Do you know your Parent’s Health Status?

Dad

Are you up to date on your aging parent’s medical history, what about their medications? Do you know if they are taking their medications on time, the right dose, are the pills expired or should some be discontinued? Perhaps they need assistance and doing the medication set up for them on a weekly basis is one of the best ways to gently start monitoring their health needs, it’s a great touch point for noticing changes that you just can’t put off anymore. We set up my Dad’s pills using a medication container for the week, he liked being able to pull out the daily section and just putting it in his pocket if he was going out for the day.

One of the simple things my Dad asked us to do was create a current list of all his medications so when the nurse asked him what medications he took he would pull out his list which he kept in his wallet. This allowed Dad to maintain his dignity and it was so much better than having him be embarrassed because he couldn’t remember the names of his medications. My Dad would also record his Blood Sugar (for his Diabetes) and his weight due to his CHF (congestive heart failure) into a small spiral notebook that he kept in his shirt breast pocket so he could show his doctor the results for the week or month. I kept all his information in a word document; Dad’s doctors, clinics, medical history, medications and his recent vital signs so it was helpful when my sisters called me with a concern or if I had to call the clinic with a question about his care needs.

This month is the one year anniversary of Dad’s passing and on Sunday I was reminded of how much I miss our time together at Sunday Breakfast. Every Sunday my husband and I would drive to St. Paul to pick up Dad and then drive to one of his favorite restaurants, usually Perkin’s or Joseph’s Restaurant where he knew the waitresses by name. We would buy the Sunday Pioneer Press for Dad because he loved to keep up on local news and he would organize all the sale ad’s for my sister Lisa when he got home and settled in for the day. Sundays were a good time to catch up and he would tell me about his friends and if he had any new appointments at the Veteran’s Medical Center that I needed to attend. Dad was clear about his body and his care but he was also aware of when he needed help; Dad let us be his advocates for health and financial issues because he knew it was hard to “remember” every little detail and he knew he could depend on his daughters.

Perhaps this is a good time to talk to your aging parent about a “little” assistance with their health needs and if you should need a little assistance to get this started then give me a call, I look forward to helping you and your parents. Like a daughter, sister, friend… easing life transitions.

Remembering you with Love Dad!

Mary Elizabeth

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September 8, 2009 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: aging parents, care coordination, medication management, Senior Caregiving · Posted in: Senior Caregiving