Tips for Respecting Elders in How you Speak to Them

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Watch what occurs at your next family get together when a new mom places her infant in someone’s arms. The individual is likely to transition instantly into baby mode: a high-pitched, sing-song voice, exaggerated facial expressions, and overly-simplified speech. Of course, this is quite normal and actually beneficial to a baby’s growing brain.

Hopefully, however, when that baby’s great-grandfather enters the room, loved ones refrain from reacting similarly and are better at respecting their elders. Yet it happens so frequently, and can be so damaging to the elderly, that there is a term to describe it: elderspeak.

A recent research study by Susan Kemper, a professor specializing in gerontology at the University of Kansas, matched elderly listeners with younger speakers. In spite of the seniors’ instructions just to listen without interrupting while the younger people spoke to them – thus leaving no suggestion to the speakers that they were having any challenges understanding what was being said – in a great majority of cases, the speakers resorted to elderspeak.

It’s worthwhile to note as well that older adults regularly refrain from using elderspeak with each other. Studies have shown that for a great many older adults, elderspeak conveys superiority and a cold attitude.

Why It’s Harmful

Simply put, elderspeak can be considered belittling and patronizing. It conveys beliefs of inferiority and incompetency to older adults, instead of the admiration and respect they deserve. While typically well-meaning and meant to convey endearment, it frequently has the reverse effect.

What to Do Instead

  • Thoughtfully consider how to address the elderly in your life. Many older adults find terms like “young lady,” “honey,” or “dearie” to be offensive.
  • Use caution when modifying how you communicate with an older adult in accordance with individual need. For example, speaking clearly and slowly while facing a senior loved one with hearing loss is helpful. A high-pitched voice, however, can actually further distort the words. An older adult with memory issues can better follow the conversation if it’s broken down into simple, short sentences and yes-or-no questions. This can easily be accomplished without resorting to baby talk.
  • Don’t forget that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, as each person has unique preferences and challenges. An open and honest conversation with the person about how precisely they would like to be addressed and spoken to is the ideal path to ensure you’re engaging with them appropriately.

At Responsive Home Care, we place a great emphasis on respectful interactions with each and every senior in our care. Contact us at (954) 486-6440 for an in-home consultation to learn how we can help promote independence for older adults with personalized in-home support.

How Does Dementia Progress? What Families Should Expect

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Female home carer hugging senior male with dementia

“How does dementia progress?” is one of the top questions asked after a loved one is diagnosed.

When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, one of the first questions in most people’s minds is how does dementia progress in the weeks, months, and years to come. We know that the hallmark of dementia is the progressive decline in cognitive abilities and the skills required to manage daily life. Yet each person progresses through these changes differently. There are a variety of factors that can impact the rate of decline, including:

  • Medications the senior is taking
  • Overall health and physical makeup
  • The network of support in place
  • The person’s general emotional wellbeing and resilience

There are additional determinants to factor in based upon the specific type of dementia diagnosed. For instance:

  • MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment): Mild cognitive impairment impacts up to 20% of seniors. More than the normal minor cognitive decline experienced in aging, MCI involves problems with language, judgment, thinking, and memory that are obvious to the senior individually and often to others as well. Researchers found that about 38% of seniors with MCI later developed dementia. The other 62% never progressed further than MCI – and in some cases, their condition actually improved, for unknown reasons. Signs of MCI include forgetfulness, depression, impulsiveness, anxiety, apathy, aggression and irritability, and more.
  • Vascular Dementia: Because vascular dementia is caused by a blockage in blood flow to the brain, the type of blockage will impact the progression of the disease. If small blood vessels are blocked, for instance, the decline will typically occur gradually. Major blood vessel blockage can cause a sudden onset of symptoms, followed by intense periods of change thereafter.
  • Lewy Body Dementia: Progression of Lewy body dementia may be gradual, but may also include widely varying degrees of alertness and attention in the early stages. One day may find the senior lucid, while the next day – or even several hours later – could bring confusion, hallucinations, and memory loss. In the later stages of the disease, agitation, restlessness, aggression, tremors, and stiffness become more prevalent.
  • Frontotemporal Dementia: Unlike other types of dementia, short-term memory is usually not impacted in the early stages of frontotemporal dementia. Instead, early symptoms include behavioral changes, such as distraction, apathy, rudeness, and disregard for social norms. As the disease advances, problems with language become apparent as well, along with memory loss, vision problems, and other typical symptoms seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

