Question

In the geriatric population, what role do caregivers play in this future?

Do you think they should have more medical authority or less?

Answer 1

Ans) Role of caregivers to geriatric population:

1) Caretaker:

- Taking care of household activities such as grocery shopping, preparing meals, cleaning, and managing finances.
- Helping with activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing.
- Managing medical care including maintaining medical records and administering or monitoring medication.
- Watching for signs and symptoms of HE progression, side effects of medication, and generally monitoring your loved one’s health condition.
- Scheduling appointments (healthcare provider, lab work, benefit enrollment)
Coordinating or providing transportation to appointments, shopping, or visits to family and friends.
2) Navigator:

- Learning the role that each member of the healthcare team plays in your loved one’s care and how to work within – or navigate – the healthcare system.

3) Communicator (and/or interpreter):

- Communicating with healthcare and social service providers on behalf of your loved one.

4) Listener:

- Listening to your loved one and providing the necessary emotional support.

5) Advocate:

- Promoting the interests of your loved one in all situations. This may include securing proper medical care, dealing with health insurance companies, and keeping up-to-date on current information and resources about HE.

Informal caregivers provide older adults with help in performing ADLs—typically bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring—and IADLs, such as shopping, meal preparation, money management, light housework, and laundry.

Geriatric patients can respond differently from younger patients to drug therapy. Age-related physiological changes can affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug. Geriatric patients are more prone to adverse effects due to comorbidities and concomitant drugs.