that although they are insured, their insurance does not cover all situations.
Picture yourself in a maze where the noise and smells are not familiar and you cannot hear all that is being said to you. This is what our patients and families often face when navigating our very complex healthcare system.
As our patients and families become enmeshed in this system, the demands, expectations, and language present constant challenges. It is up to us to help them, to guide them and, above all, to let them know they are not alone on the journey through our healthcare system.