Seniors who have Alzheimer’s often have other conditions that require them to get routine medical care. They may have diabetes, respiratory disease, heart disease, or other illnesses. But taking a senior parent to doctor’s offices and hospitals for routine medical care can be very traumatic for them and for you.
As Alzheimer’s progresses, your senior parent will not understand where they are going or why. Having strangers poke and prod at them can be frightening and painful. Taking them away from the home that is familiar to them can be disorienting.
Home health care is a great option if your senior parent has Alzheimer’s but needs routine medical care. A home health care provider can give routine medical care to your senior parent at home so that they don’t need to leave the house.
Some of the benefits of home health care for seniors with Alzheimer’s are:
Medication Management
Certified home health care providers can give seniors their medication and track the progress of that medication. Making notes of side effects and other details about the medications can help your senior parent’s doctor evaluate how effective those medications are.
If you have any questions about your senior parent’s medications, how to give them, or what the potential side effects are, you can get answers to those questions from a home health care aide.
Care In Home
It can be a real challenge to take a senior parent with Alzheimer’s out of the home for a doctor’s office visit. Seniors who have Alzheimer’s are often upset when they are not in familiar surroundings. They also become carsick or disoriented when traveling in a car.
Routine medical care, like checking vitals, can be done at home by a home health care worker so that your senior parent can be comfortable and secure.
More Accurate Test Results
Having test results and other medical monitoring done at home means that the results of those tests will be more accurate. Seniors will have a more regular blood pressure when they are not stressed out by a doctor’s office visit, for example. The readings and results that a home health care provider gets at home are a better indication of your senior parent’s current health.
Less Exposure To Illness
Seniors who have Alzheimer’s who receive medical care at home are less likely to be exposed to potentially serious illnesses like flu and COVID-19. Because seniors with Alzheimer’s may not understand why they need to wear a mask in public, they may not want to wear one. That can leave them exposed to COVID-19, colds, and the flu.
But at home, you can limit the risk of exposure because there will be fewer people in the home.
Alzheimer’s affects every senior differently. Your senior parent may be able to comfortably leave the house for doctor’s appointments for a long time. However, when it starts getting difficult to take them out, home health care is an option that you should consider.
If you or someone you know needs Home Health Care in Rochester, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 525-7742 for more information.