Some Basic Hints For A More Family Oriented Chronic Care Situation

By Angel Dudley


Generally speaking a chronic illness is one that will normally last three months or longer. It may surprise you that 7 out of every 10 deaths in the US is from chronic related diseases. With the rise in health care costs, there is a growing trend for people to follow a more family oriented chronic care strategy at their own home for their family and loved ones.

There are no stead-fast rules that apply for these family care situations. However, there are some ideas that someone could try following to help make things better long term situations. One reason more people are pursuing these ideas is they wish to remain near their family and understand that even a family member who has a medical issue still may have something to offer their family.

One of the important items that could be done is to maintain positive open communications. It is important that they see you are only there to help make their life better. Let them see they can speak to you regarding concerns they may have. Often this type of illnesses could cause extreme personality changes and memory loss, show patience as work through this.

If they see a doctor often take an active part in their appointments. Nobody likes seeing a doctor alone, including family members that have a terminal illness. By going to them, you not only give them a ride there and back but could fill prescriptions or remember important things to bring along. You may also have relevant information which the patient could have forgotten. When the visit is over you could help schedule their follow up appointment so it will not be missed.

Most of the people who have long term illness will generally require ongoing treatment with various pills and medicines. It is important to become as knowledgeable as possible about these to keep your loved ones safe. Take some time to learn what everything does and what the possible food or drug interactions may be.

As boring as it may sound go back to school. Many colleges offer classes specifically targeted to help people who are taking care of family members at home. You could learn CPR, first aid or even how to bathe or dress someone. The classes are usually quite short and worth every penny they cost.

Try encouraging them to keep a journal to write about anything happening to them and how they are feeling. This may seem foolish at first but may really help to fine tune the medical treatment and help pin-point treatment areas the doctor may be missing. It does not need to be elaborate, only a simple journal which they take a few moments each day to write in.

You are there to help solve their problems not create new ones for them. Many times it will take a while to regain a loved ones trust but it is important if you plan to help them with long term chronic care. It will be tough, but do not give up.




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