5 Coping Strategies for Parents of Teen Addicts

When your child is an patient in addiction counseling, it is hard to know how to cope. You wonder how your family got here, to this place that is confusing and painful. It is important to keep strong and maintain hope and support for your child, so they and the whole family can heal.

1. Seek education and therapy for the whole family

The entire family needs to understand what is happening with the child that has a substance abuse problem. Everyone needs to know what they are going through and how they can be helped. The family, as a group and as individuals, also need therapy during addiction counseling, to help them learn tools to properly support the addict and help work as a family again.

2. Understand that addiction is a disease

Medical professionals suggest that addiction is a disease. In the beginning, experimenting with substances was a choice, but now it affects your child mentally and physically. They will likely have a relapse at some point, and it is important to keep them accountable for their actions, but let them know they are still loved. Working to treat the disease will help the child learn tools for long-term treatment.

3. Keep the family with as normal a routine as possible

With so much energy and time spent on the child in addiction counseling, it can be easy to forget the responsibilities, joys, and life activities of the others in the family. Be sure to support the other children in their activities, have lots of positive family time, and maintain as normal a routine as possible.

4. Seek professional legal counsel

Often, addicts seek illegal means to gain money to support their substance abuse habits. Sometimes they have stolen from the family. Sometimes they have stolen from others. In order to protect your family from litigation from your underaged child’s actions, seek professional counsel. They can also make sure that the actions of your child remain confidential and don’t affect their later lives as a productive adult.

5. Keep the lines of communication open

One of the most important ways to help the whole family cope with an addict in the family is to open the lines of communication. Remember that it is alright for some to be jealous, angry, confused, and scared when dealing with the child in addiction counseling. However, also leave room for the positive emotions tied to the happy memories of the child.

Remember to check with your doctor before taking any treatment or medical remedy.

If you would like to learn more about addiction counseling in Seguin, Texas, click here.

How Does Hospice Work?

Hospice is a medical specialty that treats those with terminal illness and a diagnosis of less than six months to live. Regardless of age, if a loved one has received a life-limiting diagnosis, and treatment for cures is no longer an option, Hospice should be contacted so the family can learn all of the options available to them to reduce pain and make the patient as comfortable as possible. Each situation is unique, but the general services offered are through a team of staff that help address the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the patient and their families.

Often, hospice services are provided in the patient’s home, where the doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, specialists, and bereavement counselors come to treat them. However, the treatment can be provided in whatever environment is best for the patient, including a nursing home, hospital, or assisted living facility. Wherever the patient is, their needs and end-of-life wants will be addressed. The point is to maintain the best quality of life possible through minimizing suffering and managing symptoms.

It is important to know that hospice does not provide 24-hour care, but rather repeat nursing visits to monitor and treat symptoms. The family and caregivers are also educated and trained on how to provide the proper care for the patient. Professional staff are available at all times for support or questions through phone hotlines or website chat boxes. Grief counseling is also an important part of the process for the loved ones of the patient. Hospice is not about death, but rather maintaining a good quality of life for the patient while they live and the family after they are gone.

It is important to research hospice providers. Just as any other healthcare area, each program has similar goals, but could have different methodologies and philosophies. To be sure that you find one that fits you and your loved one, it is important to research the Hospice organization beforehand.

Remember to check with your doctor before taking any treatment or medical remedy.

If you would like to learn more about hospice in Seguin, Texas, visit GRMC.

5 Questions That Come Up During Advanced Care Planning

Advanced care planning can be difficult to think about, but is an excellent step in preparedness. The future can hold all sorts of things, both good and bad. In the case that you are not able to make decisions for yourself, due to aging, injury, or illness, it is good to give your loved ones guidelines for what you do and do not want. This kind or planning will inevitably bring up a few questions, however, so be prepared to determine your answers. Your conversation should start with your doctor, so you fully understand the different steps and how they will affect you.

1. Do you want life support or resuscitation?

Think about what sorts of measures you want taken to prolong your life, and in what situations. That includes how you feel about feeding tubes or ventilators. For the very ill, a DNR (do not resuscitate) may be considered. There is no wrong answer, only what you want for you.

2. Who will be your health care proxy?

It is also important in advanced care planning to name a health care proxy. This is the person that will speak on your behalf if you are unable to do so. They should be close to you and have a true understanding of your wishes.

