Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
Well I don’t seem to be able to reply to you individually on this forum so...
Biologic Obsolescence? Aging? Yes we are programmed to age. It accomplishes two things.
First, by clearing out the olders, aging makes room for the the new models, which is exactly what creates the room for change —- for evolution.
Second, aging can protect the rest of the group by eliminating individuals that have become laden with parasites, disease, illness.. preventing them from infecting the next generation. Sex and reproduction, in turn, are the way a species gets upgraded.
You hopefully will question yourselves if you’re bettering and contributing to your family/ community/ species and further generations. There are plenty of seniors that do.. just as there are plenty of seniors that do nothing but burden.
And staying alive due to pharmaceuticals? Is that even LIFE?
NeedHelp: Yes, that is true that we need to be our parents' patient advocates. However, I disagree with seeing one's doctor, especially if a specialist, only every four to six to months. Depending on the situation/ailment, they should routinely be seen sooner. And yes, the patient may showtime in front of the doctor and that's where you speak up as you are their patient advocate.
That’s true. You should always see a doctor sooner if a problem arises. I agree. Mom’s routine visits are every four to six months and her labs are better than mine! She has Parkinson’s disease which is tough but no high blood pressure, no diabetes, no high cholesterol, no heart issues! She will be 94 in November. The doctors are amazed and tell me how she has the labs of a 30 year old!
MJInslee, I’m 65. I have no schedule for discontinuing drugs. It will depend on my health and the advice of my doctors. I have chronic kidney disease so the progress of that may determine how medications are continued or discontinued, I would gladly discontinue a couple of my meds because of side effects, but doctor says that’s not a good idea.
Becky....I was my dear, sweet mother's caregiver for the 7 or so years of her life....she avoided taking meds, even though doctors always wanted her to be on bp meds for high blood pressure. She avoided meds...I likewise have chosen to avoid meds. I guess my point here is why ever start taking meds in the first place? Once one begins down that road, it's difficult to get off and stay off of them. My mother lived to almost 95 with very high blood pressure, and a heart murmur which eventually became AFib....she was alert, altho very weak up to her final day on this earth. I'm doing the same. No meds, ever, unless for pain control. The most important thing is to make sure Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior....we all default to eternity in Hell, apart from God, unless Jesus is our Savior. Smartest decision anyone can make, plus, it removes all fear of dying...to Know where one is headed. Heaven is a wonderful place! Christ is there! 🌺🕊🌺
Having worked in medical for many years I note that the above are, generally, as a result of a persons lifestyle. Are you questioning the right for them to continue “maintenance” medication after a certain age (ageism) or the cost re supporting them as a result of their “causing” their disease? (Dis-ease meaning a disorder of structure or function in the human body). I would point out that ladies having early menopause are more at risk of type 2 diabetes and that of 2 people going through the same amount of stress - one might develop high blood pressure whilst the other doesn’t. So sex, race, family history all play a part too. Should they be checked re efficiency versus increased risks as age? - sure. If risks are too high then it defeats the object of prescribing them.
My question was asked out of curiosity only. My conditions are strictly hereditary. No lifestyle factors. Non smoker, no alcohol, not overweight, exercise regularly. I have CKD, type 2 diabetes and have had multiple cardiac surgeries - same conditions that several females in my father’s family have.
I think we have a responsibility to learn about their meds and address our concerns to the doctor. Not accept that he is the be-all and end-all glorious expert that treats us like idiots.
I have noticed that when my mom was over medicated it was often after being in a rehab or following a hospital visit. Once she was prescribed so much pain killer along with a nausea medicine, she began to pluck the air in front of her saying there were particles floating there. At the same time, she suddenly didn’t recognize some of us and was having hallucinations. The pharmacist admitted that some ppl react to the combination of those drugs.
I use the pill wizard on WebMD to look for adverse reactions but I also read the inserts from the pharmacies and go to the drug websites. I’ve even gone to personal forums to learn real ppl experiences. That’s where I found many complaints about the generic version of one of her rx causing uncontrollable diarrhea. It was too late, though, my mother had become reclusive after having too many accidents out in public.
I did accomplish fewer uti’s by asking the doctor to change that rx. Pharmacist still don’t recognize the problem as they are compelled to support generic drugs.
We got caught up in the donut hole one year and I had to learn about the four nongeneric rx she was paying over $2k a month for. One of those the dr replaced with baby aspirin!
I read the manufacturers inserts about the testing to get the drug approved. They had only tested 800 people on the final run of testing and they were comparing the drug to “itself” in the trials.
