DocGenie’s Elderly Care Plans

Eldercare is a broad term and includes a diverse mix of services that aim at helping the elderly community live a comfortable and independent life. The domain generally ranges from basic transportation, cooking, or cleaning to complex medical care.

The crux of geriatric health care is enhancing medical care for the elderly. It includes services that are medically necessary and aims at preventing and treating disease and disability that afflict during old age. Geriatric care is about extending support to elderly people at their home through home care services for seniors, or at hospital, nursing home etc. Best elder care services ensure total wellbeing, safety and security of the elderly. Today there are a host of elder care professional packages to take care of your elderly loved ones at home.

You can also consult a general physician for routine health checkups and immunizations. Such practitioners prescribe medicines, do health checkups and recommend investigative tests for cure. They are not specialized in any distinct area of medicine, but help patients with preliminary and effective treatments. They also recommend appropriate specialists, as and when such interventions are needed.

If you are looking for online doctors in Complete Elderly Care, DocGenie is the platform for you. For an online consultation with Elderly Care doctors go to the ‘Book Doctor Consultation’ section on the DocGenie app or website. Then click on ‘Elderly Care’ form the list. Once done you can choose from a list of Elderly Care doctors. Choose one that suits your requirements and book an appointment with the doctor of your choice. Once booking is done, we will connect the doctor you have selected for best online consultation in no time.

Here are some of the needs of an elderly client –

• Helping them perform their daily activities through senior citizen home care services
• Suggest diversion/ occupational therapy
• Offering greatest comfort with the facilities like a comfortable and clean bed, and a neat surrounding
• Helping them maintain hygiene and regulate body temperature
• Taking care of their vision, auditory and dental aid
• Preventing them from risks of injuries and accidents by ensuring a safer surrounding
• Providing a nutritious meal
• Supporting them in exercising for maintaining body alignment and posture
• Ensuring a healthy sleeping routine
• Taking them for regular physical check-ups
• Monitoring changes in their body and mind

A geriatric health care team is a team that comprises doctors, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, psychologists, a dentist, dietician, physical and sometimes occupational therapists, or a palliative care physician. In today’s time senior citizen home care services have all these professionals in their teams.

Geriatric problems are complex and diverse. They include physical, cognitive and emotion problems. Here are some of the commonly known geriatric problems -

Age is a reality that catches everyone. However, today, it is possible to know how to manage the conditions that come with age and live a healthy life. Elderly care is a social and moral responsibility of the young and active. Earlier, elder care was considered the sole responsibility of family members and was provided only at home. However, things changed with decline in family size, greater life expectancy, and dispersion of families. Now elder care is often provided by geriatric care services, geriatric home care services or by personal caregivers or even NGOs.

As the elderly people start lacking in their functioning ability, their children might find it challenging to offer the right kind of help. This is where elder care is of immense benefit for the elderly requiring assistance. The older adults are often deeply afraid of losing independence. Geriatric home care services offer help by encouraging and ensuring a healthy and active life as much as possible.

Elder care becomes imperative right when the changes are noticed. Any delay in implementing the care might endanger your loved one’s well-being and safety.

A geriatric doctor specialises in elderly care or care for those over 65 years of age. Such a doctor must have at least three years of specialist training in geriatric medicine. They take care of the complex health needs of the elderly, and their medical problems and prescribe medicine and treatment accordingly. They help manage issues like dementia and other cognitive problems, problems with mobility and frailty, incontinence, nutrition etc. The doctor also provides home care for elderly patients.

Research shows, those seeing a geriatric doctor are at a lesser risk of getting hospitalised. This is because the doctors stay aware of the warning signs like frailty and appetite loss, and advise medical care and treatment beforehand. Following are the cases in which one needs a geriatric doctor -

On multiple medicine

If an elderly person is on multiple medications, and is taking five or more prescription drugs for chronic diseases, it’s good to see a geriatric doctor. In such a case a geriatric doctor can review the medicines and decide which ones are to be continued and which ones to stop.

With memory issues

An elderly having issues with memory needs to consult a geriatric doctor. Many elderly people remain undiagnosed or unaware of dementia. A geriatric doctor routinely screens for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) which is a sign of dementia. The doctor also checks for depression, which is often very subtle in the elderly.

With mobility issues

If an elderly does not feel very steady on the feet or is having problems moving, it is time to see a geriatric doctor. The doctor can weigh up his/her balance and gait. The doctor will also suggest balance-strengthening exercises and/or recommend physical therapy. This will help keep the elderly family members independent and at home.

When hospitalized

According to study findings, elderly patients receiving care from geriatric doctors during hospitalisation do better post discharge.

Exercise is extremely effective for mental and physical health of the elderly. It also ensures that they remain independent with age. However, being old and often frail, opting for a regime of physical activity on their own, or randomly from a friend or family member is a highly risky affair. Such attempts can lead to health hazards if not critical medical emergencies. Also, the elderly often suffer from different medical conditions which vary from one to another. Exercises that are good for one such individual might be very damaging for another. Hence, it is always better to seek advice from a geriatric doctor or a elderly care agency on the type of exercise an elderly can do. You can also take help from home care services for senior citizens to decide on the right regime.

Elderly people often do not have the evident signs of depression. Instead, they show symptoms like:

• Being tired
• Having sleeping issues
• Being irritable
• Appearing confused
• Having attention problems
• Lacking interest in daily activities
• Slowing down more and more
• Sudden weight change or appetite loss
• Showing signs of hopelessness, or sense of guilt
• Feeling suicidal

Irrespective of age, regular exercising is a great way to maintain good health. Most importantly, a daily routine physical activity prevents the elderly from getting the health problems that afflict with age. It is also highly recommended that they move more and sit less. This keeps the muscles strong so that they can continue with their day-to-day activities without assistance.

However, they must understand that the regime of their exercise must be based on the conditions that they have. Also that at their age they can be as active as their physical abilities and health conditions allow. You can consult senior home health care services for understanding and deciding on the right exercising regime for them.

Here are some of the benefits of exercise -

• Improves strength and helps in staying independent
• Improves balance, thus prevents falls
• Gives energy
• Prevents or delays chronic diseases
• Enhances mood and fights off depression
• Improves cognitive functions

A geriatric doctor specialises in elderly care or care for those over 65 years of age. These doctors usually have at least three years of specialist training in geriatric medicine. They take care of the complex health needs of the elderly, their existing medical problems and prescribe medicine and treatment accordingly. They help manage issues like dementia and other cognitive problems, problems with mobility and frailty, incontinence, nutrition etc. The doctor also provides home care for elderly patients.

A geriatric doctor specialises in elderly care or care for those over 65 years of age. These doctors usually have at least three years of specialist training in geriatric medicine. They take care of the complex health needs of the elderly, their existing medical problems and prescribe medicine and treatment accordingly. They help manage issues like dementia and other cognitive problems, problems with mobility and frailty, incontinence, nutrition etc. The doctor also provides home care for elderly patients.