Posts Tagged ‘aging parents’
Talk Frankly with Aging Parents about Healthcare
08/19/2011
With a twice-a-day appearance by a caregiver, Steve Carley feels more at ease about his 96-year-old mother, Sara Carley, staying in her Far-Eastside home. The Carleys have used the service for two years. Photo by Charlie Nye, The Star
By Barb Berggoetz, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star
It’s 3 a.m., and your phone startles you out of a sound sleep.
Your 70-year-old mother has suffered a stroke. You rush to her house nearby to take her to the hospital.
But you’re not prepared. She’s incoherent. You forget the name of her primary care doctor and don’t know what medications she’s taking.
This may be an all-too-common scenario, as adult children struggle to take care of aging parents, and sometimes grandparents, and their often- complex medical needs.
Being a caregiver, even if it’s only part time or for emergencies, is challenging. When do you step in? How do you offer advice without being bossy? What can you do to help prevent emergencies? How do you best handle them when they happen?
