A few months ago, one of my OFS, Jam, talked about taking care of his mom and how he would accompany her to doctor’s appointments. I mentioned in my video and podcast that we do it differently in the US. We mostly take ourselves to the hospital. Same thing when we have someone confined in a hospital. We visit during visiting hours. The nurses, doctors, and medical staff are the ones who take care of them.
Apparently, things are different in the Philippines. Another explanation why many Filipino workers take days off or leave their jobs when a family member gets sick.
Julia shares.
When a sick family member needs to be hospitalized, at least 2 people go to the hospital: the patient and the “watcher”.
The hospital watcher is ideally a close family member assigned to care for the patient and stay with them in the hospital. They are responsible for the following:
– getting updates from nurses and doctors on the condition, procedures, and patient instructions,
– making medical decisions or getting medical decisions from family members authorized to do so.
Because of this, the watcher is usually also someone who:
– Can (or has to) take time off from work
– Isn’t working
– Someone who can work anywhere (like your OFS).
Being a hospital watcher is hard. So, the family usually shares the watcher duties amongst several relatives. But there’s usually a main watcher; they’re the ones who often stay overnight, stay there the most, know the patient best, and can make medical decisions if needed.
Hospital watchers aren’t really needed. Hospitals in the Philippines don’t require patients to have watchers. Most private hospitals prefer if you don’t have one. But because of our strong family ties, most people can’t bear the thought of having their loved ones alone in the hospital cared for by strangers, even if these strangers are medical professionals with years of experience providing round-the-clock care. Because nobody can really take care of you like family.
The exception is government hospitals. Patients there are required to have a watcher because they don’t have enough medical personnel to constantly monitor the patients.
We’re so used to having watchers around that some hospitals also provide food and hygiene kits for them if asked. Most patient rooms have couches or small beds for the watcher to sleep in. Some fancier hospitals even have closets for the watcher to store clothes or a kitchenette for simple food prep.
I know hospital watchers aren’t necessary, but I was so thankful that my mom and husband were my watchers after my difficult C-section years ago.
– I didn’t have to call the nurse to help me go to the restroom, have a drink, or make me more comfortable.
– The doctors could just go to my room and ask my mom or husband when they needed to do a procedure on my child (who was in the NICU then) or me.
– I was confident that I got good postpartum care because my watchers were there asking the nurses questions on what to do and watching them how to do it properly.
– Also, I don’t like the idea of a stranger bathing me. Even if that stranger is a nurse. Keeping myself clean that time was easier because my watchers were there.
Because I work from home (and my good bedside manner), I’ve become something of an on-call watcher, even for extended family members. Usually, on weekdays, when most of the family are working or to take over so the primary watcher can rest a bit.
Many hospitals have also gotten used to online workers as watchers because the last hospital I was in (while watching my aunt) had really good WiFi. It wasn’t as good as the one I have at home, but good enough to do most of the work while I was there.
But there’s also a downside with watchers. Some families can overdo it. I’ve visited hospital rooms with too many watchers for just one patient.
This can stress out the patient and increase the risk of infection. This was evident in the early days of the pandemic when so many watchers contracted Covid.
The hospitals have gotten stricter with allowing watchers in hospitals. They also impose strict “no watchers” policy in places like the ICU or quarantine areas to minimize patient stress and infection.
—————
I had no idea.
Now I understand so much better why “my aunt is sick” is used as a reason for not working so often.
John
PS. Ready to hire someone? OnlineJobs.ph
I understand why there is a need for watchers, especially with Government hospitals. I myself have become a watcher and was watched over by a family member. But there is also a downside. Because despite what everyone says about Filipinos families being closely bonded together through thick and thin, I’m here to tell you that IS NOT always the case. And watchers in Government hospitals are not even being “cared for”. Because all you get to sleep in is a chair. Trying sleeping on a monoblock chair overnight. Tell me what your mood would be like when morning comes! While I am for having only one watcher per patient, government hospitals should at least provide minimum comfort for these watchers, and also show patience and courtesy towards them. Yes, there are watchers who are not disciplined, but negotiating with the watchers is much better than giving them orders–watchers in the government hospitals feels like being imprisoned–rules, rules, and more rules! And they are inconsistent with the rules, it changes the minute that some watchers can do this, and they become stricter with the ones who do follow. That is not fair! Also, we are three siblings who could watch over my mom. But it isn’t fair that only two of us can do it, while the other sibling is a complete no-show. I’ve seen fellow watchers who’s in the same boat. They are more than five siblings, but only one can do the watcher’s role, because whatever that reason may be: they’re working, they have their own family, etc. But they don’t even help their fellow sibling who is the watcher! And I’ve seen that in our ward: 3 of us with other members of the family who doesn’t help, and another 3 watchers who are luckier because they have someone who can trade places with. I would really like that someday, a real study should be made about the situation and condition of watchers in the Philippines, especially in government hospitals. Because it’s not right that watchers only have a mono block chair to sit and sleep and eat on. It’s like hospitals may care for patients, but not the watchers who does nothing but help the hospital staff do its job.