Caring For Our Elders Who Have Cared For Us
In today’s world, the family caretakers who are busy taking care of their young children, teens, and adult children, also often find themselves caring for their aging parents, perhaps due to an injury or a parent's deteriorating health. Caring for our loved ones who took care of us as children can be a very challenging time in one’s life, especially if there is a sudden or unexpected need for intervention and decision-making about taking on the role of caretaker, finding a daycare for adults to help while we are at work, or placing a parent in an assisted living facility.
If an elderly person has a bleeding disorder, finding appropriate care can be even more complicated. Misinformation and misunderstandings about bleeding disorders still exist and this can lead to stressful or even dangerous situations. Fortunately, HoG Nurses and Social Workers are able to help by providing an in-service to the daycare/assisted living staff upon request. Additionally, they can help you find care in your community and help with Medicaid or Medicare issues. As always, it is very important to include your Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) in the planning of a loved one’s care and to ensure their care is coordinated with their hematologist and other healthcare providers.
It is also important for a person with a bleeding disorder to wear a Medic Alert® tag and keep the Emergency Action Plan current. An HoG outreach nurse or social worker can talk to you about the Medic Alert® or Emergency Action Plan. View more tips from our social workers for people with bleeding disorders to help improve your quality of life.
There are many additional resources for caring for the elderly such as the National Council on Aging (NCOA) website: https://www.ncoa.org/ and the NCOA Benefits Check Up website: https://www.benefitscheckup.org.
The National Institute is also a wonderful resource to learn more about issues facing the elderly https://www.nia.nih.gov/