Contact the dementia care team at Responsive Home Care for more helpful resources to help you better understand and care for someone you love with dementia. We’re always here to assist with compassionate, creative care to make life more fulfilling for a senior with dementia, and to help family members achieve a better life balance. Reach out to us online or give us a call us at (954) 486-6440 to learn more about our elder care in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas.

Medications That Increase Fall Risk for Seniors: Startling New Stats

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woman speaking with a female medical professional via video chat

Medications that increase fall risk for seniors should be closely monitored by a physician in order to keep older adults safe from side effects that put them at risk.

We’ve long known that there are certain medications that increase the fall risk for seniors. Twenty years ago, just a little over half of older adults were impacted by that risk; yet today, that number has risen dramatically – to a full 94% of seniors who are now in danger of falling as a result of medication side effects. Not only that, but deaths from such falls are occurring at more than double the previous rate.

Researchers who discovered this increasing concern also found that between 1999 and 2017, senior prescriptions for medications that increase fall risk were filled over 7.8 billion times. This includes a spike from 12 million antidepressants in 1999 to more than 52 million in 2017.

The study doesn’t specifically pinpoint these medications as the cause for fatality in the falls experienced, but indicates the need for further exploration into the dosages being prescribed. Joshua Niznik of the division of geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine notes, “We’re starting to understand now that the dose of the medication that someone is on is really what we should be looking at probably with the greatest level of scrutiny, and that really has a strong correlation with falls.”

It’s crucial for seniors and their doctors to work together to strike the ideal balance between managing the conditions that require these medications and preventing further complications from a fall.

Amy Shaver, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, and lead author of the study, explains, “These drugs are all necessary medications, but there needs to be a conversation about risks and advantages, that pro-con conversation about: For this particular patient at this particular point in time, what can we do?”

Prescriptions that are specifically linked to fall risk include those for depression, blood pressure management, seizures, pain, and psychosis, among others. Women are most often prescribed these types of medications, and those 85 and older are experiencing the highest spike in fall-related deaths.

One step that seniors can take is to have the home assessed for fall risk and to implement any recommended safety measures. Responsive Home Care is pleased to offer an assessment, scheduled at your convenience. We can also help reduce fall risk through:

  • Ensuring medications are taken exactly as prescribed
  • Assisting with safe walking and transfers
  • Encouraging seniors to engage in doctor-approved exercise programs to strengthen balance, flexibility, and strength
  • And more

Email or give our trusted care team a call at (954) 486-6440 to learn more about our senior care in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and the surrounding communities, and to schedule your assessment today!

Tips for Taking on the Role of Family Caregiver

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Tips for Taking on the Role of Family Caregiver

Taking on the role of family caregiver may feel overwhelming at first, but we’re here to help get you started.

It may have come completely out of the blue: an unexpected fall that led to a fractured hip and the need for Mom to have help and support to remain at home. Or, it may have been building up over time, such as through the slow and incremental progression of dementia. Regardless of the circumstances, you’ve now found yourself in the role of family caregiver, and perhaps are wondering exactly what that means and how to navigate these new waters.

