Getting medical care for a senior with Alzheimer’s can be challenging for family caregivers and traumatic for seniors. The logistics of getting a senior parent with Alzheimer’s to a medical appointment can be overwhelming for family caregivers. And because seniors who have Alzheimer’s need routine and structure the unexpected events of having to leave the home where they feel safe, ride in a car without knowing where they are going, and have a medical exam in a sometimes frightening medical setting by someone they don’t recognize can take days to recover from. A home visit doctor makes much more sense for seniors with Alzheimer’s.
A visit from a home visit doctor can be a game changer for both family caregivers and seniors who have Alzheimer’s and provide a lot of benefits like:
Convenience
The convenience of having a doctor provide routine medical care for seniors with Alzheimer’s at home is one of the biggest benefits of medical care at home. For both seniors and their family caregivers medical appointments at home relieve a lot of stress and anxiety.
More Accurate Health Assessment
When senior with Alzheimer’s are in an unfamiliar setting and off balance they may not be very cooperative when the doctor is trying to provide medical care. Doctors are much more likely to get an accurate health assessment of seniors who have Alzheimer’s when they see those seniors in their own homes where they are comfortable in their environment. Blood pressure and heart rate tests will be more accurate and so will other health metrics. When doctors have a better understanding of the true nature of the senior’s health they will be able to create a better care plan for that senior.
A Holistic Approach to Care
When it comes to caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s the medical results only tell part of the story. Doctors who are able to see seniors with Alzheimer’s interact with family and objects in their everyday environment can get a much better idea of where that senior is at in the progression of the disease and how the home environment is impacting that progression. Home visit doctors get to see aspects of that senior’s life that they wouldn’t get to see otherwise. And the insights they get from seeing senior with Alzheimer’s in their homes can help the doctor shape their recommendations and suggestions for future care to the needs of that senior and their family.
Consistency
Since seniors who have Alzheimer’s often can’t participate effectively in their own care observing them and interacting with them in the same environment is important for doctors. When doctors visit seniors at home they are seeing how that senior behaves in the same environment with each visit. That allows the doctor to provide consistent care that they wouldn’t get to provide in an office setting. When seniors with Alzheimer’s are in an office setting their behaviors and health metrics could be different every time because of changes in the office environment. But when they get medical care at home in a consistent environment that care will be better suited to their medical needs.
Primary Care @ Home treats patients between ages 18-100+ years of age. We specialize in Primary & Preventive Care, Chronic Conditions, Homebound Patients, Geriatrics and Intellectually Disabled patients all in the comfort of our patient’s own homes. If you or an aging loved one in Avon, IN could benefit from our services please contact us today! (317) 471-0774
Dr. Horine treats adults including seniors and those with special needs. Dr. Horine Graduated from Indiana University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, where he practiced until 2019.
He has a special interest in assisting home-bound patients to remain in their homes and out of the hospital.
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