Caregivers of Older Adults Blog | Caregiver Info (26)

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1998, actor Michael J. Fox perhaps best captured the dramatic impact it can have when he said, "Parkinson's forced me to make a fundamental life decision: adopt a siege mentality—or embark upon a life journey."  Mr. Fox is probably one of the best-known advocates for finding a cure for this debilitating disease and has brought national attention and raised the kind of awareness that sometimes only a celebrity can create. There are some startling statistics from the Parkinson’s disease Foundation:

I cannot --- or maybe I am not --- willing to believe I am the only person who goes into the drug store to purchase an over-the-counter medication and feels overwhelmed by the choices.  Not only am I overwhelmed, but sometimes it is actually scary.  I read articles in the paper about how too much of one med can damage my liver, vitamins may hurt absorption of certain medications, aspirin taken with blood thinners can cause me to hemorrhage.  Geez, sometimes I think I need to take a pharmacist with me to select my cough medicine.  By the way, the pharmacy in the store always seems to be closed when I need to ask my questions.

It’s not uncommon to have anxiety over medical appointments. We want doctors to understand our concerns and help us, especially if we aren’t feeling well. Fortunately, there are things you can do to learn how to talk to your doctor effectively.

Urgent care or ER?  If someone close to you requires timely medical care, you could be faced with an important decision: should you go to an emergency room or could you seek care at an urgent care center?  If a condition seems life threatening, the emergency room is definitely the better choice. 

Ever gone for your doctor’s appointment and arrive on time and then you sit and wait and wait for your name to be called?  The time waiting can sometimes be excruciating; all the while thinking about all the possible things that may be wrong, not looking forward to being weighed or poked, as your blood pressure elevates.   For an elderly person, it can be even more difficult; therefore being prepared for the visit, may alleviate some of the anxiety.

At the end of each of the chapters in her book, The Gift of Years – Growing Older Gracefully, author Joan Chittister writes a brief summary she calls the burden and the blessing.  Being present to someone who has experienced a loss through death, divorce or is grieving after having lost their job can often weigh us down; but can also provide us with abundant blessings. It is difficult to see a friend or loved one go through the grieving process and yet not allowing or recognizing the grieving will only delay what hopefully leads to acceptance or other type of resolution.

Do you remember watching those old Laurel and Hardy movies where one or the other would fall down a flight of stairs or inadvertently slip on a rug and end up flat on their back?  It seemed funny at the time especially since after each fall, they were able to recover quickly and move on to the next spill.  Falls are certainly not funny when it comes to elders; in fact according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Each year, an estimated one third of older adults fall, and the likelihood of falling increases substantially with advancing age. In fact, falls are one of the leading causes of death due to injury among the elderly.