These have been difficult weeks. In fact, looking back on the stress and the sadness, it is difficult to imagine that it has only been six weeks, not months. You are so weary with worry that it certainly feels like it has been more than just a few weeks that you have been coming to terms with your father’s sudden illness.
The diagnosis of cancer, however, can seem like a life sentence even when you are only a few weeks into the process. When, for instance, your father went from a vibrant man who was occasionally slurring a few words or forgetting a few thoughts to someone who is now dealing with the almost complete loss of the right side of his body, it really does feel as if this new reality has been a part of your life forever. You try to recall his strong, forceful voice when he was in the middle of a rather heated political discussion, but for now you cannot get past the weak tremor that comes to a sudden halt just tow or three words into a statement. Whether he has forgotten the words or forgotten how to make the necessary sound, you know that it pains your father to be in this rather desperate situation.
And while you know that the mental frustrations may be the worst part of this sudden illness for your father, you also know that physical challenges for your mother have been equally difficult. Now that your father has gone through a couple of different mobile chairs for the elderly and you have found the one that works the best, some things are easier. The difficulty of helping your father with the day to day needs, however, has taken a physical toll on your mother. The quick progression from needing a senior walkers with wheels to looking at mobile chairs for the elderly
was mentally draining, but at least now your mother does not need to help physically balance your father when he tried to use the walker.
Aging Parents Require a Variety of Care Options and Hospital Supplies
Whether you are looking for medical canes or mobile chairs for the elderly, most families who find themselves dealing with an aging or ailing parent or grandparent find themselves having to make a number of decisions, sometimes in pretty quick succession. In addition to dealing with some difficult emotions, children and grandchildren also find themselves dealing with the physical implications of someone who is less sturdy and often unbalanced. And while some kinds of walking support devices are easy for the patient, they may require some specific training for the caregiver.
Whether you are looking at medical walkers mobile chairs for the elderly, the reality that you may not be able to provide all of the care that an aging parent or grandparent needs is also a difficult emotional hurdle. When, for instance, you have to start making decisions about long term care or hospice services, you also feel the mental weight of both guilt and sadness.
Consider some of these statistics about the growing need for healthcare options and supplies in America:
- 20% of the U.S. population will be older adults by the year 2030.
- 10% of seniors use more than one mobility device.
- As the numbers of elderly people continue to rise, the demand for walking aids is expected to increase two fold by the year 2050.
- Every 15 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for an injury caused by a fall.
- According to interviews of more than 7,600 Medicare beneficiaries in the year 2015, the use of canes and other mobility devices soared almost 50% over a recent eight-year period.
- 25% of all Americans and 66% of all older Americans have multiple chronic conditions. The treatment for this population currently accounts for 66% of the country?s health care budget.
Chances are you, or someone you know, is in the process of caring for an aging relative or friend. And while many people want to care for their loved ones at home, this often requires hospital devices and supplies. Even with the best of intentions and the needed supplies, many people eventually have to turn to hospice or hospital care at one point or another.