Medical care for seniors can be really stressful for seniors and their caregivers. Medical offices are not often designed with the needs of seniors who have mobility problems, breathing problems, or other medical conditions in mind.
Seniors who have chronic conditions that require medical monitoring or frequent doctor’s appointments often find those appointments difficult. It can be painful for seniors with conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and other autoimmune disorders to have to get into a vehicle, walk sometimes long distances, and sit in an uncomfortable office waiting room just for routine care. And seniors with diabetes who need regular blood tests and other care may find it hard to get to all the appointments they need to get to.
Helping Seniors And Families
Often the burden of getting seniors to their many medical appointments falls on family caregivers. When family caregivers have to get their senior parents to appointments they usually have to take time off of work or change their schedules to accommodate the appointment and the time that it takes to get their senior parent ready to go.
They also have to factor in the driving time necessary to get to the appointment and home again. Doctor visits for the elderly at home simplify the process of getting care for chronic conditions. Home doctor visits make it less stressful for seniors and their family caregivers for seniors to get the medical care and advice they need.
What Conditions Can Be Treated At Home?
Doctor visits for the elderly at home can include basic medical care like checking a senior’s heart rate, vital signs, or blood oxygen level. It can also cover things like nutritional counseling, rehab exercises, and wound care. But doctor visits for the elderly specifically for chronic conditions can include treatment and monitoring for conditions like:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Heart Disease
- COPD or Lung Disease
- And many others
What Seniors Are Good Candidates For Doctor Visits At Home?
Any senior can benefit from doctor visits for the elderly at home. But home doctor visits are particularly helpful for seniors who don’t drive and don’t have dependable family caregivers. They are also great for reducing the stress of medical office visits on seniors who:
- Have chronic conditions
- Have mobility challenges
- Have dementia
- Have anxiety about leaving their homes
- Can’t easily leave their homes
- Live in areas with extreme weather
- Are considered high-risk for catching Covid-19, flu, or colds
Seniors who are able to have medical care at home are also usually more willing to get medical care because they won’t have the hassles and stresses of going to a doctor’s office. If your senior loved one has refused to get treatment for a chronic condition in the past because they dislike going to a medical office, doctor visits at home can make them more receptive to the idea of getting medical care.
Is My Senior Loved One Eligible For Home Doctor Visits?
Most seniors are, but you can check with your senior loved one’s insurance company to make sure that home doctor visits are covered by their insurance. Typically any insurance company that covers telemedicine will cover in-home doctor visits for seniors.
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 Indianapolis, 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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