How to tell if elderly relatives need care

MELROSE PARK, Ill., Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Holiday time may be the only time of year some elderly relatives are visited and too often these family reunions end up at the hospital, a U.S. doctor says.

Dr. Mark DeSilva, medical director of the Gottlieb emergency department in Melrose Park, Ill., says with people living far apart relatives may not be visited that often and it can be a shock.

"That busy, meticulous couple of your youth is gone, replaced by a disheveled woman who won't get out of bed and a belligerent man who doesn't recognize you and thinks it is 1959," DeSilva, says in a statement.

Try to contact the primary care physician, advised DeSilva, but if that is impossible, bring them to the closest hospital emergency department.

DeSilva says a senior relative needs immediate medical attention if:

-- The person is unkempt with poor personal hygiene.

-- The home is very messy, dirty and smells.

-- Minimal movement by the person seems to be painful.

-- Mentally, the person is agitated or confused.

-- The person has not seen a physician in several months and is visibly unwell.

In the emergency room, medical staff can assess:

-- Level of consciousness. Does the patient know his or her name, the date, etc.

-- Breathing ability and signs of cardiac distress.

-- Walking and gait balance.

-- Respiration, blood pressure, temperature.

-- Skin for pressure ulcers, bruises, dehydration, etc.

-- Determine if hand grasp is even on both sides.

-- Urine for infection.

"Proper medical care may be a better gift than a box of chocolates or fruitcake," DeSilva says.