Home Care Help

If you’re having trouble seeing the remote control pad for your hospital bed or you try to use it in the middle of the night, try putting a piece of velcro on the side. Here are the steps:

• Get a package of stick-on velcro tabs - I recommend using the soft part of the velcro so you don’t scratch yourself.
• Hold the control the way you usually would, so you know where all the buttons are located.
• Based on which hand you normally use, choose one side of the control on which to put the velcro.
• Practice picking up the control without looking at it and feel which way to hold it by feeling for the velcro.

Now you’ll always be holding the control the right way, no matter what, and you’ll be oriented properly to press the right buttons.

Of course you could use this tip for any remote control.

Need to keep someone’s head propped up while lying down? A quick solution is to buy wedges that are used to keep infants from rolling over. They come two in a pack and are joined by velcro so you can widen or narrow the gap between them, depending on the fit you want.

My mother needed these wedges to let her relax while laying on her back. Her head tended to tall to one side or the other, but these wedges kept things in place. She also found that they helped her sleep by blocking out sounds a fair bit.

Some people have told me they use the “airline pillows”, but my mother found she couldn’t easily slip those kind off her neck while lying on her back.

When you’re throwing out papers, if they contain any kind of personal information it’s best to tear them into pieces or shred them. I used to think people were paranoid when they said that, until I saw a show the other night about identity theft.  Going through people’s garbage or recycling bins and finding personal information was a key way for scammers to steal identities.

The most obvious papers to shred are things like statements, bills or receipts, but even offers in the mail that contain your name and address should be torn into pieces.  If you’re getting credit card offers, for example, people can use those forms to try and get a card in your name.

Sometimes, reaching a light switch can be difficult. One option is to install a motion-sensor light switch. My mother is in a wheelchair and with this type of switch, she simply has to roll into the room and the light turns on. You can set the length of time for the light to stay on - in the bathroom we set it to twenty minutes - and then it automatically shuts off. Motion sensor switches also have manual overrides.

One thing to keep in mind is the placement of the switch. The ideal is at the height the person is able to reach - not simply so that they can manually work the switch if need be, but also because you know the motion sensor will be triggered properly. For example, we didn’t move a switch from it’s normal height and my mother was low enough in her chair that it didn’t trigger the sensor. We ended up putting a small flag sticking up from the back of her chair, and that triggered the sensor

When caring for someone we tend to think about physical health first and foremost: how well someone is eating, getting their medications right, watching for major and minor symptoms of disease, etc. But dental health isn’t always foremost in our minds. This article from the American Geriatric Society points out the importance of maintaining dental hygene and of being observant about oral health:

• Malignancies - it’s important to pay attention to changes in the oral tissue of seniors, especially among smokers. Growths, patches or lesions in the mouth could be signs of more serious problems and should be brought to the attention of a health care provider right away.
• Dentures - check for broken or missing pieces, or dentures that no longer fit. Often times, older adults lose body fat, which changes the way dentures fit and can cause mouth pain and discomfort.
• Dry mouth - as we age, saliva production lessens and causes dryness and discomfort of the mouth. Dry mouth is also a common side effect of many medications.
• Bad breath - is often an embarrassing topic for many people to address but it can serve as an indicator for more serious health problems.

Welcome to our blog about caring for people at home. We’ll be bringing you tips for everything from organizing the living space to meal preparation to relationships.

As more and more people require care in their home or someone else’s home, there’s a need to share information. We hope you’ll find this information useful and that you’ll share your experiences as well.