Generally a chronic illness is an illness that will last three months or possibly longer. It may just surprise you that about 7 of every 10 deaths inside the US results from chronic related illnesses. With the growth in health care prices, there is a rising trend for more people to use family oriented chronic care strategies in their home when caring for family and loved ones.
There are no real steady fast rules that apply to these home care situations. There are some tips that everyone should follow to make things a little more easier in the long term. One of the biggest reasons people pursue this is because they still wish to remain close to their family and realize even family members who may have medical issues still have a lot to offer their family.
One of the more important things which can be done is keeping any communication as open as is possible. It is critical that they understand you are only there to help them out. Help them understand that they may talk to you about the concerns they feel. Many times these illnesses may cause memory loss and extreme personality changes, always be patient to work through this.
If they are still regularly seeing a doctor take an active part in any appointments. No one enjoys going to a doctor's office alone, family members possessing long term illnesses are no exception. By being more active you could take them back and forth as well as fill any prescriptions they need and remember critical items they need to take. You could also remember information that they may not remember. Following the visit you can always help set up their next appointments so they do not miss it.
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 sounds go back to college. Many colleges have classes that are specifically targeted for people who will be taking care of their family members while at home. You often learn CPR, first aid and how to dress or bathe somebody. The classes are typically not long and worth every nickel 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.
There are no real steady fast rules that apply to these home care situations. There are some tips that everyone should follow to make things a little more easier in the long term. One of the biggest reasons people pursue this is because they still wish to remain close to their family and realize even family members who may have medical issues still have a lot to offer their family.
One of the more important things which can be done is keeping any communication as open as is possible. It is critical that they understand you are only there to help them out. Help them understand that they may talk to you about the concerns they feel. Many times these illnesses may cause memory loss and extreme personality changes, always be patient to work through this.
If they are still regularly seeing a doctor take an active part in any appointments. No one enjoys going to a doctor's office alone, family members possessing long term illnesses are no exception. By being more active you could take them back and forth as well as fill any prescriptions they need and remember critical items they need to take. You could also remember information that they may not remember. Following the visit you can always help set up their next appointments so they do not miss it.
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 sounds go back to college. Many colleges have classes that are specifically targeted for people who will be taking care of their family members while at home. You often learn CPR, first aid and how to dress or bathe somebody. The classes are typically not long and worth every nickel 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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