First of all, take a deep breath, and a moment to appreciate the selflessness of your decision. Caregiving is a noble and incredibly rewarding endeavor, yet not without its challenges. A little proactive planning will go a long way towards a smoother transition to care, both for yourself and your loved one. A good starting point is to think through how you would both like each day to look, creating a simple timeline to list out the daily tasks and activities that will need your attention. For example:

  • 7 a.m.: Help Mom get out of bed, showered, dressed, and ready for the day
  • 8 a.m.: Make breakfast and clean up
  • 9 a.m.: Take Mom to physical therapy and/or exercise class
  • 11 a.m.: Run errands with (or for) Mom
  • 1 p.m.: Prepare lunch and clean up
  • 2 p.m.: Help Mom get settled in for afternoon activities: a movie, nap, reading, puzzles, engaging in a favorite hobby or pastime, etc.
  • 6 p.m.: Make dinner and clean up
  • 8 p.m.: Help Mom with bedtime tasks – a bath, changing into pajamas, brushing teeth, etc.
  • 10 p.m.: Help Mom get into bed

Your list will look different for each day, of course, but this provides a helpful outline to let you know when you may have a little downtime to yourself, and when you’ll need to provide hands-on help.

This is also a good time to establish boundaries together – and to agree to stick to them. Again, these will vary for each person and on different days, but decide what is important to each of you: having a designated time each day for self-care and personal time when family and friends may come to visit, whether or not you want to maintain a job outside of the home, etc.

Know that as the leader in Fort Lauderdale elderly care and care throughout the surrounding area, Responsive Home Care is always available with the backup care needed to ensure you are able to take care of yourself, too – something that is extremely important in your role as family caregiver. Call us at (954) 486-6440 or visit our Caregiving Resources to find out more.

Four Ways to Help Older Adults Maintain Dignity and Independence

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Help Older Adults Maintain Dignity and Independence

Allowing seniors to make decisions for themselves is just one way to help older adults maintain dignity.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of caregiving for an older adult you love. There’s so much to be done, and often it’s just easier and more efficient to do it all yourself, letting your loved one relax. After all, our elders have taken care of everything for a lifetime; don’t they deserve a break?

The reality, however, is that it is important to help older adults maintain dignity and independence by allowing them to do as much for themselves as possible, which creates a sense of purpose and meaning. And while ensuring safety is, of course, paramount, there are ways to empower a senior in your care to remain in control as much as possible. Check out these tips from Responsive Home Care, a leading senior care company serving Ft. Lauderdale and surrounding communities in Broward County:

  • Work together on tasks. While standing at the kitchen sink and scrubbing pots and pans may be difficult or unsafe for a senior, perhaps he or she can sit at the table and dry them. The senior may not be able to bake a cake from start to finish, but can mix ingredients as you reminisce about recipes made over the years. It may take a little thought, but it’s worthwhile to find ways to alter tasks to include the senior’s help as much as possible.
  • Allow for decision-making. Look for opportunities to ask for the senior’s input, allowing him or her to remain in control. Rather than assuming he or she will want a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, ask. Before automatically accompanying the senior into the doctor’s office for an exam, ask if he or she would like you there. Having a say in even the smallest of decisions can make a big difference in self-esteem.
  • Ensure safety with respect. Safety is, of course, paramount, but there are ways to ensure a senior stays safe without overstepping boundaries. Medical alert systems, for example, are a great way to foster independence in seniors while providing them with the means to call easily for help when needed.
  • Partner with professionals. Some seniors balk at the thought of their adult children assisting them with personal care needs, such as using the toilet or taking a bath. A professional caregiver, who is trained and experienced in helping seniors maintain dignity while staying safe, is often a more agreeable solution.

Contact the aging care team at Responsive Home Care to learn more about our trusted in-home care services, always provided with the respect and attention to dignity seniors deserve. As the leading provider of home health services in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the surrounding area, we’re available for as little as a few hours each week up through and including 24/7 care. Call us at (954) 486-6440 today!

What to Do When Relatives Avoid Helping with Senior Care

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What to Do When Relatives Avoid Helping with Senior Care

Tips for family caregivers providing senior care.

If you find yourself managing all of the in-home care for an aging parent while your siblings distance themselves from helping, you’re far from alone. In fact, half of all family caregivers are taking care of an aging loved one solo, according to a recent report from AARP.

