Home Care Services Bronx NY
There are plenty of seniors who get through life with their general practitioner and specialists for whatever specific conditions they may have. Still, others rely on the help of an aging specialist, more formally known as a gerontologist or geriatrician.
Having a geriatrician in your corner may be important, especially since some medical issues become more common or worsen as one ages. Such a person can also be useful if your parent has a complicated medical history, or suffers from more than one condition, requiring them to see several different doctors. When it comes to senior care, there are other things that a geriatrician can also help you and your family with.
- They can make certain that your parent’s medications are interacting as they should, or that they’re not interacting negatively.
- They can provide in-depth assessments covering areas of health, finances, housing, family, local resources, advocacy, legal issues and crisis intervention.
- With those things in mind, they can help your parent and you maneuver through the various complex, often-complicated home health care and social services system, including Medicare, Medicare and Social Security. That even includes providing resources to you and your parent in locating any legal or financial assistance that your parent might require.
- Because they are specially trained and examine a person’s overall health, they may notice or discover some otherwise undiagnosed health problem.
- They can help your parent or you sift through the various medical concerns your parent has and prioritize them.
- They can be a problem-solver, especially in the event of disagreements between your parent and you, or other family members whose opinions on what’s best for your parent differ from those of your parent. They can be a neutral third-party who works out a solution that makes all parties happy.
- Geriatricians can also be a great resource for family caregivers, mainly because they understand the importance of the role caregivers play, as well as the benefit of seniors remaining in their home for as long as they can. But they realize how taxing and overwhelming caregiving can be, so can help you manage your stress and caregiver responsibilities, too.
- While some offer primary care, others specialize in cardiology or oncology.
If you and your parent decide that a geriatrician would be a nice complement to the other providers, or could allow you to eliminate some, make sure that whoever you pick is board certified or accredited. You may want to consider getting referrals from other family members or friends who have used aging specialists in the past.
If there are no geriatricians in your parent’s area, you may be able to find a geriatric care manager. This is someone who usually is a social worker, psychologist, or nurse, or has training and knowledge in different areas of elder care. And if no one like this exists in your area, a good primary care physician can often help with many of the things listed above.
Resource: www.agingcare.com