The field of surgical assisting is now undergoing some of the biggest changes in the history of the profession. These changes will have a dramatic effect on your career and your surgical assistant business. With growing public interest in health care, insurance, and the qualifications of the individuals who care for patients, there has been an increased call for regulation of all individuals who provide direct patient care, and the operating room is certainly no exception.

Surgical assistants (SAs) are medical professionals who scrub for operative procedures, assist in the positioning of patients, and assist in the draping and preparation of the operative site. During procedures, they retract and expose the operative field. The assistant also helps in securing the best possible exposure of the anatomical site. With experience, the surgical assistant learns to anticipate the moves and needs of the surgeon. The seasoned assistant is will often become an expert in surgical procedures and surgical techniques.

Surgical assistants are often responsible to determine specific equipment needed per procedure. They review permit to confirm procedure and special needs, confirm procedure with surgeon, assist in moving and positioning of patient drape patient within surgeon’s guidelines, maintain integrity of sterile field and perform any other duties or procedures incident to the surgical procedure deemed necessary and as directed by the surgeon. They may also help to insert and remove Foley urinary bladder catheter, select and place of x-rays for reference, place pneumatic tourniquet to control operative blood loss, insert drainage tubes per surgeon’s directive and apply wound dressings.

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As the world becomes increasingly global and people continue to live longer lives, a growing proportion of middle-aged adults are faced with the challenge of caring for their aging parents, who may live across the country or in a different state, and what to do when their parents can no longer care for themselves.

A first thought might be to turn to a nursing home, but there are alternatives – some that are less expensive and provide better quality of care. For instance, one-on-one home care for seniors or nurse aides who pay visits to the home, or live in the home with the senior citizen, can be less costly and can provide the adult child with peace of mind that they would not get from “the system” or a nursing home.

When an emergency happens and a family needs help immediately, but cannot travel to their parent’s location to talk directly with doctors or nurses, the family may have a difficult time assessing the severity of the situation and managing the emergency. In order to make the best decision, a family may consider hiring a Senior Care Manager to help the family and their loved one know all of their options and attain the best possible care.

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The scene is becoming more familiar in communities across the country. An aging parent, usually the mother, weeps bitterly as she is forced to surrender custodial care of an adult child with special needs. After caring for a loved one for fifty years or more, separation can be excruciating. However, the mother is now in her late eighties and experiencing health problems which preclude her from continuing as the primary care giver. Parents of special needs children realize this day is inevitable. Early on in the process a decision was made to keep the child in the home, no matter what the costs. Those costs involve the aggregate total of emotional, financial, and time investments required to provide a loving and stable home environment. Life for the children in these situations is no cakewalk either. Their lives are often characterized by isolation and uncertainty, not to mention being misunderstood at every turn. The “child” in this situation is now approaching sixty and also realizes, on some level, change was bound to happen. Two lives intertwined by an unbreakable cord, must now part according to life’s epic design.

With the proliferation of Autism Spectrum Disorders rampant in society, millions of parents will face this scenario in the not so distant future. Although there are differences from past generations, the family dynamic hasn’t changed. The fundamental question for parents of special needs children is, “Who will care for my special needs child when I’m unable to or when I die?” In response to that question, the obvious answer would be siblings or some other family member. But upon closer examination, the obvious choice may not be in the best interest of the person with special needs. In an age of blended families and non-traditional marriages, families can be the least desirable place for a person with special needs. Moreover, stability should be the number one priority when making an important decision such as determining place of residence. Family members are not always in a financial position to assume the role of a surrogate parent. Depending on the medical needs of the special needs individual, relocating may not be a viable option for many families in this situation.

There are high functioning people with autism or asperger’s syndrome capable of living independently with a solid support system. Some parents are purchasing a condo or apartment with the intent of making it the child’s primary residence at some point in the future. The greatest advantage in utilizing this strategy is the security of knowing your child will have a place to live when you’re no longer around. The fact that you can also leverage your tax position doesn’t hurt at all either. The vast majority of people with autism, however, will require some assistance from family or a facility designed to provide direct care. Finances are a major consideration when discussing nursing home or assisted living arrangements. This option usually means qualifying for medicaid since medicare does not cover long term care expenses. Last, but certainly not least, there is the sticky age 65 requirement involved with medicare. That having been said, we come full circle with the issue of growing older and caring for special needs adult children. After all is said and done, we love our children unconditionally and acknowledge the day of separation that is sure to come.

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