Elder Care – What To Do After a Fall
When you’re taking care of a senior parent you need to know what to do if they have a fall at home. There is a very strong chance at some point you’re going to get that call that your senior parent fell at home and needs help. When that happens the first thing that you need to do is stay calm. Then you should do these things to make sure that your senior parent gets the medical treatment they need:
Call EMS
Don’t wait to call emergency medical services. Have an ambulance dispatched to your senior parent’s home right away. Even if your senior parent doesn’t seem to be seriously injured they need to have a full medical exam and imaging done to make sure there are no invisible injuries.
Grab Your Go Bag
You should have a go bag ready to go for your senior parent that contains things like:
- A phone charger
- Copies of their driver’s license or ID and insurance information
- Slipper socks
- Clothes for your senior parent
- Extra briefs, baby wipes, and hygiene items for your senior parent
- A cozy blanket
- Snacks
- Bottled water
And anything else that you might need if you’re at the hospital for a long time. Keep it by the door or even in your car so that you know right away where it is.
Meet EMS At The Emergency Room
Instead of going to your senior parent’s home you may want to go directly to the emergency room to meet the EMS crew when they get there with your senior parent. It will save time and then you will be there waiting when your senior parent arrives. If you go to the house you could get in the way and make it harder for the EMS crew to do their jobs. Or, you could get there and they would have already left.
Advocate For Your Senior Parent
Once your senior parent arrives at the emergency room you will have to advocate for them to make sure they get the care they need. If they need to be admitted to the hospital because of their injuries, you will need to constantly follow up with the doctors and make sure that your senior parent is getting the care they need. Be polite but be persistent. And start to think about what care your senior parent will need when they are released. Often when seniors are released from the hospital it happens with very little notice so it’s necessary to have care lined up before your senior parent is released.
Get Elder Care Lined Up
When your senior parent is ready to go home they will need help at home while they recover. Elder care can be there to make sure that your senior parent has the support they need during recovery. And elder care can make sure that your senior parent’s home is clean, errands and shopping are done, and that your senior parent has healthy delicious meals to eat.
If you or someone you know needs help with elder care in East Grand Rapids, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 560-4057 for more information.
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