Which doctor for resident in AL?
In the AL facility, they have a physician who sees/treats the residents, or they can continue to go to their regular doctor. My mom told me that she told the nurses she will continue to see her regular doctor. My mom has dementia and couldn't even remember the doctor's name. My mom is mostly confined to a wheelchair, and the logistics of getting her into and out of a car for doctor visits overwhelms me just thinking about it. Those of you with a loved one in AL, do you use the doctor there or still take them to their previous doctor? My mom was in skilled nursing at this same facility for 6 weeks prior to going to AL. The doctor and nurses there treated her, and I actually felt like they took her into account instead of just re-prescribing the same meds the way her former doctor did. I am the lone ranger in her caregiving, so this would all be up to me to make happen. I was hoping to catch my breath a bit when she moved to AL, and not have to continue the endless parade of doctor's appointments. What do you do?
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My parents had their long list of different doctors, and most of them will say "come back in 3 months for a follow-up".... finally I learned those follow-ups aren't really necessary unless the doctor is following a serious situation. I was getting to a point where if I saw another waiting room I would scream.
when my mother finally left her isolated suburban home for Independent Living, we also left behind her Internist and Cardiologist, who each saw her quite a bit, changed her medications constantly and who never, ever saw the increasing anxiety and panic that my mom was experiencing.
Once in Independent Living, my mom was able to get herself to the adjoining AL building for geriatric doctor visits. He reduced many of her meds. He gave her his cell phone number and told her ( and me) to call any time. He got her to see the on-site geriatric psychiatrist who properly medicated mom's anxiety AND recommended a cognitive assessment. It turned out mom had had a strike which left her with some cognitive impairment, hence the anxiety.
I joke you have as good an experience as we did.