Good communication with your senior loved one’s medical team helps you make sure he or she receives the highest quality of healthcare services. Your loved one may need your help if he or she has difficulty with speech or comprehending what other people say. Some seniors just prefer to have someone come with them to their appointments. These tips can help you make sure your loved one gets the most out of medical visits.
Make a List of Points to Cover
There’s often so much information relayed during healthcare appointments that it’s easy to get sidetracked. Take time before the appointment to write down a list of your concerns and questions. If the list is lengthy or complicated, consider sending it to your parent’s doctor by email before the appointment. This gives the doctor time to review the questions and prepare helpful answers.
A home caregiver can help you keep track of every aspect of your loved one’s health and wellbeing. If your elderly loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a trusted provider of senior home care. Our caregivers provide transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping.
Include Your Loved One in the Conversation
Your loved one needs your help, and the last thing you want to do is make him or her feel unimportant. Talk to your loved one about his or her healthcare needs using language he or she understands. Make sure both you and the doctor make eye contact with your loved one during the appointment and address him or her throughout the conversation.
Consider Setting Multiple Appointments
If your loved one has a lot of health issues to cover, it may be helpful to make separate appointments to address each one. An alternative would be to let the office staff know you think the appointment will be long. They might be able to book two or more appointments back to back, which could prevent both you and the doctor from feeling rushed.
Get Legal Authorization
There may come a time when you need to make healthcare decisions or speak with the doctor on your own. Consider getting a healthcare directive that provides you with the legal right to be involved in your loved one’s care. A directive can release the doctor from privacy restrictions so he or she can talk to you openly and honestly about your loved one’s current state of health.
Consider Speaking with the Doctor Alone
In most cases, it’s best to have your loved one involved with his or her care. However, special circumstances may arise that require you to take action on your own. This might occur when there’s a health issue happening that places your loved one at risk. For instance, talking to the doctor about your loved one’s denial of memory loss can let the doctor know he or she needs to screen for dementia during an upcoming appointment.
Certain age-related conditions can make it more challenging for seniors to age in place safely and comfortably, but Roseville live-in care experts are available around the clock to help seniors manage their health. Whether your loved one is living with dementia or is recovering from a stroke, you can trust the professional live-in caregivers from Home Care Assistance to enhance his or her quality of life.
Keep a Record to Share with Other Doctors
A simple notebook or file folder can make communication much easier. Try keeping a few notes or a record of conversations you have with your loved one’s physician. This can give you something to refer to when you need to share information with multiple healthcare providers.
Caring for a senior loved one can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Roseville Home Care Assistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care. Trust your loved one’s care to the professionals at Home Care Assistance. Reach out to one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (916) 226-3737.