In the very beginning of your caregiving journey you may not have any reason to question your elderly family member’s doctor’s appointments. Eventually, however, you may want to make sure that you’re aware of when she’s going and what happens while she’s at the doctor. It may even be time for you to go along with her.
Is She Making it to All Her Appointments?
On one level you may have a vague idea when your aging family member is supposed to go to her doctor, but how much attention are you paying to that? Some caregivers find that their aging adults are actually skipping appointments without letting anyone know. This can happen if your elderly family member is afraid of what her doctor might tell her or if she’s worried about her health. She may also do this for other reasons.
She Might Need Transportation
If your elderly family member is starting to experience trouble with tasks like driving, she might not jump at the chance to let you know this. It’s a way for her to maintain some independence and it can be scary to admit that driving isn’t so easy anymore. Work out a way for your elderly family member to have the transportation she needs, whether that means carpooling with other family members or hiring elderly care providers to do the driving.
It Might Be Time for You to Go with Her
Another factor to consider is that it may be time for you as her caregiver to start going with your elderly family member to her doctor. This gives you a chance to hear what’s going on firsthand and allows you to make sure that you’re getting questions answered that you have concerns about as her caregiver.
Ask for a Medication Review
One of the big concerns for you at first needs to be a medication review. This is when your elderly family member’s doctor takes a look at her prescriptions and evaluates how well they’re working for her, whether she’s experiencing side effects, and whether any of those medications are working at cross purposes. It’s a good idea to do this regularly, just to be sure that everything is okay.
Early on in your caregiving journey, you may not be worried about your aging family member’s doctor’s appointments. But as things progress, you do need to be more concerned about whether your senior is making it to her appointments and what happens while she’s there.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elderly Care Services in Dover MA, or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at CARE Resolutions – (508) 906-5572.
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