Why is this scenario so common – and what can you do to protect your own health, which can easily be affected by providing senior care on your own? Our Fort Lauderdale, FL area in-home care experts have the answers.

1. Family members don’t realize there’s a need for help. It could very well be that from the outside looking in, you have everything covered and running smoothly, and aren’t in need of their support.

What to do: Have an honest, open conversation, explaining the stress you’re under. Invite your siblings or other family members to visit during a time of higher intensity care needs, such as when you’re preparing dinner and then helping the senior get ready for bed, and enlist their help so they can see firsthand how much work is involved.

2. They don’t know what to do to help. While it may seem intuitive to simply jump in and meet a senior’s needs to you, that’s not the case for everyone.

What to do: Make a list of specific tasks that you could use help with, along with the days and times that assistance is needed, and ask for volunteers.

3.  They’re afraid or uncomfortable. For someone who’s never cared for an older adult, it can be truly daunting.

What to do: Invite them to “shadow” you for a day to help gain confidence in the particular tasks that they’re uncomfortable with. A little hands-on training can make all the difference.

At Responsive Home Care, our caregivers are always at the ready to work with you to meet the care needs of your loved one, with professionalism, dedication, and compassion, so you’re never alone. Call us at (954) 486-6440 and let us help! We can provide a skilled, dependable, and friendly home health aide in Fort Lauderdale, FL and throughout the Broward County area. See our service area page for more details.

 

Try This Creative and Effective Dementia Care Idea: A Memory Book

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dementia senior care - memory book

A memory book is a great tool for dementia senior care.

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss

Memories are what bind together our past experiences with who we are today; and for a person with dementia, confusion around these memories may have a powerful impact. One of our goals in providing dementia care for seniors is to help them keep and share memories in order to make sense of daily life.

A wonderful way to help with this is through the creation of a memory book, which includes photographs and short descriptions to refer back to when an older adult has questions relating to his or her identity, friends and family, etc. Memory books  are great for answering repeated questions as well as for helping to clear any muddied waters. For example, if an older adult asks who his sister is, whether he’s married (and to whom), where he used to live, etc., a simple response of, “Let’s look at the memory book,” can be very effective – and, can help with redirection as well for a senior experiencing difficult emotions or behaviors.

The book can (and should) be basic and straightforward. Simply select a sturdy binder, photo album, or scrapbook and place 1 or 2 photos on each page, with a brief description underneath. Include details such as:

  • Close family and friends, including those from the senior’s childhood, if at all possible
  • The older adult’s workplace
  • Special events and milestones
  • Hobbies/interests
  • Pets
  • Previous homes
  • And more

You could set up separate sections for each category, so it will be quicker to locate a particular photo when desired. For a more extensive or elaborate book, you can use the template found here , identifying which pages you want to include that’ll be most helpful for your senior loved one.

For more creative Alzheimer’s resources and care tips, call Responsive Home Care, the leading provider of elderly home care in Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas, at (954) 486-6440. We are also pleased to offer a no-cost in-home assessment to share more about how we can help with the particular challenges your senior loved one is facing. Our highly trained, compassionate dementia care team can:

  • Improve socialization
  • Offer creative approaches to manage difficult behaviors
  • Ensure safety in bathing/showering, dressing, etc. in addition to reducing fall risk
  • Provide trusted relief care for family caregivers to take time for self-care
  • Engage older adults in meaningful, enjoyable activities
  • Assistance with preparing meals and clean-up
  • Run errands, such as picking up prescriptions and groceries
  • And so much more

Reach out to Responsive Home Care, the experts in home care in Hollywood, FL and surrounding areas, to discover an increased quality of life for a senior you love with trusted, personalized home care services.

Safely Celebrating The Holidays During a Pandemic

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holidays for older adults during the pandemic

Discover how to make holidays for older adults the best they can be during COVID-19.

