Elderly care: Keeping them healthy

With the growing generation of elderly people in the U.S. today, pressure is increasing for their family members to meet their newfound needs due to illness, injury or other factors that take away their independence. This care is often provided first hand by family, a visiting in home care service, a long-term care facility or a combination of the three “ as each persons set of needs are different.

Even in the face of these new challenges, there are ways to make sure quality care leads to the continued happiness of an aging parent or loved one.

Physicians Choice Private Duty is staffed by registered nurses and social workers. We consult with families and help them map out a plan for their elderly loved ones quality care.

Still, before or after consultation, there are ways to help your aging loved one stay as healthy as possible. Here are three recommendations:

1. Make note of sudden changes in health or behavior. If one week your fathers short-term memory seems faulty but back to normal the next, it could be a sign of a greater problem on the horizon, or simply a side effect from a new medication. Take notes for the next visit to the doctor, as the more your fathers doctor knows, the better the chance that he’ll be properly diagnosed.
2. Be familiar with prescriptions and medicine cabinet. Know what your mother is taking as far as prescription drugs and be familiar with what they are for. Many drugs have side effects that could be the root cause of a change in behavior. Make sure all prescriptions are up to date and doctor approved.
3. Emotional health is just as important as physical health. Don’t only react to health issues that are physical. Depression is common amongst the elderly, especially if a parent is living alone without a partner. Help your parent regain companionship by introducing them to a new friend or taking them to senior-friendly activities.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com“