Home Care Help

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and I think the word “awareness” is the key - few people realize what the issues are and the extent to which they exist. Here’s a quote from a World Health Organization fact sheet which you can download as a PDF:

Similar to other types of violence, abuse of the elderly includes physical, sexual and psychological abuse, as well as neglect. Elderly people, though, are also vulnerable to economic abuse, in which others make improper use of their resources.

One of the biggest problems relating to home care is the isolation faced by many seniors or the disabled - it’s very easy for abuse to go undetected for a long time.

Most people understand that they can’t take pills lying down, but it’s also important to remain upright - sitting or standing - for at least 15 minutes after consuming the pills. Not only do the pills reach the stomach more easily, it can also help them go to work more quickly.

My mother is unable to bend easily at the hips and is confined to a bed most of the time, but we’ve been moving her bed to its most upright position for at least 15 minutes after taking pills, and she’s experienced less problems with having them get stuck on the way down.

When I first started taking care of my mother at home, I gladly answered her calls whenever she needed help. It was the least I could do for her. But over time, my health began to deterioriate because of broken sleep.

It wasn’t that my mother needed more help through the night, it’s that she was calling me when she awoke, which varied greatly. The answer was to schedule a regular time for me to take care of her nightly needs. Of course emergencies were outside of this schedule, but they were pretty rare.

The result was: I could schedule my sleeping time reliably AND my mother could get a better sleep. Turned out she had been only half sleeping, worried that she would miss calling me at some point in the night!

Taking medications with some water is commonplace, but taking a drink of water just before the medication can make the process even easier. That first drink will better moisten the throat. Thanks to the St. Peters Hospital website in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.

Falling in the home can cause serious injury to seniors, and there’s a growing movement in the medical community to identify people at risk for falling. One of the points made in a recent Associated Press news story was that seniors should report all minor trips or falls to their caregivers - those little slips can be a helpful sign of future troubles. You can also try this very simple “get up and go” test:

Sit in a hard, straight-backed chair. Fold your arms across your chest. Try to stand. If you can’t on the first try, tell a doctor so you can be checked for possible problems…

The recent disasters in China and Myanmar should be a wake-up call for emergency preparedness, and for seniors and the disabled there are unique issues of preparedness. I think of those issues falling into three general categories:

• Mobility - whether it’s difficulty walking long distances or the need for a wheelchair, planning for mobility in a time of blocked/destroyed roads, lack of power, etc. is crucial
• Medical - complex regimens of medicine or the need for breathing or other apparatus for life support are examples of the extra planning required
• Environmental - when there’s little or no shelter, and no heating or cooling, surviving the elements is an added challenge for physically weaker people and requires special planning.

These are some things to keep in mind as you read through the excellent material at these websites: ReadyAmerica - Advice for Seniors, Red Cross Seniors Preparedness, Get Prepared - Canadian government preparedness advice.

Most hospitals and care facilities have some form of communication to alert all staff to particular needs of a patient, such as routines, likes and dislikes, or physical impairments. Typically this takes the form of signs posted on a wall near the bed. It’s a good idea to do the same when various caregivers are coming into your home.

For example, my mother literally can’t bend at the hips. This is not something that’s easy for people to grasp and by the time they’ve tried to get her to sit up straight, they’ve put her in a lot of pain. So I created a sign that says:

It gets a good laugh and makes the point quickly and clearly.

And keep copies of any signs or information to take with you for hospital stays or moving to a care facility.

Came across a service called LifeLedger, which allows individuals or caregivers to share information about themselve or their loved one. For example, if you’re not available and your father is taken to hospital, you can have the doctors log-in to your account and get background information, including documents proving you have legal authority to authorize medical treatment, etc. Or if you want your financial planner to have access to budget information, you can give them restricted access only to those details.

Like anything involving detailed personal information, this kind of web technology is a double-edged sword. One can see how valuable it could be, perhaps even saving lives, but you can’t help thinking about how secure the information would actually be.

The service is US $9.95 per month and they have a free trial at the LifeLedger website.

Remote controls that need to be pointed directly at the TV can be frustrating to use. People with limited mobility may find it difficult or impossible to angle the remote properly so it will work. If you’ve got a fussy remote, here’s the perfect replacement.

The One For All is so handy because in almost any position - I’ve even tried it sideways - it connects with the TV or other device. Then there are the large, easy to read numbers (and because they’re shaped like numbers you can distinguish them by feel) and the light weight, making it great for weak eyes and limited strength. What’s more, this was the least expensive remote in the store (bought it at Walmart in Canada for $7.95).

Complete name is: One For All W-URC3110 - Universal 3 Device Remote Control. Full details at their website.

When you put a spray bottle back on a shelf or a counter, set it down with the nozzle facing away from you. That way, if the bottle doesn’t have a cap or you forget to close the cap, you won’t accidently spray yourself in the face when you pick it up the next time you use it.