Doctor Visit
Some seniors will share and others struggle with emotional problems of long-ago. –Author
Introduction
A s a caregiver, one of the first health-related things to do is decide what problems your loved one is facing. Even if you are involved on a daily basis, there could be health issues that have gone undetected or hidden from you. Different people notice different things. So it will be important to talk with other relatives, friends, and the loved one about their sense of what help is needed.
If your’ loved one has not been to see a doctor recently, making a doctor’s appointment (a downloadable document by the National Institute on Aging) might be the best course of action. Under the Affordable Care Act, seniors are entitled …show more content…
Then you can locate community resources and services available to meet those needs (e.g., religious, civic, educational, visiting nurses, physical and mental therapy services, home health aides, housing, transportation, in-home meals, and case management). Having this knowledge will make you a very informed caregiver.
Health screenings and assessments can help distinguish a temporary decline from long-term deterioration in health. Medical tests can show issues that need immediate attention and which course of treatment is required to slow or stop a decline in health. The following are just a few assessment tools used to assess a person’s ability to cope with life’s general demands and live an independent …show more content…
Finding ways to pay for long-term care services is a major challenge for both state and federal governments. Medicaid finances most of these services, but most citizens pay out-of-pocket for assisted living. The largest single payer for long-term nursing home care is Medicaid. Medicare will pay for most hospice care and part of the costs for short-stays in a skilled nursing facility. The number of people using nursing facilities, alternatives residential care places, or home care services are projected to increase from 15 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2050. The estimated increase in the number of the “oldest old” – those age 85 and over – could almost triple, from 6.3 million in 2015 to 17.9 million in 2050, accounting for 4.5% of the total population (U.S. Census Bureau,