Generally a chronic illness is an illness that will last three months or possibly longer. It may just surprise you that about 7 of every 10 deaths inside the US results from chronic related illnesses. With the growth in health care prices, there is a rising trend for more people to use family oriented chronic care strategies in their home when caring for family and loved ones.
There are no real rules that are applicable to these new home care scenarios. There are some basic tips that everyone can follow to help make things go easier for long term care. One of the greatest reasons people pursue this idea is because they wish to stay close to family members and realize that even family members that have medical problems still have much to offer their families.
One of the important items that could be done is to maintain positive open communications. It is important that they see you are only there to help make their life better. Let them see they can speak to you regarding concerns they may have. Often this type of illnesses could cause extreme personality changes and memory loss, show patience as work through this.
If they still see a doctor regularly take an active role in their appointments. No one likes going to the doctor alone, this includes family members with long term illnesses. By becoming active, you not only offer them a ride back and forth but can fill prescriptions and remember important items to bring along. You could also know relevant information that the patient may have forgotten. At the end of the visit you can help schedule their next appointment so they will not miss it.
Most of the people who have long term illness will generally require ongoing treatment with various pills and medicines. It is important to become as knowledgeable as possible about these to keep your loved ones safe. Take some time to learn what everything does and what the possible food or drug interactions may be.
As boring as it may sound go back to school. Many colleges offer classes specifically targeted to help people who are taking care of family members at home. You could learn CPR, first aid or even how to bathe or dress someone. The classes are usually quite short and worth every penny they cost.
Try encouraging them to keep a journal to write about anything happening to them and how they are feeling. This may seem foolish at first but may really help to fine tune the medical treatment and help pin-point treatment areas the doctor may be missing. It does not need to be elaborate, only a simple journal which they take a few moments each day to write in.
Remember to help them solve any problems they may have and not to create new problems for them. Sometimes it may take a while to gain a loved ones trust, though this is important should you plan to really help them with any long term home chronic care. It may be tough, but never not give up.
There are no real rules that are applicable to these new home care scenarios. There are some basic tips that everyone can follow to help make things go easier for long term care. One of the greatest reasons people pursue this idea is because they wish to stay close to family members and realize that even family members that have medical problems still have much to offer their families.
One of the important items that could be done is to maintain positive open communications. It is important that they see you are only there to help make their life better. Let them see they can speak to you regarding concerns they may have. Often this type of illnesses could cause extreme personality changes and memory loss, show patience as work through this.
If they still see a doctor regularly take an active role in their appointments. No one likes going to the doctor alone, this includes family members with long term illnesses. By becoming active, you not only offer them a ride back and forth but can fill prescriptions and remember important items to bring along. You could also know relevant information that the patient may have forgotten. At the end of the visit you can help schedule their next appointment so they will not miss it.
Most of the people who have long term illness will generally require ongoing treatment with various pills and medicines. It is important to become as knowledgeable as possible about these to keep your loved ones safe. Take some time to learn what everything does and what the possible food or drug interactions may be.
As boring as it may sound go back to school. Many colleges offer classes specifically targeted to help people who are taking care of family members at home. You could learn CPR, first aid or even how to bathe or dress someone. The classes are usually quite short and worth every penny they cost.
Try encouraging them to keep a journal to write about anything happening to them and how they are feeling. This may seem foolish at first but may really help to fine tune the medical treatment and help pin-point treatment areas the doctor may be missing. It does not need to be elaborate, only a simple journal which they take a few moments each day to write in.
Remember to help them solve any problems they may have and not to create new problems for them. Sometimes it may take a while to gain a loved ones trust, though this is important should you plan to really help them with any long term home chronic care. It may be tough, but never not give up.
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