I am much more cautious with mom’s drugs than I am for myself and, of course, I take the doctors advice. I don’t know how much to trust what she says. When being evaluated for pain medications they would ask her pain level from 1-10. She always shouted “TEN” without listening to their description. Turned out she didn’t realize “10” was at the top of the scale, associated with the “worst pain you’ve ever had.”
At this point in her care plan, (she is 93 and still is lucid), my sis, the doc, mom and me agree that there will be no surgeries for her in the future. Knowing that, we also agreed to not having any invasive tests done. He is prone to say “I’m sure at 93 she will pass before any diseases can ruin her health,” at which time I severely censure his choice of words.
However, the doctor has limitations. She’s complained about itching that keeps her awake for 7 years now and he does not address it except to tell me not to give her Benadryl which does alleviate the symptom. I want to learn the cause and work on that but he pretty much ignores our complaints. He doesn’t recognize that it’s a serious problem for her. Beyond not being able to sleep she gets highly agitated saying that “it drives her crazy!” I continue to look for an answer there...thought it could be kidney problems most recently but he shot me down on that.
I'm sorry for going too far off subject. I don’t really mean to toot my own horn, I just wanted examples.
Yep, unless a problem arises. Plus I have an excellent relationship with her neurologist and I can call him on the phone anytime and he calls me back personally. Same with her primary doctor.
I am beginning to believe that the time frame is Medicare related. More frequent patient visits take more time from the medical staff. They used to say that frequent visits meant closer observation, thus better health care...but now that the number of seniors is increasing... hmmm. I wonder.
I am an old RN and I know that I do not feel that that my Medicare Advantage Plan is high quality, but it is all I can afford. I get a bit angry every time I attend the clinic. I have received quite a bit of treatment (including surgeries which turned out well) but don't think I ever met my primary physician in person... wouldn't recognize her if I did meet her.
I am seen by a Physicians Assistant or Nurse Practitioner, can't remember which is which, and I trust them both. BUT I have to DRAG information out of them. Sometimes they provide a health care worker of some other kind, (nor sure what), who takes vital signs but carries no paperwork nor computer-type anything and proceeds to tell me she is going to give me a couple of "shots". What drugs and with what purpose, she doesn't say. And does she know the allergies I have? I don't know if I had a fever when I came in, but I am fuming now! Does she have any idea how many thousand patients in my career I begged to ASK questions of their physicians! And have I had a flu shot this year? I believe so, but my aging memory is somewhat faulty. Don't they have some kind of medical history on me? Sorry, for the rant. I know that health care is expensive, and more so all the time. But these days I ASK the questions I have. I TELL them my possibly inconsequential concerns....even if I have to call the clinic back after I get back home. I insist on talking to someone who knows. I ask them to spell out the names of the medications they gave me so I can copy them down. (be sure and get the correct spelling, since the names of some drugs are similar). I used to be a nice person. Now I'm just a taxpayer who wants the attention I (and you) are paying for.
Unfortunately this thread has gone completely off track with vast numbers of opinions and very little evidence. I don't know about the OP but - I fell out with my Dr, does not seem helpful or a positive contribution to me. If you have no knowledge apart from what comes from the latest gossip on drugs irrespective of its relevance to the topic perhaps it would be more use if you passed on commenting on this one - there is far too much heresay on this thread to help anyone in anyway - it seems to be pervading the forum recently, certainly to the level I see little point is reading most the posts and am doubting any point in belonging.
The original question is really only answerable in an individual manner. There should not be a cut off re just age. However if the medication is a) causing too many or more risky side effects as age or b) the person is unable to follow dosage correctly and no one available to ensure it is, or c) polytherapy causing problems / side effects then these would be possible reasons to stop some treatments as the patient could self harm unintentionally.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Biologic Obsolescence? Aging? Yes we are programmed to age. It accomplishes two things.
First, by clearing out the olders, aging makes room for the the new models, which is exactly what creates the room for change —- for evolution.
Second, aging can protect the rest of the group by eliminating individuals that have become laden with parasites, disease, illness..
preventing them from infecting the next generation. Sex and reproduction, in turn, are the way a species gets upgraded.
You hopefully will question yourselves if you’re bettering and contributing to your family/ community/ species and further generations. There are plenty of seniors that do.. just as there are plenty of seniors that do nothing but burden.
And staying alive due to pharmaceuticals? Is that even LIFE?
Once again, your decision.
Same response to the original post :
Type 2 diabetes, high BP and cholesterol are almost always created by lifestyle. Preventable disease.
My mother lived to almost 95 with very high blood pressure, and a heart murmur which eventually became AFib....she was alert, altho very weak up to her final day on this earth.