3. What documents do you need?

A number of document types can be drawn, outlining your advanced care planning wishes. Some states have a particular form to complete. Other times, you can have your directions witnessed and notarized. If you have an attorney, they can also help with legal documents.

4. How do you make your wishes known?

Those you love may or may not know what you want. Provide copies of your documents to your doctor, health care proxy, relatives, and anyone else that might be involved in the decision making.

5. Can you make changes in the future?

Changes can always be made to advanced care planning directives. That's why it makes sense to create one as soon as possible. If you do make changes, be sure to provide updated information to all of those with copies of your paperwork, so there is no confusion.

Remember to check with your doctor before taking any treatment or medical remedy.

If you would like to learn more about advanced care planning in the Seguin, Texas, area, click here.

5 Reasons You Need A Family Medicine Doctor (Even If You're Never Sick)

You never get sick. Maybe you are young. Maybe you practice excellent, healthy habits, like exercising and eating well. Maybe you are just lucky. Whatever the situation, it is important to have a primary care physician in family medicine, even if you think you never get sick.

1. Quality of care

With a family physician that is seen regularly, a patient has a good chance of receiving proper diagnosis and treatment plans. The doctor has the opportunity to know the patient, has a relationship with them, and understands the medical issues that have developed (and that they have tracked) over time. They know when a situation warrants a more serious look into symptoms.

2. Patient centeredness

The patient is at the center of all decisions for a family physician. If a patient needs the care of a specialists, they know specialists that they trust and have collaborated with before. If a number of specialists are needed, they can guide the patient on who to see and in what order. The family physician is vested in the relationship.

3. Easier time when you do get sick

When illness strikes, the last thing a patient wants to do is sit in a doctor's waiting room and then sit on an examination room trying to think about and describe symptoms. A dedicated family medicine doctor could diagnose more quickly, due to the health history, or could help over the phone, in some instances.

4. Keeps you from getting sick in the future

Even if a person is typically healthy and only experiences the occasional cold, the fact remains that with aging comes a slight deterioration in health. As the body grows older, problems arise. A family medicine doctor can help a patient plan for issues and mitigate chronic illness down the line.

5. Cost effectiveness

If you do become sick or injured, and decide to self-refer to a specialists, you might not choose the right one. If your chest hurts it could be your heart. It could also be a digestive or lung problem. Without the direction of a family medicine doctor, how do you know who to see and keep from wasting money going down the wrong path?

Remember to talk with your doctor before taking any treatment or medical remedy.

If you are interested in learning more about family medicine in the Seguin, Texas, area, GRMC could help!

How to Stop Breastfeeding: Tips for New Moms

So, you've had your first child. You made the decision to breastfeed and it has been a good experience for both of you. Now you (or baby) are ready to stop. How do you do it? Here are a few helpful tips about how to stop breastfeeding.

Learn

Education is the first step in any health decision. Read as much as you can about how to wean your baby. Discuss it with your doctor or health care provider. Mothers that have been through the process before are a great resource for advice and anecdotal recommendations. The more you know, the better prepared you will be for the whole process.

Plan

In many cases, baby will gradually be hungry for more solid foods and will want to nurse less, naturally. If that is not the case, or you need to know how to stop breastfeeding immediately, be sure your baby will take a bottle or cup before you try to stop. For babies, the experience of eating from a bottle is very different from your breast. The taste of the formula, the shape of the nipple, and the proximity of the mother are all different when bottle feeding. Baby will need time to adjust.

When baby is ready, create your personal plan for stopping. Some medical professionals suggest that a slower weaning process is easier for your body. Lactation is not a switch that can simply be turned on and off. Your body prepared to begin producing milk and by helping it, your body can prepare to stop.

Wean

Begin whatever plan you developed with your health care provider and remember the basics of how to stop breastfeeding. By slowly increasing the time between pumping or feeding, you can ease into stopping your milk. Common sense also dictates to restrict friction against the breasts, since friction against the nipple can stimulate the breast and cause milk production. Properly fitted clothing can help. Your doctor can assist with advice about how to prevent your breasts from becoming engorged or milk ducts from clogging. They can also discuss options for pain reduction, such as heat or cool packs, and safe medication options.

Remember to talk with your doctor before taking any treatment or medical remedy.

If you are interested in learning more about how to stop breastfeeding in the Seguin, TX, area, Guadalupe Regional Medical Center could help!