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Aging Parent & Medical Procedure
How to Decide If Your Aging Parent Should Have the Medical Procedure the Doctor Is Suggesting
This can be one of the most difficult decisions you may have to make as caregiver for your elderly parent, especially if dementia is involved. It’s made even harder because members of the medical community, doctors, surgical technologists, dermatologists, are trained to treat patients, not to avoid treatment when indicated.
My mom was 84 years old and got a small spot of skin cancer on her face. Her gerontologist and I talked it over and decided to have it checked. When the dermatologist saw it, she immediately said “That has to be treated!”. I had done some research and assumed Moh’s surgery would be the plan, and that was what the doctor suggested. This surgery is very effective with a high cure rate. It is usually an outpatient procedure with a local anesthetic. But Moh’s can take several hours and I knew mom was not aware enough to understand what was happening to her. My decision was not only one of outcome, but of need. As she was unable to decide for herself, it was up to me.
So, how to decide?
Do research. Learn about the risks and benefits of the procedure.
Ask questions. Does mom really need it? Will having the procedure improve her quality of life? Is it life threatening? How much fear, pain and trauma will dad experience? What would he do if he were capable of deciding for himself? What if she reacts to the anesthetic? An allergic reaction at her age combined with her frail health could become an emergency. How long and hard will the recovery be? Who will provide post procedure care? Do the benefits outweigh the risks and uncertainties? How will it affect his hospice care? Is this being done just because it can be?
Make a list of the pros and cons.
Discuss religious and spiritual beliefs.
Trust your instincts.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kirk_Harney
