THE HOSPITAL HANDBOOK AND THE HOSPITAL JOURNAL

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THE HOSPITAL HANDBOOK AND THE HOSPITAL JOURNAL

Name: THE HOSPITAL HANDBOOK AND THE HOSPITAL JOURNAL
Author: Mary Soper
ISBN: 978-0983285908

HOW TO SURVIVE THE HOSPITAL STAY AND THE PATIENT JOURNAL: TWENTY-NINE SURVIVAL TACTICS FOR THE PATIENT ADVOCATE, FAMILY MEMBERS, AND FRIENDS

by Mary Soper ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2011

The advice may be common sense to some, but to those nervous about going into the hospital or helping someone who is,...

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Soper draws from her and others’ experiences with hospital stays to create this manual for those yet to deal with hospitals, their staff and procedures.

The author has already spent more time in the hospital than most people do throughout their entire lives. After being in a couple scary medical situations and caring for friends and family with serious illnesses, Soper knows how hospitals work and how to best utilize their services. Not only does she offer advice, but she gives readers practical steps on how to be an advocate for a patient, how to understand what is going on medically and how to talk about a pending hospitalization beforehand. She also knows how to work the system, and in this book offers tips and tricks on everything from where to store food, where guests can sleep and how to ask doctors questions in a way that gets the answers patients and their advocates need. Some of her tips are especially useful, like her advice to legally appoint a patient advocate and her detailed description of what that means. Many times, neither patients nor their friends and family are aware of the need for an advocate, someone who is authorized to make major medical decisions when the patient is unable to do so, and so Soper’s advice in this area is particularly beneficial. Certain readers may find some of the book’s tips to be common sense, and wonder why the author took the time to compile them into this guide. However, for someone who is going to be in the hospital for the first time, for first-time caregivers or for anyone nervous about visiting a hospital, Soper’s simple, straightforward and helpful words could mean the difference between a difficult stay and one that goes down smooth and easy.

The advice may be common sense to some, but to those nervous about going into the hospital or helping someone who is, Soper’s advice could be a lifesaver.

Pub Date: March 15, 2011

ISBN: 978-0983285908

Page Count: 109

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2011

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

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THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.