If you are caring for an elderly loved one, you may know that having multiple health concerns is not uncommon. As people age, and thanks to modern medicine, many people are living longer than ever now, their bodies are often overcome by multiple illnesses or diseases. This can make managing their healthcare overwhelming to them and to their loved ones who care for them. When your loved one has multiple doctors in multiple locations, trying to keep it all straight can be challenging. Add in various medications and treatments, and both you and your aging loved one may become so overwhelmed, that you begin to fear you’ll make a mistake or miss an important treatment. Having in-home care providers would help to keep on top of the issues.
To help you manage your loved one’s health care with more confidence, try using these tips for your visits and while at home.
Don’t let your loved one go alone. It can be quite overwhelming to meet and discuss health issues with each doctor. If you can, attend with her to calm nerves and facilitate discussions. If you can’t attend, ask her in-home care provider to attend with her.
Write it all down. Whether it’s the questions you have before your visit or the guidance provided by your loved one’s physician, write it all down so it’s not forgotten or misremembered. If your loved one visits her doctor with her in-home care provider, ask the home care provider to be the note-taker for you to review later.
Make sure all healthcare providers know about each other and the treatments your loved one is receiving from others. You need to help your loved one’s doctor make the best decision for her and they can only do that if they have all of the information. When possible, keeping them in the same network so they can easily access each other’s records can be a great help for the needed transparency of information.
Learn how one treatment may affect another. If your loved one is prescribed a new medication for a recently discovered illness but has battled another illness for decades, make sure to ask how the new medication may affect her current treatment. Will she need to make adjustments to that treatment, or will she need to stagger when she takes medications?
Ask about all the possible treatments. While a certain medication may be the standard course of treatment, if you find out it will negatively affect something else your loved one battles, don’t be afraid to ask about what other options your loved one may have.
Communicate progress. Once at home and beginning a new treatment course, remind your loved one to let you or her home care provider know if something is not working or if it’s creating unwanted side effects. Adjustments are easier to make at the beginning and will help your loved one find relief.
Finally, encourage your loved one to seek natural remedies. This may be changing her diet, trying pain management yoga, or getting exercise each day. These homeopathic remedies can complement a treatment plan and not complicate it.
If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Care Services in Great Neck NY, please get in touch with the caring staff at Star Multi Care today. Call (631) 424-7827
Star Multi Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving Long Island and in NYC including Dix Hills, Floral Park, Great Neck, Huntington, Manhasset, Massapequa, Northport, Plainview, Rockville Center, Stonybrook, Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Queens County.
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