Uneasy about guests medical condition.

[Melanie33]

Hi 

I have a guest who booked a couple of months ago.

I have now with 24 hours to go, had an email telling me that her husband has epilepsy.  This is in itself not an issue with me and she has said she can deal with his fits and he will not need medical aid.  I of course, have great sympathy for them but she has asked me to make sure we have no flickering lights, candles and any sun waving through the trees and if we have he will need the curtains closed.  We live in the countryside so this is quite hard to comply with completely and i feel she should have mentioned all this earlier and not left until 24 hours to go.  I am rather worried by it all.

Any advice

Mel

[Robert188]

Hi Mel, this is all new to me, but it looks like no one else jumped into the converstion.  I would reply yes or no to his questions and stick to your contract.  Will it be possible for them to block out light from outside by closing curtains.  If you do not think it will work, and they want to cancel you may ask them to contact their trip insurance carrier to inquire if this is a covered loss. Or you can send them an written estimate of addtional charges that might be inccured with last minute changes requested. Hopefuly this is something that they already know how to accomodate.

[Eloise0]

Dear Melanie,

I can understand your concerns about a Guest with Epilepsy.  I hope I can give yoy some help from my own personal experience.

First, there is a huge stigma about seizure disorders and not a lot of readily available information out there.  While it can be a debillitating chronic condition there are many people who live in relative daily comfort with the disorder.  with that said there is also a lot of abuses that some (not all) individuals use with regards to special tratment or just plain getting everything their way.  Hold on, I said some, so getting that out of the way if you have time write her back and ask for more information, because obviously you won't be able to stop the trees from blowing! Ask her if her husbands seizures are Tonic or Clonic, as well as if they are Temporal Lobe seizures as it would help you prepare your home for a more pleasant and LESS STIMULATING stay, as well as asking what other triggers he has.  The more you know the more you will be able to be a gracious, sensitive, helpful Host without having to go overboard. These questions are in no way discriminatory as she brought the subject up herself and you are trying to accomodate her and her husband. If she can answer these questions with any kind of knowledge it will probably not be a problem.  Even if he does have seizures while he is there you may not even know it especially since she stated that he would not need  emergency care as he may have partial complex siezures which can be very mild. If she can't or won't answer your questions she will probably have a long list of other things that need to be addressed after they get there. If a person with Epilepsy has numerous triggers then they probably should not be traveling without proper medication and other tools in the event of a seizure.  She is right in stating that he will not need a hospital as many Epileptics have seizure syndromes that do not requre a doctor, emergency room or  hospital care. 

While it is totally appropriate for you to ask questions I would be carefull in how you word your questions while keeping in mind that if she is sincere she will be relieved by your "thoughtful" questions about her husband's condition and your desire to help accomodate her.  If she is not being forthcoming you will probably figure it out right away.

I hope this helps.................from someone who Hosts while having Epilepsy!

Hope it turns out OK.

Thank you,

Eloise at Happy Trails

[Melanie33]

Thankyou so much Eloise.  I am not being discriminatory in any way just concerned as to whether the house is suitable as she says the sun can set off a seizure and some of our windows do not have curtains.  Obviously I shall not light candles. I just want them to enjoy their stay and feel relaxed.  My knowledge of epilepsy is scanty so your full answer was very helpful.  I expect it will all be fine and I am worrying unnecessarily.  

Thanks for all answers

Mel

[Eloise0]

Melanie,

I did not assume that you were being discriminatory at all.  I thought you were being genuienly helpful, which I thought I stated about being a gracious Host.  Hope it works out.  If your guest is being honest it should not be an issue. I just wanted to share my personal experience with you which is considerable.  I have had plenty of encounters over the years in various situations with people who actually abused the condition of having Epilepsy so they could manipulate situations to their liking; from closer parking to a much nicer office than their co-workers only to discover that they were working for someone who had Epilepsy and was knowledgeable about the condition. Epilepsy is a organic medical condition not a mental condition unless the person does not have Epilepsy, but claims to have Epilepsy! For some strange reason there are a lot of individuals out there who self define as Epileptics for special considerations.  The Senator who wrote the American Disibilties Act is an attorney who has Epilepsy! Life is a wonderful Merry-Go-Round.

Happy Hosting

Eloise

[Melanie33]

Just a quick update.  

Guests are here now and absolutely charming.  I had absolutely nothing to worry about and a lesson learned.

Thank you for your comments.

Mel

[Eloise0]

Dear Mel,

Thanks for letting me know.  I am so glad it worked out.  As I mentiond before because there is such a stigma about Epilepsy those that have a sizure disorder like to think of ourselves as "quite charming."

You made my day, Happy hosting.

Eloise at Happy Trails

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

I accepted an instant Booking. On inquiry, turns out that the chap is here on his own for medical treatment three times a day. 

I have accommodated many guests with conditions over the last 2 decades, but this raises the bar in terms of responsibility.

I have been a first responder since 1977, and therefore have an implied responsibility towards people who are indisposed.

But this is way beyond $22/nt here both in terms of liability and personal responsibility.

The Guest agreed to cancel and was refunded in full.

Once all the responsibiliies were shed, I offered him  him  a FREE STAY. Hey, it's not his fault, right? No skin off this big old nose.

Nonetheless, I'd appreciate how other Hosts manage bookings with people who are here for medical reasons.