Imagine the most perfect holiday season ever. What would it look like? While that image will vary a bit for each of us, it might include gifts, lights, good food, and traditions passed down through the generations. However, what absolutely rings true for all of us is the joy in spending time with the ones we love – and in particular for all of us at Responsive Home Care, safely celebrating the holidays with the seniors we love.

Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused all of us to reconsider how to safely experience the holidays with our older loved ones. With a bit of creativity and ingenuity, however, it’s feasible to bridge the gap while making new memories with the older adults you love, even if you are not able to be with them in person this season.

Our aging care professionals have gathered several ideas to help you get started:

  • Adjust traditions. Consider the traditions that mean the most to you and your family, and how you can modify them to help keep everyone safe. For example, if the family usually gets together each year to bake cookies, you can utilize Zoom or a similar platform to stay connected while baking from home. Select a favorite recipe, have everybody log on at a specific time, and bake away while talking and listening to some holiday music.
  • Don’t do away with decorations. Seniors who live alone usually look forward to having loved ones, especially grandchildren, visit to assist with holiday decorations. Without in-person visits, older adults might not be motivated to bother with decorations. Again, using a software program like Zoom, schedule for a time for everybody to get together online and share the stories behind the most loved decorations.
  • Enjoy the great outdoors. Safely celebrating the holidays with loved ones doesn’t always have to happen virtually. If weather allows, plan brief visits with older adults outside, safely socially distant and with face coverings. String lights on bushes in the yard and decorate the front porch together.
  • Send smiles. Cards, letters, pictures, telephone calls, small gifts, etc. will all mean a great deal to older adults who will be missing time with loved ones. Coordinate with members of the family to take turns reaching out as much as possible in ways like this so that your older family members are flooded with expressions of love.
  • Share your feelings. There is nothing quite as heartwarming as hearing from someone you love about the impact you’ve made on his or her life. Take this time to convey your gratitude to the older adults you love for the difference they have made in your life, and be specific: “Grandma, your patience with me when I was an adolescent taught me what unconditional love looks like, and thanks to you, I’m a more patient person with my own kids.”

Responsive Home Care, experts providers of senior care services in Pembroke Pines and the surrounding areas, employs caregivers who are fully trained and experienced in enhancing total wellbeing for older adults at home, and we follow rigorous safety protocols for each person’s protection. Call us at (954) 486-6440 to find out how we can help make this holiday season the best it can be for a senior you love with customized, professional home care services.

How to Set Yourself Free from Caregiver Guilt

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Caregivers can let go of caregiver guilt with these tips.

Family care providers give a great deal of themselves to take care of their senior loved ones, often sacrificing their own individual needs and desires during the process. It seems normal to assume then that caregivers would feel good about themselves, with high self-esteem and sense of purpose.

However, the exact opposite is usually true, with many family caregivers dealing with feelings of caregiver guilt, wishing they had more patience, a remedy for all of their loved ones’ dilemmas, or the power to do everything by themselves without the need for help. They may have set unattainable and unrealistic guidelines, that could result in:

  • Bitterness
  • Feeling trapped
  • Never feeling good enough
  • Wanting to get away
  • Loss of pleasure in life
  • Elevated stress
  • Missing out on high quality time with loved ones
  • And more

If you are dealing with feelings of family caregiver guilt, taking these steps can be extremely freeing:

  1. Admit your feelings of guilt and also the particular cause of it; as an example, “I feel guilty because I became impatient with Dad’s repetitive questions.”
  2. Maintain a realistic perspective, understanding that all family caregivers are encountering challenges. We are all human.
  3. Switch your internal “should have” dialogues to a more positive slant: “It is challenging to answer the same questions repeatedly, and I’m doing the best that I can.”
  4. Turn your focus to a positive accomplishment. Remind yourself of the joke you told that made Dad chuckle this morning, or how much he enjoyed the meal you prepared.
  5. Be sure to put aside enough time for comforting, pleasurable and gratifying activities: engaging in favorite hobbies and pastimes, journaling, spending time with friends, family and pets, etc.
  6. Adhere to a healthier lifestyle that includes healthy eating, aiming for 7 – 8 hours of sleep each night, exercising, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption.
  7. Find a support partner. To be the best care provider you can be calls for routine, regular breaks from caregiving to take care of yourself.

