What Exactly Is Quality of Life?
Palliative Care in Lincoln CA
You might have heard the term quality of life before, but what does it mean in terms of your senior and her experience? This term is one that you’ll especially consider when your elderly family member is diagnosed with a chronic health issue that seriously impacts her daily life. Palliative care is just one option that can help you and your senior to address issues related to quality of life, ensuring that your senior’s quality of life is as high as you can get it.
Quality of Life in General
Quality of life involves looking at the whole picture for your senior, but it’s important to remember that the most important aspect is how she perceives her quality of life. When you’re trying to understand how your senior’s health and health issues are impacting her life, it’s important to look at how she’s being affected across a range of different areas. There are some things that you can do to help improve quality of life for your senior, but it’s vital to ensure that you keep her involved.
Social Engagement
How your elderly family member feels, in terms of her overall health, can affect whether she’s willing and able to engage socially with friends, family members, and even other people. There may be ways that your elderly family member’s health affects her that keep her from doing the things that she loves and wants to do, especially with the people she most wants to be around.
Mental Health and Wellness
Mental health is another crucial area to address. It’s extremely common for seniors to be worried about their health and how their illnesses will affect them in the future. Finding healthy ways to cope with health concerns is crucial, and that may not be something that is easy for your senior to do on her own. Having help to do that can greatly improve her quality of life overall.
Physical Functioning
The most common area that is likely to impact your senior’s quality of life involves physical functioning. She may be experiencing pain or other symptoms due to her health that cause issues for her. Physical difficulties may also be affecting your senior’s ability to engage in normal daily activities. All of that becomes a big factor in whether she’s able to have more good days than bad days.
Spiritual Well-being
Even if your elderly family member isn’t all that religious, her spiritual well-being is important to consider when you’re looking to improve her overall quality of life. Many people find that their spiritual or religious beliefs even change as they battle an illness. What’s important is to ensure that your elderly family member has the support for her spiritual well-being that she needs.
All of these areas are ones that palliative care providers can help your aging family member to address. Focusing on all of the different ways that you can help your elderly family member to improve her quality of life helps you to understand what she needs and where her care plan is working for her.
If you are considering palliative care in Lincoln, CA, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at PIC Comfort Care today. Call (530) 885-9948.
- Understanding Why It’s Important to Start Hospice Care as Early as Possible - May 26, 2023
- 6 Important Facts for Families about Hospice Elder Care - May 11, 2023
- What to Consider When Choosing Hospice Elder Care - April 6, 2023