Helping the aging baby boomer
By Boomeryearbook.com
The health problems and other elderly problems associated with advancing years can turn the best of baby boomers into crotchety old miseries! Letting go of control over personal health decisions can be difficult for the aging person, especially when it involves turning over responsibility to a younger member of the family.
For this reason, it is important to approach such a situation diplomatically, especially with regard to baby boomers and senior who might be trying to cope with mobility problems, the pain of arthritis and rheumatism, and the humiliation of advancing dementia.
For practical reasons, it might be necessary to take over medical arrangements for an aging boomer or elderly member of the family or even an elderly friend. This might involve helping to make surgery appointments, accompanying the person when actually speaking to their doctor about personal ailments, and keeping track of medication.
Baby boomers and seniors who have to take regular medication and who are also suffering from memory lapses might require considerable assistance to regulate dosage and keep account of prescription drugs being taken on a daily basis. There are one or two gadgets on the market today that can help, such as ‘pill poppers’ – the little plastic cases with compartments designated for the pills to be taken that day and wall calendars to help keep proper tabs on what is being taken and when. Even using such props to help regulate the required dose, however, it is nearly always necessary to have an additional helping hand.
If your aging or elderly relative or friend has had tests, make sure you know when the results are due and who to ask for them. Do not rely on hospital administration to give the results to you without being prompted and do not rely on the baby boomer patient, who might be suffering from incipient elderly problems and forget not only to ask for the results but even that the tests were conducted in the first place!
Try to be tactful when accompanying the patient in the surgery. Remember they have spent a lifetime taking care of their own medical interests and although they might be displaying a few symptoms of elderly problems, it is probable that some or even many faculties remain on full power and it is not helpful to offend sensibilities. Do not ‘talk over’ them when they are trying to explain something: wait patiently and an opportunity to interject will appear. Remember not to conduct a conversation with the doctor over the patient as if they do not exist: a habit that is guaranteed to enrage even the most docile baby boomer or elderly senior!
You know your family and friends far better than the doctor and you are likely to notice any changes in the condition of the patient. Take the time to note these changes and let the doctor know, as they might be the result of receiving the wrong medication or simply one that is not working. Be observant and write down the things the doctor should know so that when a visit occurs, you have the information to hand.
Dealing with Health Problems for an Elderly Relative is part of Boomer Yearbook’s continuing series of baby boomers psychological coaching tips and how to alleviate elderly problems. We believe knowledge is power. We’d love to hear what you think.
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