Hospice Patient going to DW

[jenrade]

I am part of a small group of family/friends taking a terminally ill woman and her daughter to DW. Any advice on Emergency Medical Care would be appreciated.
We will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Chuck S]

If you are talking about what Emergency rooms/hospitals are nearby there are some of the walk-in type emergency clinics very near to Disney property. There is also Celebration Hospital to the South. Disney, being a quasi-government agency under FL law does have on-site EMS/Ambulance service through it's governmental arm Reedy Creek. I know of at least two fire/EMS stations, one is located behind EPCOT near the Boardwalk resort and another near Downtown Disney/Saratoga Springs resort. I think there is another near the Magic Kingdom.

If her Doctor has OKed her to make the trip, check with the doctor for any specific things you may need to know about her condition and how it will affect her vacation plans, like what type of rides can she handle, and special dietary needs, specific medication schedules, etc.

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES and good luck on your trip.

The front desk at your hotel will have information about how to access emergency medical care (it should also be in your check in information packet). There is a hospital in Celebration and if she needs a doctor, but not an emergency room, there is a doctor's service in the WDW area that will send a doctor to a hotel room.
Her doctor might have some recomendations reagrding which hospital to use or she might have some constraints on where she can go because of insurance.
Things that would be useful to have with you would be:
- Contact information (name, phone number, address, fax number) for her doctors
- A summary letter from her doctor that explains her condition. Also a list of all the medications she is on.

- Advance Directives (if you don't know what these are, they are written instructions that detail what kind of care the person wants if they are not able to speak for themselves. Things like would she want a breathing tube or not, would she want dialysis or not, etc.)

- If she has a Medical Power of Attorney (someone who she has designated to make medical decisions for her is she is not able), you need a copy of that paperwork too.

Hope you all have a wonderful trip and lots of good memories.

 

[ducklite]

I agree with Sue, perhaps the single most important thing is a copy of her advance directives.

Please call the special services number (listed at the top of this section in the FAQ) to talk to them about how they can assist with her needs.

Is she on morphine or another controlled drug? If so, you might need to arrange for VNA to come to the hotel everyday to administer. (That was my mom's idea, I just read this to her over the phone--she is an RN who has cared for many terminally ill patients over the years.)

Good luck!

Anne

 

[SueM in MN]

Something else ducklite's post reminded me was to check if she needs any medical equipment (things like commode chair, bath chair). There are some medical equipment companies listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread that can provide wheelchairs or ECVs. Walker and Care can also provide other medical equipment (all the way from a small bath bench to a hospital bed).
If you have any special room requirements, you should possibly coordinate with Special Reservations. A contact phone number is listed in the disABILITIES FAQs.

 

[dclfun]

I am also on hospice. When you are a hospice patient the first thing they require that you do is sign advance directives and a DNR form that your physician also signs. She should already have that and carry it with her. WDW is one of the safest places to be- they can whisk someone away in an ambulance in a heartbeat if there were to be an emergency no matter where you are on property. I also use controlled substances- if there are needles involved you can request a sharps container. ---Kathy

 

[jenrade]

Thanks for the replies so far, they have already been very helpful.
Information like this really increases my confidence level.