You can make the first call
Help for families caring for someone with a wound usually starts when one person decides to pick up the phone. That person can be you. Call 314-325-0126 or send a request for care with your own name and number, and tell us your relationship to the person who needs care.
You do not need a referral, a diagnosis or a full set of records. You can ask what the next step would be before anything is decided, and we will explain how to bring your loved one into the conversation.
Partner clinicians provide the wound care and make the medical decisions. Gateway handles the arrangements around it, across Greater St. Louis and the Metro East.
What to have nearby
Keep these for the phone conversation. Do not put medical details in the web form or in ordinary email.
- The names of the doctors, home health agency, facility or hospital involved
- Current visit instructions or discharge papers
- A medication list
- Insurance cards, along with your insurance questions
- Where the person lives and whether leaving home is hard
- What you have noticed about the wound and what worries you most
If a hospital stay is ending, the family checklist for hospital discharge with a wound lists what to ask before your loved one leaves.
What Gateway can help sort out
Start with the part that is hardest right now. It is often one of these:
- No one is following the wound. We can connect your loved one with a partner clinician and confirm whether visits are available where they live.
- Getting there is the problem. Ask about care at home or in a facility, or about transportation arrangements for outpatient visits.
- Supplies are late, wrong or running out. We can help find out who placed the order and where it stands.
- Records are scattered. With permission, we request notes and orders from the places that have them.
- The plan is unclear. We help clarify who is responsible for each next step.
Before you end any call, write down who is handling each task and whom to call if it does not happen. The caregiver checklist for wound care visits gives you a format for that.
Permission, privacy and who decides
Your loved one’s wishes come first. As long as they are able to make the choice, they decide which relatives or friends join conversations and receive updates. With that permission, we can share scheduling and coordination updates with the people they name.
Treatment questions and changes in condition go to the treating clinician. Gateway can pass along messages and help you reach the right office, but we do not give medical advice. See who can receive wound care updates for more.
When your loved one lives in a facility or far from you
If the person lives in assisted living, memory care or a skilled nursing facility, the staff there are part of the team. Ask who checks the skin, who changes dressings and how you will hear about changes. The guide to preparing for a facility care plan meeting can help you raise wound questions there.
If you live in another city or state, you can still be the contact person for scheduling and updates, with your loved one’s permission. See helping a parent with a wound from far away for practical ways to stay informed.
What to watch for between visits
You probably see the person more often than any clinician does. Report these changes to the treating clinician’s office:
- Redness, warmth or swelling spreading around the wound
- More drainage, a new smell or a change in color
- Pain that is new or getting worse
- Fever, chills, or unusual sleepiness or confusion
- New areas of red or broken skin, especially over the heels, hips or tailbone
- Eating or drinking much less than usual
Call 911 for heavy bleeding that will not stop, trouble breathing, chest pain or a sudden change in alertness. Gateway is not an emergency service.
Sharing the load
Caring for a wound at home is tiring, and doing it alone is harder. It is fine to say that a task is more than you can manage, whether that is dressing changes, lifting or turning. Tell the treating clinician, so the plan reflects what is realistic in your household.
If you are worn down, read the guide on caregiver burnout and asking for help and our page on support for family caregivers.
Common questions
Can I call before my loved one has agreed to care?
Yes. You can ask questions and learn about the options at any point. Before a visit is scheduled, your loved one (or their legal representative) needs to agree to it. If they are reluctant, tell us why. Concerns about cost, privacy or strangers in the home can be talked through.
Do I need power of attorney to arrange care for a parent?
Not to make the first call, or to help with scheduling when your parent agrees. Sharing health information and making decisions on someone’s behalf are separate matters. If your parent cannot make their own decisions, the treating practice will tell you what documents it needs.
What if several family members are involved?
Choose one main contact if you can, and tell us who it is. That person takes the calls and passes information to everyone else. A shared notebook or group message keeps relatives from asking different offices the same questions. If family members disagree about the plan, the patient’s own wishes and the treating clinician’s guidance come first.
My parent has dementia and cannot describe the wound. What should I do?
Tell us what you and other caregivers have seen: where the wound is, how it has changed and how your parent reacts when the dressing is changed. Mention which times of day are calmest. The treating clinician can use that to plan the visit, and a familiar person in the room often helps.