Tips to find if a senior relative needs immediate medical attention

You're in from out of town and stop by to see Great Aunt Edna and Great Uncle Albert for the first time in a few years. But you become worried when you observe that the 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.

What do you do?

"The Emergency Department can always provide an immediate assessment, contact the person's doctor and determine if there is a problem," said Mark DeSilva, MD, medical director, Gottlieb Emergency Department, part of Loyola University Health System. "If there is, we will admit the patient to the hospital and begin immediate care."

With today's trends of relatives living miles apart and the infrequency of visits, planned family reunions at holiday time sometimes end up with a trip to the ED with an ailing senior relative.

Here are DeSilva's five tips on how to tell if a senior relative needs immediate medical attention:

1 - The person is unkempt with poor personal hygiene
2 - The home is very messy, dirty and smells
3 - Minimal movement by the person seems to be painful
4 - Mentally, the person is agitated or confused
5 - The person has not seen a physician in several months and is visibly unwell

"Try to contact the primary care physician first and alert them to the situation," advised DeSilva. But if holiday schedules or lack of information prevent that, bring them to the closest ED.

In the ED, the medical staff will provide a full assessment including:
•Determination of level of consciousness - the patient will be asked his/her r name, the date, who the President is, where he/she is, etc.
•Assessment of lungs - listen to the breathing
•Checking for signs of cardiac distress
•Review the person's walking and gait balance
•Checking of vital signs; respiration, blood pressure, temperature
•Monitoring breathing
•Administering a skin-integrity test (examine the body for pressure ulcers, bruises, dehydration, etc.)
•Checking the pupils see if they react equally on both sides
•Performing a hand-grasp test to determine if hand grasp is even on both sides
•Recording height and weight
•Checking the urine for infection
"There is always room at the inn at the ED - even on Christmas," said DeSilva. "And proper medical care may be a better gift than a box of chocolates or fruitcake."