Virginia Seniors Only Age Once
Virginia Seniors Only Age Once
“Old age ain’t no place for sissies.” Bette Davis
Recently I met with a couple in their 80’s who were trying to navigate the maze of senior care and senior living options. The husband was fighting the onset of ALS symptoms that were preventing him from standing and walking by himself. The wife was the primary caregiver and in incredible shape for a woman over 80. Cognitively they were both very strong. They wanted to discuss care options and future options as his disease progressed. She had been able to handle the care to the point but pointed out she too was over 80 years old and it was getting more difficult.
During our discussion she shared with me the attitude and lack of compassion they had encountered when dealing with medical professionals at the doctors’ offices, insurance representatives on the phone, and people in general when explaining current health problems. There seemed to be a complacency and a lack of compassion toward the elderly that they felt like no time before in their lives. One thing the wife said that really stuck with me “I know they all deal with old people and the problems old people have, but we only turn old once and need a bit more time, understanding, and explanation.” She is preparing for the death of her husband through the progression of ALS, and to them it will only happen once.
This sentiment is expressed by many of my clients. Those who deal day to day with the elderly at times forget that they do not understand what is happening to them. Medical professionals and insurance representatives many times deal with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people with the same problems. The people they serve can’t hear, see, or comprehend as quickly as they did in the past. The professionals become complacent in their interaction and suffer from what some would call a “compassion fatigue”. Their approach becomes noticeably impatient, brief, and often times rude. It is not an easy position to be in when the level of compassion is regulated by insurance rules, rising health care costs, and limited time available.
I believe there are two things we need to remember when we deal with the elderly
- This is their FIRST time to be old so they need a bit more understanding and compassion.
- There is a good chance you may be there someday too and need the same favor.
Those of us who work directly with seniors need to be conscious of the fact that the elderly clients and patients we care for and speak to may be dealing with fear, confusion, and uncertainty. They may need a bit more explanation of something you may have shared thousands of times to other elderly people. They do not deserve your impatience and frustration with having to share the same information again with them. It may be the first time their hearing loss, neuropathy, lack of bladder control, loss of short term memory, and diminished vision has been explained to them. Sometimes you may even have to repeat yourself to the same person. We need to completely and compassionately share it as if we are doing it for the first time to a person who is experience the aging process for the first time.
Right at Home Virginia Beach provides in home care and personal assistance to adults, primarily the elderly. Right at Home provides trained, compassionate care staff to assist those who want to stay at home. Personal care and attention truly elevates the quality of life for those we serve in Virginia. A nationwide network of home care offices and 25 years in the home care industry has allowed Right at Home to become a leader in home care for the elderly. Right at Home is working in Virginia Beach to maintain the compassion one client at a time and meet them where their lives are now. Experience is important and learning from that experience allows Right at Home to provide the Right Care.
So to all those that work with your elderly clients or patients and they need your time and compassion remember, we only age once.