Helping Ease Anxiety Related to Doctor’s Appointments

Home Care in Colts Neck NJ

If you are like most family caregivers, doctor’s appointments are a common occurrence in your care journey with your aging parent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 75 percent of the population of older adults over the age of 64 have multiple medical conditions, meaning they are likely to be under the care of more than one doctor or specialist. This can leave your parent having to doctor’s appointments on a fairly frequent basis. No matter how often they visit doctors or undergo treatments, however, it is likely that your elderly parent will still experience some level of anxiety related to these appointments. Helping them to get through this anxiety enables your parent to make the most of their care so that they can live a happy, healthy quality of life throughout their later years.

Use these tips to help your parent ease anxiety related to doctor’s appointments:
• Explain the importance. Knowing how important it is for your parent to receive the proper care and treatment for their needs may not make them feel any less anxious about the experience, but could help them to push past that anxiety. Just knowing how valuable the care is will help your parent to not feel as resistant to the appointment and be more willing to go along with it even if they are feeling nervous.

• Guide them through each step. Facing the unknown can make your loved one feel even more anxious about the experience. Help them to understand every aspect of the appointment, from where they are going to what types of treatments they might undergo when they are there. If you think it will help, even consider doing a “dry run” that can include going through checking their vitals, talking about their condition, and even going through “procedures” such as giving them instructions and having them follow them. This simple process can help them to feel more in control, especially if they are dealing with cognitive limitations that make it more difficult for them to recall other appointments.

• Make plans. Having something to look forward to is always a fantastic way to ease anxiety about a situation. If your parent is worrying about their appointment, come up with a plan for something fun to do afterwards. This can be a visit to their favorite museum or activity, a meal out, or a movie night. Choose something that they can think about rather than the appointment to help them get through it with less stress.

If you are not able to attend doctor’s appointments with your elderly parent and they are feeling anxious, home care may be an ideal option. An in home senior care services provider can be with your senior throughout the experience, from providing reliable transportation to the appointment to offering physical support to manage mobility issues and simply being present so that they do not feel alone. This care can then extend to filling you in on the information that the doctor gave during the appointment and helping your parent to follow through with the care guidelines put forth by that doctor to ensure they stay as healthy as possible.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Colts Neck NJ, please contact the caring staff at Lares Home Care 1-800-781-7435 or 732-566-1112.

Source: http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/more-older-adults-with-multiple-problems/?_r=0m