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Shanna ParrishTaylor
Shanna Parrish-Taylor is the Director of Nursing at Vintage Place Assisted Living. She is a RN with 9 years long term care experience, experience in critical care as well as hospice setting. Shanna is currently working on her master’s degree towards obtaining her ANRP. For more information on Shanna or Vintage Place please call 620-231-4554.
Senior Living
2012-02-28 09:56:12
Avoiding hospitalization
Q: I have a family member who has Alzheimer’s as well as other health issues. The level of difficulty is increasing, partly due to the other health concerns, and resulted in several hospital stays over the last 18 months. Although I have always thought the home environment is best, I am beginning to wonder if this is true. What things should I factor in as we decide the best options?
A: One of the most important things to remember while you sort out your options is that you are not alone in making hard choices. Many things factor in to whether or not the home environment is still suitable, or when it is time to consider other options. One of the most significant things loved ones giving care to those with Alzheimer’s encounter is the difficulty in managing co-existing health concerns. With or without any form of dementia, we encounter more health issues as we age. However, dementia compounds the problems of even common medical problems in several ways. For example, many health issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, which are all very common in senior citizens, frequently require medicine and dietary restrictions in their management. These can be difficult to mange under the best of circumstances, but add in difficulty in remembering to take medicine, or forgetting to eat meals, and suddenly you have a serious medical emergency. Even something as simple as having trouble with hygiene can lead to serious urinary track infections and extended hospital stays. This is in fact, one of the factors that weighs most heavily for those in the place of deciding whether or not it is time to consider other care options. Depending upon the availability of family caregivers, getting an in-home aid to help might be an option in assuring your loved one’s wellbeing, until such time that because of the disease progression that becomes impossible. Another option in helping to avoid hospitalizations and assuring the health and safety of your loved one is an assisted living facility that specializes in the care of those with Alzheimer’s. Assisted living facilities offer the care and routines helpful in avoiding things that lead to frequent hospitalizations in dementia patients, such as memory stimulating activities, well-balanced meals at the same time every day, safety rails, and limited obstructions.
 
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