My grandmother was in her 90’s, and was still as sharp as a tack, however, there were bits and pieces of her health that were declining. As she aged, the amount of care she needed had greatly increased, and with our busy schedules, my Mom, Uncle, brother, and I teamed up to ensure her needs were met. When it comes to caring for elderly relatives, Kaiser Permanente Orange County has made it easier with easy access to a wide network of physicians and services.
With my mom living in Nevada and my uncle in San Diego, I have taken on more of my grandmother’s transportation responsibility to get her to and from her doctors appointments. Back in June, she gave us quite a scare when she was rushed to Kaiser Anaheim’s emergency room. Apparently her sodium levels were so low, she ended up very weak, and the caregivers at her assisted living facility were very concerned and called 911. Several tests were performed, and she was admitted to the hospital. After 6 days in the hospital and numerous visits by hospital internists, she was stabilized and discharged – however it was a long road to full recovery.
With the aid of Kaiser’s home health service, my grandmother received physical therapy treatments to regain the strength in her legs, a weakness, as a result of the sodium deficiency and being bedridden for 6 days in the hospital. She also had an occupational therapist assigned to her case to help her with her day-to-day activities (i.e., dressing herself).
We decided a geriatric specialist would be beneficial for my grandmother. We sought out the KP.org website and Kaiser Permanente’s mobile app to assist us in our search for the perfect physician. This is the process we utilized to find her doctor. Based on what was listed on KP.org, her office was located in Anaheim off of Lakeview, conveniently close to my grandmother’s residence. As a general practitioner, she was also listed under geriatric care and accepting new patients. We made an appointment and scheduled her post-hospital follow-up.
On our first visit, the doctor spoke with my grandmother as she looked up her medical history (all easily accessible via their computer-based system). She was able to see past doctor visits, course of treatments, lab work, and all the emergency room and hospital notes. During this evaluation, she felt my grandmother was taking too many medications. She also wanted to establish my grandmother’s “baseline” so she could start a new course of action as well as discuss dietary concerns and a follow-up with another specialist for other medical issues. By the end of our first visit, I felt we had finally found a doctor who was a perfect fit.
Making appointments with her specific doctor was quite simple. We logged into my grandmother’s KP.org account and requested an appointment. If she had medical concerns, a quick email was all that was needed. Within a few hours, we received a response from either a nurse or the doctor herself. She would also refer my grandmother to other specialists as needed and consult with them regularly for her medical treatments.
This doctor established a “baseline” and continued to evaluate my grandmother’s medical issues with follow-up visits every 3 months. My grandmother also saw a Urologist and Optometrist on a regular basis. During her appointments, she typically had several prescriptions that were refilled, and each location had a full pharmacy available, which saved us a lot of time. Each facility also had a lab on the premises, so blood pressure checks and lab work are also convenient.
Kaiser Permanente Orange County makes it easy for out-of-state family members to monitor the care of their elderly relatives. When my mother or uncle wanted to follow up on their mom’s (my grandmother’s) appointments and prescribed medications, they could sign into her KP.org account online and see the detailed notes taken by each doctor. This is such an added benefit because they can do it at their own convenience.
During that time, we kept this lovely lady with us as long as we could. I’m grateful to her care team at Kaiser Permanente Orange County for making us feel that we made the right decision in leaving my grandmother’s medical care in their hands.
Open enrollment starts in October! In choosing Kaiser Permanente Orange County, you’ll have the ability to select from many services such as: primary and urgent care, emergency facilities, labor and delivery, pharmacy, and lab all housed under one roof. The ability to choose your own doctor based on their specialty is an added bonus. Find out more today at: kp.org/orangecounty.
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