Keeping a care journal might sound like a lot of work to you at first, but it’s a crucial part of collecting as much information as you can about your senior. When you have all of that data in one place, it’s easier to share it with the people who need it.
Tracking Symptoms and Issues
Symptoms and changes in your elderly family member’s health are not always easy to pinpoint if you haven’t been keeping track of them. This can also help you to spot when your senior might not be getting enough sleep or might be having issues with medication side effects. You can narrow down potential causes much more quickly when you’re tracking what’s going on.
Tracking Safety Concerns
Safety considerations are a huge part of your concerns as a caregiver. Sometimes it’s not easy keeping up with what’s been taken care of and what still needs to be handled. Some of the safety issues might be ones that you need to budget for or correct in stages. When you have a running list, you can see at a glance what’s new and what still needs to be done.
Tracking Food and Activity Levels
It’s important to know what your elderly family member is eating, how often she’s eating, and what her activity levels are like. This can help you to spot when she’s not eating enough or when she’s not eating the right foods for her current situation. You might also find that you start to notice when certain foods and drinks are irritating health conditions or possibly keeping her from sleeping well at night.
Keeping a General Log for Doctor’s Visits
During visits with your senior’s doctor, questions might come up about when something happened last or what other patterns you’re noticing. If she’s got issues with blood pressure or blood sugar, your log might include those readings, too. With a log of that information, it’s much easier to keep your senior’s doctor up to date on everything and get the help that she needs with those issues.
Keeping a care journal helps you to stay on target with your goals and your senior’s goals. When you’re not there, senior care providers can update the journal so that you’re on top of what happens when you’re away, too. This helps you to have the most comprehensive picture of what is going on with your elderly family member.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN SUMMERLIN, NV, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT GOLDEN HEART SENIOR CARE OF SUMMERLIN. 702-800-4616.