There are a lot of events that signal to adult children that things are changing for their parents. One of these is that a parent has fallen and ended up in the emergency room. Maybe it was just bad luck. But maybe there are underlying health problems that contributed to the fall. One thing for sure is that parents fall because they are deconditioned and have lost the core strength to stay safely on their feet. This is the time to arrange for your parent(s) to have a full physical to identify primary and secondary causes for the lack of balance. This situation merits getting on a plane to ensure that the medical exam takes place if necessary.
A pattern of falling raises the issues of disability and long-term care. Has your parent(s) named you their power of attorney and healthcare agent yet? How will they pay for home health aides or the cost of nursing care if the need for assistance develops? These are issues that an Elder Law attorney can help the family address. You “Better Call Saul” [1], which means you should make an appointment with an attorney sooner rather than later.
[1] This is a reference to Saul Goodman who became an Elder Law attorney in the movie series “Better Call Saul”.
