Old age is like that pestering child before they go to sleep. It is a nuisance, to be honest. Overlapping medical conditions lead to complications which do not announce their arrival before manifesting. No matter how healthy our senior loved ones are, through exercising and following a good lifestyle in general, it always pays off to prepare for emergencies such as a bathroom slip, accidental injury, abnormal spike in blood sugar levels, aggravated blood pressures, heart attacks etc. According to a 2018 statistic from the Population Research Bureau, about 25.6% of the population in Florida comprises senior citizens. One aspect to understand while preparing for such emergencies in Miami is that hospitals are a busy space and Primary Medical Care Center for Seniors in Miami could use all the support from you in caring for your loved ones.

Where should you begin?

Begin by maintaining several lists. According to Harvard Health, you should primarily have 4 kinds of lists:

List 1: Should include an extensive medical history of all your current and past medical conditions. This list can be extended to include the history of all your family members as well. Please also note down any physical challenges or disabilities within the family as well. 

List 2:  Maintain the contact lists of all primary care physicians and any specialists who treat you or have treated you for a condition in the past. 

List 3: This list should contain the various medications you take along with the name, dose and frequency of each medicine. This helps in discerning any adverse reactions of medication.

List 4: This should contain all your emergency contacts. 

An Emergency Kit

Prepare an emergency kit or a bag which contains all these lists and medications etc. It is a good practice to be aware of all that can go wrong with your condition. Discuss with your doctor if you need to and keep all the things you might need in such cases. For example, it might be an inhaler, bandages of various kinds, an EpiPen, medicines, syringes etc. 

Create a senior-friendly home

A senior-friendly home is the one which has adequate measures planned for worst-case scenarios like grill bars for support, smooth edges of furniture, low height switches, slip-proof mats in bathrooms and low height stairs. You could also have buzzers and special sound/lighting system installed for alerting in case of emergencies. All such features will enable a senior to enjoy a safe space while allowing for plenty of unrestricted movement. Plan emergencies in advance so that family members know of any standard operating procedures and avoid last-minute confusion and chaos.

If you are caring for an aging adult with no substantial health scares, you still need to be aware of common symptoms such as chest pains, pneumonia, falls- a fracture in weakened bones, strokes and abdominal pain. Watch closely for the symptoms such as slurred speech, loss of vision or motor abilities, confusion and paralysis. Whenever you or your loved one show any such symptoms, as a rule, you should walk in a Dedicated Primary Medical Care Center for Seniors in Miami without delay and also inform your primary healthcare physician. Further recommendation for treatment will be meted out by the physician after diagnosing your condition.

In an emergency situation, it is highly recommended to maintain your calm. All these measures will ensure that you do not have time for panic and chaos. Emergency number 911 should be dialled if you are unable to rescue yourself or your loved ones. Assess the situation and attempt to move only if you are capable to do so, else it is a better idea to wait for the help to arrive.