One of our greatest challenges as caregivers for our aging parents is getting an accurate and complete understanding of their health status.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to find a single source of unbiased guidance to help understand and coordinate our parents’ complicated issues of aging.  A big reason for this is the way the U.S. health care system works.  No health care provider is reimbursed for spending the time necessary to holistically understand all of the issues involved in a patient’s well-being.  With seniors covered by Medicare, the payments for allowable claims are for specific services delivered for single or closely-related issues.  This reality requires older adults to deal with multiple health issues, care providers, prescription medicines, and care plans by themselves or with the help of a trusted caregiver or a competent geriatric care manager.  For the few that can afford the charges, some physicians operate “concierge” practices that charge annual flat fees for unlimited access for primary care services and coordination with specialists.  However, these concierge practices are only able to serve a very small number of seniors, and the concept itself is subject to significant differences of opinion among physicians and health policy specialists.

We are finding that understanding and coordinating these complexities in our eldercare services is one of the greatest values we add for seniors and their families.  If you find yourself in a role similar to what we do, it is wise not to underestimate the difficulty and time it takes to gain a holistic view of an older adult’s health status.   Accompanying seniors to their health care providers’ appointments and participating in the debriefings at the end of the office visits is an excellent way to gain direct knowledge.  Taking good notes or (with the provider’s permission) recording the debriefing allows for accurate recollection when memories often fail to remember the details.  Discussing the various physician’s care plans with your parents’ primary care physician at an office visit can further help with a caregiver’s difficult job of gaining the holistic view necessary to be effective in your critically important role.