As most of us who have ever cared for an elderly parent or grandparent know, there are often no easy choices when it comes to senior care. This goes for both those receiving care and those giving care, including doctors. Whether it’s the difference between medication and surgery, in-home care or a nursing home, or a whole list of other choices, applying senior care is never a simple task. Even when a decision is made in favor of one of these, there are even more choices that still need to be made. What kind of medication? What kind of surgery? What kind of therapy? In the end, it is usually the person in need of care that suffers as a result of this.
Recent studies have shown that a “menu” type approach can make care a lot less overwhelming and a bit easier to manage. One problem that was noticed is that even though doctors have many choices at their disposal, only one or two is being presented. In the end, it is not only limiting patients, but doctors, too. They are not considering all of the choices in many instances, nor are they informing themselves as to all of the possibilities that could exist if other choices are accepted. By presenting a list of all choices at their disposal, more informed and thorough decisions will be arrived at, the study implied.
For most illnesses and issues, lists have already been created. Doctors are either not using them, or not presenting them all to their patients so that what’s best for everyone can be decided upon. Either doctors have already determined what is best without going over all options, or they are set in their ways and do not think to offer alternatives. Again, this can sometimes be harmful to the patient. Presenting a menu of options eliminates the likelihood of this happening and helps patients and families to take more control over their own care.
When it comes to your senior care choices, there’s no reason why you should remain uninformed about what your choices are. Consulting with a senior care specialist can help you to figure out what some of your options are. The most basic is in-home care, and for most situations, this is more than enough. The great thing about this type of care is that it is customizable. You can have a full time caregiver, or you can have just a few hours a week, or anything in between. You can also utilize other services, like adult day care, assisted living, nursing homes, or hospice care for end of life needs. Within these major choices, there are also a lot of things that can be changed around to make it perfect for your elderly loved one’s needs. Educating yourself and knowing what all of your choices is a good start at this. After all, there’s no guarantee that someone is going to sit you down and go over each and every option with you. Instead, take it into your own hands and learn as much as you can about what’s available to you in your area before it becomes an emergency.
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