If you find yourself or a loved one in the hospital, it can be a pretty scary experience. Everyone there is so busy, sometimes it hard to get answers to your questions. And that only makes things worse.

Here are 3 little-known secrets that can take some of the worry out of a hospital stay… and even make it shorter.

Many families notice their loved one seems a little disoriented when they come home from the hospital. Reports of brain fog, memory loss and confusion are very common in mature adults after a hospital stay.

A team in Chicago recently looked seriously into this phenomenon. And it really is a phenomenon.

They discovered that nearly 1/3 of people over 70 in their study were disoriented, foggy or forgetful after a hospital stay. But almost 60% of them were back to normal within a month.(1)

If a loved one isn’t foggy or forgetful when entering a hospital, they may be when you’re discharged. This study shows it may be a month or more before they’re back to normal. So someone should check on them regularly – especially if they should be taking medications.

But don’t panic if you use a little fogginess or a few memory lapses… Most people seem to come “back up to speed” in a few weeks.

That’s good information for after a hospital stay. Here’s something that could get you out of the hospital – and back home – sooner.

When you find yourself in the hospital, there isn’t much to do. So it’s easy to stay in bed and read a book or watch TV. But if you want to get out of the hospital, do something else instead.

Walk.

Researchers at the University of Texas looked at hospital patients over 65 for 4 months. They noticed one thing made a huge difference in how long people stayed in the hospital… and it was walking.

On average, patients spent about 6 days in the hospital. But those who walked just 600 steps more on their 2nd day in the hospital than the 1st stayed almost 2 days less than those who didn’t.

Interestingly, the “heavy walkers” were just as likely to be hooked up to IV’s or monitors… weren’t more likely to fall… and weren’t any younger or healthier than other patients.(2)

So if you’d rather be home than in the hospital – and your doctor will allow it – get walking.

Finally, here’s a tip on avoiding trouble in the hospital.

You may have read about problems with “hospital-acquired” infections. And drug-resistant bugs are especially scary. But a new study reveals an unexpected source of these nasty bacteria.

A study published in the American Journal of Infection Control recently revealed an unexpected source of these nasty bacteria… Cell phones.

The authors tested the cell phones of hospital workers, patients and patient family members for drug-resistant bacteria.

20.6% of hospital workers’ cell phones tested positive.

But that’s the good news. An incredible 39.6% of the cell phones belonging to patients and their family members tested positive for drug-resistant bacteria.(3)

In other words, if your cell phone hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned… don’t call home to say your operation went well.

A hospital stay can be scary. But when you’re well informed – you can make it less scary… shorter… and safer.

Related articles of interest:

Going to the hospital -- and going out of your mind

Vitamin linked to 34 percent happier hospital stays

Recent research highlights the hazards of modern medicine

References:

1 Lindquist, L.A., et al, “Improvements in Cognition Following Hospital Discharge of Community Dwelling Seniors,” Journal of General Internal Medicine. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-011-1681-1.

2 Fisher, S.R., et al, “Early Ambulation and Length of Stay in Older Adults Hospitalized for Acute Illness,” Arch Intern Med. Nov 22, 2010;170(21):1942–1943.

3 Tekerekglu, M.S., et al, “Do mobile phones of patients, companions and visitors carry multidrug-resistant hospital pathogens?” American Journal of Infection Control. June 2011;39(5):379-381.

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