Contact Responsive Home Care, the top-rated provider of home health care in Plantation and surrounding areas, at 954-486-6440 for dependable respite care which enables family caregivers time to destress and unwind, an essential component to effective elder care. We’re available in accordance with your desired schedule and routine, with as much or as little ongoing support as needed, up through 24/7 care. Keep in mind that taking the best care of yourself allows you to provide the best care for the older adult you love, and we are always here to help!

What to Do When A Senior with Dementia Refuses to Change Clothes

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Adult Daughter Helping Senior Man To Button Cardigan

Learn gentle dementia care tips for difficult situations.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia requires creativity, patience, and empathy, the ability to step outside of your individual reasoning and logic and understand why a certain behavior is occurring, and then to know the best way to successfully manage it. That is certainly the case when an older adult with dementia refuses to change clothes, in spite of how unkempt or dirty an outfit has become.

There are lots of reasons why an individual with Alzheimer’s disease may insist on wearing exactly the same outfit, including:

  • Judgment or memory problems, for example, losing track of time or thinking the clothes were recently changed
  • The comfort and familiarity of a particular piece of clothing
  • A desire to maintain control
  • Difficulty with the task of changing clothes
  • Feeling stressed by the choices related to selecting an outfit
  • Physical pain and/or fatigue
  • The inability to detect scent or even to clearly see stains on clothes

Our Alzheimer’s care team has some strategies to assist:

  • Most importantly, never argue or attempt to reason with someone with dementia.
  • Purchase extra outfits that are identical to the one your loved one insists on wearing.
  • When the senior loved one is bathing or asleep, take away the dirty clothing from the room and replace with clean items.
  • Make getting dressed as easy as possible, with just a couple of choices which are simple to put on and take off, and allowing as much time as needed for dressing.
  • Offer clothing options in solid colors in lieu of patterns that could be confusing, distracting, or visually overstimulating.
  • Take into consideration any timing issues: Is the senior loved one extremely tired and/or agitated at a particular time of day? If so, try incorporating dressing into the time of day when he or she typically feels the most content and calm.
  • Establish if your own feelings are exacerbating the matter in the slightest. For instance, is it a question of embarrassment that is driving the demand for your senior loved one to dress in a certain way?

Keep in mind that wearing a comfy outfit for an added day may be preferred as opposed to the emotional battle involved with forcing a change of clothing. When it truly becomes an issue however, give us a call! Sometimes, a loved one feels more at ease being assisted with personal care needs such as dressing and bathing by a skilled in-home caregiver rather than a family member. Responsive Home Care’s experts are experienced and skilled in helping those with Alzheimer’s disease maintain personal hygiene with kindness and compassion, and they are always available to help.

Give us a call at 954-486-6440 for additional helpful tips or to arrange an in-home consultation for dementia in-home care in Plantation and the surrounding areas.

Best Ways to Manage Alzheimer’s and Dementia Behaviors of Concern

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caregiver comforting senior womanAwkwardness. Discomfort. Disbelief. Shame. Each one of these feelings can cycle through a family caregiver’s heart when someone you care about with Alzheimer’s disease showcases disinhibited behaviors, for example:

  • Rude or tactless comments
  • Inappropriate sexual advances or remarks
  • Removal of clothing at improper times
  • And other socially unacceptable actions

The complicated changes that occur to the brain in Alzheimer’s can cause a complete turnaround in an older adult’s personality and behaviors, for example, a formerly genteel grandma suddenly swearing like a sailor. For somebody who is disoriented, uncomfortable, confused, or has essentially forgotten social graces and skills, these behaviors are actually quite common, consequently it’s crucial to know how to best manage them if and when they develop in someone you love.

