Caring for Seniors with Multiple Chronic Illnesses
As science and technology advance, once untreatable fatal diseases have become chronic, treatable conditions. Seniors often live with one or multiple chronic diseases. The growing situation requires physicians to shift their focus toward managing different illnesses simultaneously.
In the United States, some of the prevalent multiple chronic conditions among seniors include:
- Hyperlipidemia
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease
- Anemia
- Heart disease
Managing chronic diseases in seniors is an integral part of a reputable skilled nursing facility. The experts in our leading skilled nursing home in Rhode Island have listed strategic ways to manage multiple chronic diseases as you age. Read on to learn more and make informed decisions.
Managing Multiple Chronic Illnesses in Seniors
If you are above 60 and have one or more chronic conditions, you may need professional healthcare services. Avoiding this may lead to higher medical costs, adding to your financial responsibilities after retirement. A perfect collaboration between you and the physicians can significantly improve your health and quality of life.
Communicate Effectively
Ineffective communication is one of the major concerns, especially when treating patients over 70 years. The vulnerability increases significantly in complex chronic cases when several healthcare specialists need to provide prescriptions for different conditions. Improper coordination in such cases may cause confusion and conflicts in treatments. It may also shift the focus from meeting your unique needs, leading to misunderstandings in the doctor-patient relationship.
Our skilled nursing home considers two-way communication between you and the physician essential when treating chronic conditions. It ensures that the professionals understand your specifications and offer services accordingly.
How We Achieve This in Our Skilled Nursing Facility
- We encourage an open, unbiased, and consistent conversation between our health providers and residents.
- A primary point-of-contact, such as your geriatrician, is assigned to gather information and help you understand different options.
- Every physician managing a chronic illness will actively listen to your needs with compassion and prepare treatment goals accordingly.
- Our healthcare providers document the discussions, treatment plans, and other clinical problems for future reference.
- Our providers use the best communication processes and tools to streamline the experience.
- We promote a seamless collaboration between health professionals, including care coordination, proper information transfer, managing test results, and follow-up procedures.
Patient-Centered Approach
A patient-centered approach involves respectful and responsive treatment procedures that focus on your unique needs and values. For instance, specific heart disease medications cause blood pressure to drop, resulting in falls or fractures. It is best to choose healthcare professionals who encourage you to be an active part of the decision-making process to avoid such situations.
How We Help Seniors with Chronic Illnesses in Our Nursing Home
- Our professionals will inform you about the diagnosis, how the disease can impact your lifestyle, and suggest relevant solutions.
- We will help you understand the risks associated with different treatment regimens and their potential impacts.
- In addition, we will help you understand the complexity of managing multiple chronic conditions.
- We will create an up-to-date action plan, including follow-up protocols, a list of required tests, medication management, and more.
- In case of a problem, we will explore the reasons and causes and help you adhere to medication plans.
- We will educate about proper self-care and reinforce critical information about the condition.
- Our physicians will identify the complexities in managing multiple chronic conditions to recommend the best ways to manage them.
- Our professionals will determine when you need help managing a chronic illness.
- We will monitor the interactions between different drugs used for various conditions.
Mitigate Risks
Our immune systems grow weaker as we get older. In addition, chronic diseases compromise it, resulting in severe complications in the later years of life. It affects the activities of daily living, mobility, and cognitive functioning, often causing malnutrition, falling incidents, communication problems, and more. Taking appropriate measures to mitigate risks is of utmost importance.
How We Mitigate Risks in Our Skilled Nursing Facility
- We will help you follow a proactive approach to diagnosis and treatment.
- In our caring community, our professionals clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the staff involved in care.
- We will educate you about chronic illnesses so you can make suitable decisions.
- We follow relevant clinical practice guidelines from trusted sources to prevent nonadherence to drugs for seniors.
- We will develop comprehensive care plans to meet your needs.
- Our professionals use electronic medical records to send reminders for a timely follow-up visit.
Get the Best Healthcare Support in Our Skilled Nursing Facility
The Holiday Retirement skilled nursing facility in Rhode Island is a loving community. We care for our patients like our own family, host exciting social events, and make dining arrangements with healthy meals.
We provide comprehensive care to seniors with the following benefits:
- 24/7 healthcare services by qualified staff
- Patient-centered retirement apartments with all-inclusive accessibility and state-of-the-art amenities
- Top-notch rehabilitation center and short-term stays
- Safe long-term care options for Alzheimer’s or Dementia
- Physical and occupational therapy to accelerate the recovery process
- The best staff-to-patient ratio to ensure the highest level of care
5 Principles We Follow to Offer the Best Services for Seniors
- Include personal preferences and health priorities in the decision-making for managing chronic illnesses
- Help you understand the alternatives, their limitations, and care plans
- Weigh benefits and harms in such situations so you can determine the best suitable option
- Consider if a specific treatment is manageable, considering your requirements
- Help you make the best choice possible to treat your medical condition
If you need further assistance and information about our nursing home in Rhode Island, call us at 1-401-765-1440. We can help determine if your Medicare, Medigap, or Medicaid plan covers the nursing costs so that you can decide the best course of action.
You can also fill out the online contact form to book a tour of our facility. We will be glad to walk you through every detail to help you understand what you can expect from us and make an educated decision.