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Prepare for Senior Emergencies
By Sailynn Doyle
Answering the Call
It’s the midnight call that can strike terror in the hearts of so many local family caregivers. “Mom has suffered a stroke,” or “Dad accidentally overdosed on his medications.”
That call could happen at any time, in large part because of the number of medications seniors are taking, a known risk factor for older adults. Seniors represent just over 13 percent of the population, but consume 40 percent of prescription drugs and 35 percent of all over-the-counter drugs, according to the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).
If you’re that adult son or daughter who lives in fear of getting “the call,” do you have the information you need to help your loved one? Many don’t, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network.
Less than half (47 percent) say they are knowledgeable about their parents’ medical histories in case of an emergency. And approximately half (49 percent) are unable to name any of the medications taken by their parents each day. Furthermore, 36 percent of those future caregivers don’t know where their seniors’ financial information is located.
This survey was no surprise to Home Instead Senior Care in North Dartmouth, since we often are called to assist when families are in crisis. We’ve seen the turmoil that such a situation creates and we’ve also witnessed how much smoother it can go when families are prepared.
That’s why the Home Instead Senior Care network has worked with Humana Points of Caregiving® to develop a variety of resources including the Caring for Your Parents: Senior Emergency KitSM, an information management tool and website that can help family caregivers keep important information at their fingertips.
The kit is designed so that family caregivers have ready access to such information as a senior’s doctors, pharmacy and insurance company, medications and dosage details, as well as allergies and important documents. To download your FREE kit, go to SeniorEmergencyKit.com.
Much is at stake for local seniors and their family caregivers. According to the ASCP – an organization that represents consultant and senior care pharmacists who specialize in geriatrics and geriatric pharmacotherapy – adverse drug reactions are responsible for 28 percent of hospitalizations of the elderly.
A root of the problem with seniors and their medications is the sheer volume of prescription drugs that most older adults are taking. Medication issues are big topics for seniors.
The future caregivers surveyed in the Home Instead Senior Care study revealed that nearly half of their parents (48 percent) have three or more factors that put them at risk for medication-related problems, the top being receiving prescriptions from more than one doctor (52 percent), living alone (41 percent), and vision problems/poor eyesight (37 percent).
Taking into account family dynamics, part of the role of the family caregiver is to be an advocate for the senior, assuming the older adult wants that assistance. It’s good to have a family caregiver go with the senior to the doctor’s office to ask questions and to make sure that any instructions from the doctor are reinforced and followed. Family caregivers should look to others to help if they are unable to be there to assist their loved one, either at the doctor’s office or at home.
One of the greatest services that Home Instead Senior Care in North Dartmouth provides is the opportunity to assist seniors and their families with medication reminders and at-home assistance that can help older adults prevent accidents and maintain their independence. That support is one of the best ways that family caregivers can be ready for an emergency.
Sailynn Doyle
At Home Instead Senior Care, we customize our services to fit your needs. We provide non-medical care to seniors and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Services such as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, shopping, errands, incidental transportation and personal care are just some of the most popular. All of our CAREGivers are thoroughly screened - criminal background check, driving record check, social security trace, sex offender list, and six references. We are available for free consultations 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Call 508.984.7900 or visit www.HomeInstead.com/673 for more information.
Sailynn Doyle is the owner of Home Instead Senior Care in North Dartmouth, located at 634 State Road (Route 6), Unit A1. The North Dartmouth office serves all of Southeastern Massachusetts. They are available for free consultations 24/7. Please call 508.984.7900 or visit www.homeinstead.com/673 for more information. Each office is an independently owned and operated franchise of Home Instead, Inc., the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors.
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