(PART II)
Problems to consider when trying giving an elder with Alzheimer’s disease a bath.
Is there a possibility the elderly person is in pain – in any situation when there is aggressive behavior make sure the elder is not in pain.
The elder may think they just had a bath and will tell you so.
Elderly people get [...]
(Part I)
“You’re Mother is getting very combative when we try to bathe her, she fights with everyone we send in there. You are just going to have to come and bathe her yourself.” Sheila knew her Mother could be difficult, but having to bathe her own Mother – she never thought it would come to [...]
“It is getting harder and harder to visit. Mom keeps saying Dad divorced her.” the visiting daughter said to the nurse. No matter how much reassurance the daughter provided that Dad never would have divorced her, and that he has passed away and is now in heaven. The elderly mom keeps coming back to the [...]
It was the end of a typical support group meeting for caregivers, when the speaker asked as always “Are there any questions?” And from the back of the room an elderly man said “Tell us some amazing stories, of someone who had your therapy.”
The truth is in healthcare many times the change or improvement isn’t [...]
Taking care of skin problems the way the nursing home does means being proactive, and documenting all abnormal skin areas. When the elder has a bruise or abrasion, write down where it is, what size it is and how it looks. Something like – dark purple bruise the size of a quarter above the right [...]
It was a memorable event at the Nursing Home. The Boy Scouts came in carrying the flag, and all the elders able to stand, pulled themselves to their feet. The elderly men assembled who had “served” saluted, and everyone said the pledge. The high point of the event was when the elderly residents of the [...]
When the TV is always on!
Some people live with the TV always on, like background music. The caregiver may start their day with turning on the TV to catch the morning news and then just leave the TV on. A few years ago my husband and I owned but didn’t operate a small assisted living [...]
Helping the confused elderly through cues.
Oxford Dictionary defines cue as” a signal to do something.”
The cue may be a smell, a touch, a sound, an item, or a visual symbol. Using a full complement of cues through out the day can help the confused elderly understand the environment, and what is happening at any given [...]
It was the end of a typical support group meeting for caregivers, when the speaker asked as always “Are there any questions?” And from the back of the room an elderly man said “Tell us some amazing stories, of someone who had your therapy.”
The truth is in healthcare many times the change or improvement isn’t [...]
10 REASONS WHY I LIKE KEDS FOR THE ELDERLY
Elderly don’t tend to pick up their feet when they walk – they may “shuffle.”
Thick soled athletic shoes have a “super grip.”
Thick soled athletic shoes because of the super grip can “catch” on carpet and tile when an elder doesn’t pick up their feet and many times [...]
(PART II)
Problems to consider when trying giving an elder with Alzheimer’s disease a bath.
Is there a possibility the elderly person is in pain – in any situation when there is aggressive behavior make sure the elder is not in pain.
The elder may think they just had a bath and will tell you so.
Elderly people get [...]
“Your Mother has been waiting for you; she needs to talk to you right away.” Said the nursing assistant, when she saw May’s daughter walk into the nursing home. When the daughter arrived at her mother’s room there was the church lady visiting as usual. “Oh good, your Mother has been waiting to talk to [...]
The shame of incontinence.
I often think the hardest and most hurtful problem to solve is incontinence. The elderly try to hide it and deny it. I think of a woman I knew about 15 years ago. When she came to the nursing community, she had early Alzheimer’s disease and was very alert and pleasant. She [...]
Newsweek June 28 & July 5, 2010, has the best article I have read for sometime on caregiving called The Caregiver Boomerang by Gail Sheehy author of ‘Passages.’
Excerpts from article:
Nearly 50 million Americans are taking are of an adult who used to be independent.
It starts with The Call. It’s a call about a fall. Your [...]
Know the elders routine.
Do you drink your coffee first thing in the morning or with breakfast? Do you get dressed before breakfast or after? There is so much comfort in having your own routine, doing things the same way at the same time. Everyone has an established routine. You like to do things in a [...]
Whether it is eating non-food items, using utensils incorrectly or having difficult behaviors during meals, solving mealtime problems for the elder can be challenging.
CODE IS AS FOLLOWS: Problem is stated and suggested correction follows in bold type.
PROBLEMS WITH USING DINING EQUIPMENT
Uses knife/fork/spoon incorrectly – Using hand-over-hand, demonstrate use of utensil, if unsuccessful remove.
Eating non-finger foods [...]
When all is said and done, the best prevention always turns out to be good old soap and water. Whether it is for washing hands or surfaces, soap and water still are the best.
Hand washing: First line of defense! Every time we have an in-service at our Nursing Home, on preventing infection, we always start [...]
No more 911 calls from confused elderly:
I absolutely love my new edition of The Alzheimer’s Store Catalogue. As I skim through it I can see, in my mind, those people from the past that would have benefited so much from some of these innovative products. Right from the first few pages – imagine a telephone [...]
This is one of the most dreaded calls from the Nursing Home. “You’re Mom fell.” You’re first reaction is natural, whether you say it or just think it. “Why do I have her there, isn’t that what you people are supposed to be doing, keeping her safe and off the floor?”
Supporting the confused elderly’s right [...]
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Often the problem is that elderly people don’t want to be a problem and so they don’t want someone called. They will say they will be just fine even when they are feeling very poorly. The old movies had it right when we saw someone collapse and then a [...]
Taking care of skin problems the way the nursing home does means being proactive, and documenting all abnormal skin areas. When the elder has a bruise or abrasion, write down where it is, what size it is and how it looks. Something like – dark purple bruise the size of a quarter above the right [...]
(Part II)
When I look back twenty, twenty-five years ago at routine nursing practice then, my first thought is “What were we thinking?” Thinking we were reorienting a confused person, looking for their mother, by saying “You are old, how old would your mother be? Your mother is dead.” We would physically tape elderly confused people [...]
(Part V)
It is never too late for a Therapy base line assessment. If it wasn’t done at the start of symptoms, it can be done now. As with every other discipline in the Nursing Home, the key here is a “change in condition.” If you have not written down what the current level of; walking, [...]
Whether you are a family member giving direct personal care, a private caregiver in the home, or a caregiver in a Nursing Home you can provide “Person Centered Care.” Person centered only means that you have taken the time to really get to know the person you care for.
Being a “Person Centered Caregiver” means the [...]
Nurses know when the elderly person no longer moves independently, they will need to be extra vigilant in their skin care.
Nurses know:
Preventing wounds is much easier than healing them
An elderly person can develop a pressure wound in 2-6 hours of not changing position
A pressure wound is painful
Healing a pressure wound is costly
Pressure wounds can develop [...]
“It is getting harder and harder to visit. Mom keeps saying Dad divorced her.” the visiting daughter said to the nurse. No matter how much reassurance the daughter provided that Dad never would have divorced her, and that he has passed away and is now in heaven. The elderly mom keeps coming back to the [...]
Summer isn’t even over and it seems that many apparently can’t wait to scare the pants off the population with words like “pandemic.”
This comes under the heading of:
Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me!
The real flu pandemic – 1918
Yes, the so called “Spanish Flu” killed millions of people world wide. [...]
Aging vision needs much more light:
“Why are you turning the lights on already” Carl’s wife asked. “Oh, it’s going to get dark soon” He replied. This from the man who went behind her for years turning off lights when she just stepped out of a room for a minute. He wasn’t even aware of his [...]
