Ways to Encourage Your Senior Parent to Visit the Doctor

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Tips to Encourage Your Elderly Parent to Visit the Doctor in Winnipeg, MB

Seniors need to visit their primary doctors at least once a year because annual physicals are instrumental in diagnosing and preventing various health conditions. For some seniors, doctor’s appointments are anxiety inducing. When it comes to scheduling their annual physicals, older adults may avoid the topic or refuse to go altogether. If your senior parent is unwilling to go to the doctor, consider taking the following steps.

Address the Reasons for Avoiding the Doctor

When seniors refuse to go to the doctor, it’s usually indicative of an underlying issue. If you want to convince your parent to see a doctor, you first need to figure out why he or she is acting this way. Your loved one may feel anxious in the presence of physicians or be frightened of a potential diagnosis. Perhaps your parent feels uncomfortable around the current primary care doctor and is too embarrassed to say anything about it. The reasons could be purely practical. If your loved one doesn’t have reliable transportation, he or she may feel uncomfortable asking you for assistance. Once you’ve discovered the reason for the reluctance, you can help your loved one overcome it. Elderly home care experts are available to provide high-quality care to seniors on an as-needed basis. From assistance with mobility and exercise to providing transportation to the doctor’s office and social events, there are a variety of ways professional caregivers can help your aging loved one continue to live independently.

Offer Your Support

Make sure your parent knows you’re available to help. Whether your loved one needs a lift to the appointment or help with medication management, provide whatever assistance he or she requires. If your parent is reluctant to ask for help, an obvious offer of support may go a long way. Some seniors need occasional assistance at home, and oftentimes the family members who take care of them need time away to run errands, take a nap, go to work, or take a vacation. Whether you need respite from your caregiving duties or your aging loved one needs 24-hour care, Winnipeg, MB, Home Care Assistance can meet your family’s care needs. Our dedicated caregivers are available around the clock to provide transportation to doctor’s appointments, ensure seniors take their prescribed medications, and help with a variety of tasks in and outside the home.

Be a Health Advocate

Trips to the doctor’s office can be stressful for seniors, even if they’re not prone to anxiety. If your parent has difficulty managing stressful situations, look for ways to make doctor appointments more bearable. When seniors are accompanied to their appointments by health advocates, it takes the pressure off them. They don’t have to worry about remembering their medication history or fully understanding treatment options. Try to be your parent’s health advocate, and tell him or her you’ll schedule the appointments, prepare the healthcare documents, and take notes during appointments. Ask whether your loved one has any specific concerns, and make sure to discuss them with the doctor.

Try to Be Emotionally Supportive

Some seniors avoid visiting their doctors because they fear they’ll receive a life-changing diagnosis. If your loved one has started experiencing symptoms of cognitive decline, he or she may have decided avoidance is better than facing the truth. In situations such as this, give your parent the emotional support he or she needs. Some seniors respond best to sympathy, while others respond better to the idea of early treatment. Give your parent the kind of support needed to overcome his or her worst fears. Seniors can face a variety of age-related challenges. Though some families choose to take on the caregiving duties, there may come a time when they need a trusted Winnipeg senior home care provider. Families sometimes need respite from their duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities, and some seniors need around-the-clock assistance that their families are not able to provide. Home Care Assistance is here to help. To schedule a free in-home consultation, give us a call at (204) 489-6000 today. 

Related posts:

  1. 5 Ways to Help a Senior Parent Who Won’t Listen
  2. Ways to Help an Older Parent Become Open to Accepting Assistance
  3. Learning to Accept Your Senior Parent’s Diagnosis
  4. 5 Tips for Helping Your Senior Parent with Home Organization

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