Responsive Home Care’s Alzheimer’s care specialists recommend trying the following tactics:

  • See if there’s a solvable problem creating the behaviors, such as a physical illness, medication side effects, the need to utilize the rest room, environment-induced anxiety, etc.
  • Remind yourself that the dementia is to blame, and respond patiently and gently, without overreacting or lashing out in anger.
  • Help the senior loved one remain involved in appropriate activities in accordance with his / her particular interests. If the person becomes agitated with a specific activity, switch to something else, or move to a new room in the house or outside when possible.
  • Pay attention to clothing choices if removing clothes at inappropriate times is an issue. If the older adult has been wearing pants without zippers for comfort and ease, you might want to change to something a bit more challenging to remove when out in public, for example.
  • Be certain that each of the individual’s physical needs are met to circumvent problematic behaviors. Maintain a comfy temperature in the house, keep plenty of healthy snacks and drinks handy, and recommend regular physical exercise and movement.
  • Offer proper physical contact often such as hugs, holding the person’s hand, or rubbing his/her back, when welcomed by the senior, communicating reassurance to relieve anxiety.

It is also beneficial to ensure you’ve got enough time for scheduled breaks to tend to your personal self-care needs and ease the stress that is frequently inherent in taking care of a senior loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. Responsive Home Care, the leader in dementia care in Hollywood, FL and the surrounding area, provides caregivers who are thoroughly trained and experienced in effective, compassionate dementia care, and are here for you with as much or as little respite care as necessary. Call us at 954-486-6440 for additional helpful resources as well as to schedule a free of charge in-home consultation for more information about how we can help.

Elderly Care Tips for Deciding if a Medical Procedure Is Now Safe for a Senior

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masked senior man talking with healthcare professionalThe COVID-19 pandemic put the world on pause, including, among a great many other activities, healthcare appointments and procedures. In fact, nearly 50% of all adults either canceled or delayed routine health care and elective treatments since the coronavirus crisis began, leading medical professionals to become concerned about the consequences.

As we tentatively strive for a new normal, it is important to talk with your health care provider about any procedures you might have been taking into consideration pre-pandemic, and to get answers to these questions to help you assess the safety of doing the procedures now.

  1. Is the healthcare facility where I will be taken care of also treating COVID-19 patients, and are the same medical staff who will take care of me also taking care of them? If that’s the case, what safeguards are in place to guarantee my safety?
  2. What are the facility’s cleaning/disinfecting policies?
  3. Will I need to be tested for COVID-19 before my treatment?
  4. Are medical personnel being tested for COVID-19? If so, how often?
  5. Do I need to wear a mask? Gloves? Any other personal protective equipment?
  6. Are there any items that I cannot bring with me, for example clothing, books, a phone or laptop?
  7. Can I complete paperwork ahead of time?
  8. May I wait outside or in my car until I am called in for my procedure?
  9. Can a relative or caregiver come with me?
  10. Is follow-up provided in person, or may I make use of telehealth?

In addition there are post-procedure considerations to think through. Many people face concerns with regards to the chance for contracting COVID-19 after being in the hospital, so talk with your medical professional about the need to self-monitor for symptoms, as well as for tips about any further preventative measures you might need to take, such as avoiding contact with others for some time, wearing gloves or a mask in the house when others are there, additional sanitizing measures to take, etc. Your doctor may recommend taking your oxygen levels and temperature at home. If so, make certain to obtain a thermometer and pulse oximeter.

Once you are comfortable with the answers you’ve obtained along with the assurance that the procedure is safe to schedule, contact Responsive Home Care, the best home care company in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the surrounding areas. Our caregivers can help make sure everything is taken care of before, during, and after your procedure, including organizing transportation, picking up groceries and prescriptions, helping you get situated back at home and monitoring for any changes in condition, and much more. Contact us any time at 954-486-6440.