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Resources
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Ask Dr. Twaddle |
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I care for my mother who suffers from a variety of age-related health issues that seem to have become more severe but are not life-threatening. What care alternatives should we consider?
Today, medical treatments and other forms of care can help us live longer and have a better quality of life than we might have imagined when we were young. Though we cannot escape the “aging process,” we often are able to enjoy good health much longer than previous generations.
As we age, each of us experiences unique physical, emotional, social and financial changes that can affect our overall health. Sometimes it is not one specific diagnosis that is life changing, however, but the cumulative burden of many.
Your mother may be experiencing health issues related to normal aging, but you indicate that all these combined have created more complex medical problems that truly cause her suffering and appear to significantly limit her quality of life.
You might want to consider calling or sending a note to your mother’s personal physician about your concerns. Your mother may not be communicating her distress well enough to her physician. You also may want to go with her to her appointments—she may not understand the physician’s advice or integrate it well following a visit.
The physician may suggest a palliative care consultation for your mother. This does not mean that she has a terminal condition or that the physician is secretly thinking about hospice but isn’t telling you! Some physicians consult palliative care experts when their patients are confronted with increasing debility related to illness and aging. The palliative care team helps to further clarify the goals of care and to strategize for supportive services that might be needed, now or in the future. The goal is to have a plan in place to ideally avoid crises and honor patient goals and values.
Sorting out these issues can be easier with the skilled assistance of a palliative care specialist such as the physicians available through CareCenter. We can help you and your mother coordinate the support you both need to live as well as possible in the midst of these challenging changes.
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