SMS Channel: You and Your Doctor

Description: When we fall ill, we expect our doctor to treat us and help us to get better. Find out how you can work along with your doctor to get the best medical care. Read the complete book, How to get the Best Medical Care by Drs. Malpani on http://www.thebestmedicalcare.com Subscribe to the sms channel now: with 3-day free trial To subscribe via SMS send start HELP-DOCTOR to 09212 012345.

Handle caregiving successfully

To sidestep an unpleasant situation and to ensure that you handle caregiving as successfully as possible, you should go in for a little thought, education and preplanning. To start with, hold a family session when your parents are well. Talk about the future, and what they would like you to do for them in case they fall stick. Involve your brothers and sisters in the discussion and hold it in a positive atmosphere. Although talking about old age and impending debility can be uncomfortable, and disconcerting, this could be the most positive approach in the long run. Consider covering the following areas:

• Division of labour: Decide who will do what - in an unambiguous manner - when your parents need help. If one relative lives close by and decides to be the primary caregiver, it's crucial that the other siblings play a supportive role. One should also find answers to the following important queries: Who will give the primary caregiver a break when he or she needs it? Who will help financially? Who will lend a sympathetic ear when the primary caregiver feels overwhelmed?
• Money: To plan for the years ahead, you should know your parents' financial resources. Such information helps you avoid the pitfalls of arranging for your parents to live beyond or below their means. If you're the main caregiver, decide well ahead of time if you want financial compensation for your efforts. This attitude might seem very commercial , but may actually help in the long run!
• Insurance: Make sure your parents have taken adequate medical insurance to cover their medical expenses.
• Living will: This document puts into writing what medical measures your family member does and doesn't want to be taken in the event of a terminal illness or condition.
• Power of attorney: This legal document allows a designated person to make specified legal and financial decisions if your parent or elderly relative becomes unable to manage his or her affairs.

Taking your child to a doctor

You can find out what it is that makes your child most relaxed by simply asking. For example, if he says he needs his favorite stuffed toy to make him feel brave, then bringing it to the doctor's office would be an enormous help. Remember that in the long run, your child's positive attitude toward his health can start with happy experiences at the doctor's.
Sometimes, your child may be sick enough to need hospitalization. Remember that hospitalization can be a scary experience even for adults, so that it's likely to be even worse for children. If you think about it from a child's perspective, a stay at a hospital can be scary and confusing! "Is the stretcher going to stretch me?" "Is the IV like the plant that covers up buildings? "Some of your child's misunderstandings might seem humorous, but they probably indicate serious anxiety about entering the hospital. Children commonly wonder: Will it hurt? Will mom or dad be with me? Will I get better? Is it my fault? When can I go home? Why don't my friends have to go to the hospital? For many children, a hospital stay often represents their first night in an unfamiliar setting, away from the comfortable surroundings of home. Before arriving at the hospital, talk with your child about what to expect and why hospitalization is necessary. Be confident, honest and serene. Accurate information - given in a way that child a can understand - is the best way to reassure and calm your child. If you tell him that a procedure will not hurt and then it does, you stand to lose credibility and he may not trust you again. It is unfortunately a fact of life that medical procedures can be painful. However, they are often necessary in order to help your child recover, and if your child can be reassured so that he cooperates in his care (rather than fights it), this can help to improve the care he receives, that would lead to optimum benefit as a result of for their medical care.

Parents who remain calm help their children feel calm. If you don't know what is happening with regard your child's care, ask a doctor or nurse to explain the details to you. Remember that families are members of the health-care team, and that you, as a parent, are the expert on your child!