I'm doing the same. No meds, ever, unless for pain control.
The most important thing is to make sure Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior....we all default to eternity in Hell, apart from God, unless Jesus is our Savior. Smartest decision anyone can make, plus, it removes all fear of dying...to Know where one is headed. Heaven is a wonderful place! Christ is there! 🌺🕊🌺
Should they be checked re efficiency versus increased risks as age? - sure.
If risks are too high then it defeats the object of prescribing them.
I have noticed that when my mom was over medicated it was often after being in a rehab or following a hospital visit. Once she was prescribed so much pain killer along with a nausea medicine, she began to pluck the air in front of her saying there were particles floating there. At the same time, she suddenly didn’t recognize some of us and was having hallucinations. The pharmacist admitted that some ppl react to the combination of those drugs.
I use the pill wizard on WebMD to look for adverse reactions but I also read the inserts from the pharmacies and go to the drug websites. I’ve even gone to personal forums to learn real ppl experiences. That’s where I found many complaints about the generic version of one of her rx causing uncontrollable diarrhea. It was too late, though, my mother had become reclusive after having too many accidents out in public.
I did accomplish fewer uti’s by asking the doctor to change that rx. Pharmacist still don’t recognize the problem as they are compelled to support generic drugs.
We got caught up in the donut hole one year and I had to learn about the four nongeneric rx she was paying over $2k a month for. One of those the dr replaced with baby aspirin!
I read the manufacturers inserts about the testing to get the drug approved. They had only tested 800 people on the final run of testing and they were comparing the drug to “itself” in the trials.
I am much more cautious with mom’s drugs than I am for myself and, of course, I take the doctors advice. I don’t know how much to trust what she says. When being evaluated for pain medications they would ask her pain level from 1-10. She always shouted “TEN” without listening to their description. Turned out she didn’t realize “10” was at the top of the scale, associated with the “worst pain you’ve ever had.”
At this point in her care plan, (she is 93 and still is lucid), my sis, the doc, mom and me agree that there will be no surgeries for her in the future. Knowing that, we also agreed to not having any invasive tests done. He is prone to say “I’m sure at 93 she will pass before any diseases can ruin her health,” at which time I severely censure his choice of words.
However, the doctor has limitations. She’s complained about itching that keeps her awake for 7 years now and he does not address it except to tell me not to give her Benadryl which does alleviate the symptom. I want to learn the cause and work on that but he pretty much ignores our complaints. He doesn’t recognize that it’s a serious problem for her. Beyond not being able to sleep she gets highly agitated saying that “it drives her crazy!” I continue to look for an answer there...thought it could be kidney problems most recently but he shot me down on that.
I'm sorry for going too far off subject. I don’t really mean to toot my own horn, I just wanted examples.
Charlotte
That’s a shame you don’t know what it is.
I care for my mom at home too. She will be 94 in November.
I agree with everything you say. Take care.
Yep, unless a problem arises. Plus I have an excellent relationship with her neurologist and I can call him on the phone anytime and he calls me back personally. Same with her primary doctor.
My mom’s doctor appointments used to be every 3-4 months. Now it’s 4-6 months. I wonder if it is insurance related according to age.
I am an old RN and I know that I do not feel that that my Medicare Advantage Plan is high quality, but it is all I can afford. I get a bit angry every time I attend the clinic. I have received quite a bit of treatment (including surgeries which turned out well) but don't think I ever met my primary physician in person... wouldn't recognize her if I did meet her.
I am seen by a Physicians Assistant or Nurse Practitioner, can't remember which is which, and I trust them both. BUT I have to DRAG information out of them. Sometimes they provide a health care worker of some other kind, (nor sure what), who takes vital signs but carries no paperwork nor computer-type anything and proceeds to tell me she is going to give me a couple of "shots". What drugs and with what purpose, she doesn't say. And does she know the allergies I have? I don't know if I had a fever when I came in, but I am fuming now! Does she have any idea how many thousand patients in my career I begged to ASK questions of their physicians! And have I had a flu shot this year? I believe so, but my aging memory is somewhat faulty. Don't they have some kind of medical history on me?
Sorry, for the rant. I know that health care is expensive, and more so all the time. But these days I ASK the questions I have. I TELL them my possibly inconsequential concerns....even if I have to call the clinic back after I get back home. I insist on talking to someone who knows. I ask them to spell out the names of the medications they gave me so I can copy them down. (be sure and get the correct spelling, since the names of some drugs are similar). I used to be a nice person. Now I'm just a taxpayer who wants the attention I (and you) are paying for.