Elder Care in Cooper City FL
The Internet can be an exceptional resource for learning, communicating, simplifying your daily activities, and staying in touch with friends and family, and many people like to use that resource to help them understand when they start to experience new health symptoms. According to The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, around 35 percent of American adults have used the Internet to help them figure out what their symptoms meant, and even to diagnose themselves or other people using nothing but that information. Of those people, more than a third never went to an actual doctor to follow up with the information that they got from the internet, and nearly 20 percent found out that they were actually wrong about what they thought that they were dealing with based on their symptom research.
What this means for your elder care journey with your aging loved ones is that while the Internet can be a fantastic way for you to learn more about medical issues or get some insight into symptoms that your aging parents are facing, you should approach this method with caution to ensure that you are actually getting benefits from the research and not potentially putting their health at risk.
Use these tips to help you be responsible and safe when using the Internet to research symptoms and health concerns throughout your elder care journey:
• Know the symptoms. Do not suddenly jump on the Internet and start searching the moment that your mother coughs or as soon as you notice some redness on your father’s skin. Make sure that you take the time to really know what symptoms they are facing so that you do not end up on the wrong path when you are researching. Having a full view of the symptoms also provides you with the information that you need when you get your second opinion.
• Use only reliable sites. Limit your research only to sites that are truly reputable, such as government websites, Mayo Clinic, and similar sites. Avoid personal websites, blogs, and sites maintained by special interest groups as these can be extremely misleading.
• Avoid search tangents. You want to make sure that you are researching thoroughly enough to understand what you are dealing with or to give yourself enough of a grasp that you can decide what to do next, but do not let yourself wander off through the website. Avoid clicking on related issues or symptoms, or letting the information convince you that you are experiencing things that you are not. Stick to the symptoms that you or your parents actually have and close out your research as soon as you have an answer.
• Back up the information. What you find online should not be the only information that you have if you truly suspect that there is something wrong. Once you have researched your symptoms, make an appointment with the doctor to discuss your concerns and get a second opinion.
If you or a family member near Cooper City, FL are in need of elder care services, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770. Providing Service in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, Coconut Creek, Taramac, Margate, and surrounding Florida cities.
http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/many-americans-google-their-health-symptoms
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