Ambulatory Care and Outpatient Services
For many families, the first response is to try to care for elderly parents themselves, but a knowledgeable ambulatory practice is often instrumental in getting them the outpatient care they need.
When a child falls, it generally isn’t serious. After a quick hug and reassurance that they’re ok, they’re back on their way. But at the other end of the life spectrum, a fall is no laughing matter. For some elderly people, it can mark the beginning of the deterioration of their overall health. They are more likely to break a bone at that age, further limiting their mobility. This makes most biological functions worse, creating problems ranging from muscle strain to organ decline.
It can be hard to prevent falls for an elderly person. Many don’t consider the consequences of one and are leery of the stigma attached to an ambulatory aid like a cane or a walker. They also aren’t keen on a caregiver holding their hand, so they insist they’re able to manage on their own. After all, they’ve walked for more than 70 years without an incident! Believe us–it’s not easy to convince an elder to use support systems, but it is essential for their continued good health.
So how do you get your loved one to accept walking assistance? With humor and gentle persuasion. And it’s often best to do it with someone else. Many family members have tried to help their elderly parents and ended up hurting their own backs, or worse–falling with them. Instead, seeking ambulatory care or visiting a knowledgeable ambulatory care center is instrumental. Assistive technology also helps. Devices like gait belts, which help transfer a person from a bed or other furniture, and a Hoyer lift, another patient lift mechanism, help seniors with serious muscle weakness. For optimum safety, we sometimes recommend a strong male outpatient services caregiver to assist heavier clients. Wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or other assistive devices should also be seriously considered, depending on your loved one’s needs and situation.
If you are concerned about an elder’s fall risk, we at LifeWorx are here to help. Our ambulatory service has care providers and nurses who can perform a full assessment based on your senior’s walking and the Morse Fall Scale. Together, this gauges the likelihood of a patient falling in an outpatient setting. After the risk assessment is complete, a proper assistive device can be selected for safe, fall-free mobility.
Our clients have trusted us for more than 15 years. You can, too.
Since we know that falls are the biggest risk, we take them seriously. Having served thousands of clients over the past 15 years, we have only had two falling incidences while in the care of a private duty home health aide. In one situation, the nurse cared enough to get hurt in the process of saving the client from falling. We seek this level of care when hiring all of our private duty personal care aides. For this reason, our clients have trusted us for years.
We make our interview process rigorous for a reason. We see the true joy in caring, so we ensure that any caregiver we employ sees it, too. It’s an essential part of joining the LifeWorx team.
We place a high value on compassion, warmth and the courage to do the right thing. Our ambulatory care experts are battle-tested. Our process intentionally rules out those looking for an easy job, way to check out all day or be on their phone.
