Senior Care Houston TX: Talking Dementia with Your Doctor
from Alzheimer’s Weekly

Health care can be confusing.

Whether you are just starting treatment or your treatment is already underway, it is never too late to take an active role in your health care.

By talking with your doctor, nurses, and other people on your health care team, you can make sure you are not missing the best treatment for you.

Here are a few tips to help you better understand your treatment options:

1. Give your doctor as much information as you can.
Don’t wait for your doctor to ask questions. Share everything—even information that might be embarrassing. This information can help your doctor make better recommendations.

•     Tell your doctor about all your symptoms.
•     Talk about what is most important to your quality of life. You can use the Department of Health & Human Services’ Health Priorities Tool to make a list of what is important to you.
•     Keep a list of your past illnesses, operations, and treatments. Share the list with your family and bring it to your appointment.
•     Bring a list of your medicines (or bring them in a bag) to your appointment. Tell the doctor how much and how often you take each medicine.
•     Tell your doctor about allergies, reactions, or side effects you’ve had from medicines.
•     Tell your doctor if you take herbal products or alternative medicines, supplements, or treatments.

2. Ask as many questions as you need to understand your diagnosis.

If you do not ask questions, your doctor may think you understand everything you are being told.

Write down your questions before your visit so you do not forget anything. Start by asking the most important ones and work your way down the list. To get you started, here are some questions you might want to ask:

•     Why would this treatment be good for me?
•     What are the chances this treatment will work?
•     When will I notice a difference?
•     How much does this treatment cost?
•     Will this treatment hurt?
•     What are my other options?
•     Are there side effects?
•     What can be done about the side effects?

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If you and your family are facing dementia in a parent or loved one and need help with senior care in Houston TX, call At Your Side Home Care,  832-271-1600. We provide quality and affordable care and assistance to seniors, veterans and the disabled in our community.

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Donna Wrabel, LMSW

Co-Owner at At Your Side Home Care

For most of us, the word "home" evokes warm feelings of comfort, security and well-being. For older adults, home also means holding tight to cherished memories and maintaining self-esteem and independence. When illness, injury or age make life a little more challenging, remaining at home in a comfortable, familiar environment encourages recovery and enhances the quality of life. Home can be defined as a private residence, an independent or assisted living facility or even a short term stay in the hospital, we recognize the additional benefits provided by a personal, professional assistant.

Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.

Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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