Treatment Options

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Once a family member becomes ill, we seem to go into a reactive mode instead of proactive mode.   Much of this stems from our avoidance  . . . we just don’t want to face the fact that a loved one is “really” ill.  That is why it’s so important to have a third party option that you trust.

We at Parent Your Parents are fans of Patient Advocates or Health Care Advisors.  These are professionals who advocate for you – the patient and the family.  They will educate you about your issue/illness and discuss your treatment options.  Although some patient advocates are not health care professionals (only certified) we suggest Patient Advocates who are health care professionals.

Often our seniors go to the doctors and are shuttled from test to test (because medicare pays for them) and, depending on the doctor, are told the best “solution”.   Often these solutions require more medication or surgeries and another stay in a hospital or rehab center.  A Patient Advocate can review the records, nurses notes and question the doctor and offer other solutions.

One example, a knee replacement that becomes infected.  In a case like this 90% require a second surgery and an extended course of IV antibiotics.  However, only the surgery must be done in the hospital.  After two days the patient can leave and have in-home care.  Yes, a COMPETENT, aide will be necessary but the physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) can be AT HOME.  The doctor has to prescribe the physical therapy and occupational therapy but Medicare pays for most of it.

Seniors are almost always told that hospital and rehab are the only option  What they’re not told is their cognitive function will most likely be impaired during their stay.   Imagine, those machines going off in the middle of he night,  constant noise, people walking in and out – who wouldn’t be disoriented. The bad news is upon release from the hospital the cognitive impairment stays — they will get better slowly but rarely reach the pre-hospital cognitive function.

To most of us, our home is our sanctuary.  We’re in our environment with people we know.   Yes, you’ll need competent in-home care, usually for 24 hours for the first few days but there are excellent services who provide this – you simply need to know who they are (we at PYP do).

So here is the bottom line when something “medically bad” happens:

  • Always search for alternative answers (Patient Advocates will assist)
  • Question the Diagnosis (Doctors are only human and you’re one of many patients)
  • Make a Hospital the stay of last resort
  • Remember In-Home Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy is available and Medicare pays for most of it
  • And for the first few days 24 In-Home Care is almost always a must

If you have further questions, thoughts or criticisms feel free to reach out – hfrancesr@parentyourparents.com

H. Frances Reaves, President of Parent Your Parents, Recognized as Woman of Excellence by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide Publication

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H. Frances Reaves Recognized as a Woman of Excellence by Strathmore's Who's Who Worldwide Publication

Key Biscayne, FL, January 16, 2018 –(PR.com)– H. Frances Reaves of Key Biscayne, Florida has been recognized as a Women of Excellence by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide for her outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of consulting.

About H. Frances Reaves
H. Frances Reaves is the founder and Principal of Parent Your Parents, a senior healthcare consulting firm. Based in Florida, Parent Your Parents assists families of seniors and seniors through the maze of pitfalls, paper and process. She and the Parent Your Parents team focus and provide services on the non-medical side of “aging.” This includes selling the family home, seniorizing a house, moving furniture and treasures, mental health counseling, family mediation, oversight of medical care and monitoring of senior care services. Parent Your Parents assists families in having uncomfortable conversations to arrive at solutions that are best for all family members involved. It also insists that it is their job to find money and resources for the elderly, allowing children to feel confident that their loved ones are being cared for in the best possible way.

Ms. Reaves continues her role as a partner at Latin America Connection of Miami, Florida and Washington, D.C. LAC works with small and medium sized businesses who are interested in growing by exporting their products and/or services into Latin America — specifically the Free Trade Agreement countries — Panama, Colombia, Chile and Peru.

Frances was born in Brazil and spent her life traveling with her family to Libya, The Philippines, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Singapore. She speaks Pidgins (Portuguese-based), Portuguese and Spanish. After obtaining a B.A. in Political Science from Texas Christian University, she obtained a J.D. from the University of Miami Law School in 1989. Frances is also a Certified Realtor Sales Associate. She served as a litigator and lobbyist for 10 years with several firms in Florida and Maryland. Five years ago, as her parents began to decline, she learned the ins and outs of senior care (or the lack thereof). It was this experience that led her to found Parent Your Parents, a senior concierge services company, that assist seniors and their children through the long and winding process of aging peacefully in the 21st century.

Ms. Reaves appeared on CUTV News Radio in an interview with Doug Llewelyn on November 2 and Jim Masters on November 9, 2017. She has published over 24 articles on specific areas of aging in Community Newspapers of South Florida and The Islander News. She also published “Connecting with Colombia” – an article on why US companies should look to Colombia for growth. She is a member of the Florida Bar, Elder Law Section, Organization of Women in International Trade, and The Maryland Bar. She is in the Maryland’s Women Hall of Fame, serves as the Scholarship Chair for Signal 13, is a Past Committee Chairperson for Planned Parenthood of Baltimore, a Past Chair of Fundraising for Harriet’s List in Baltimore and served as a Past Board Member for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. In her spare time she enjoys travel and has many contacts abroad from her school years and long lasting partnerships.

“To parent your parent is undoubtedly challenging, both emotionally and logically. Parents are the people who raised you and it’s difficult to change those roles. It is a common occurrence for children to ignore what’s going on and avoid the confrontation. That’s where Parent Your Parents and its team of experts step in. We have the professional and personal expertise to help you determine which elder care options are best for your family. — H. Frances Reaves, Esq.

For further information, please contact info@parentyourparents.com or www.parentyourparents.com.

About Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide
Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide is an international advertising, networking and publishing company based in Farmingdale, New York. They are proud to be able to satisfy their clients and continue to have repeat clientele due to their longevity and pride in their products and services. The Owners strive to connect business professionals to enhance their contact base and networking capabilities so they can get the acknowledgment and publicity within their industries and beyond. The Strathmore family has been providing these valuable services for over two decades. They target executives and professionals in all industries to be featured in their publication and on-line directory. Industries include business, law, education, healthcare and medicine, fine arts, IT, government, science, real estate, entertainment and many more accomplished fields. Professional profiles are listed in an annual hardcover journal and in a detailed, searchable database on the website www.strww.com.
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