A newborn’s homecoming is often preceded by a frenzy of childproofing. However, caregivers often do not see the need to senior proof the home until after a scare or injury occurs. Or they are not sure how to go about making the home a safe environment for aging loved ones, especially those who need care for disease or recuperative issues, or for decreased cognitive ability.

Below you will find some simple ways to make your home safer and more convenient for your aging loved ones.

Lighting
Light that is adequate for younger adults often is not adequate for older adults, many of whom have decreased vision due to aging or to health problems such as diabetes which affect the eyes. Be proactive about lighting and make sure that areas around entry doors, hallways, and stairways are well lit. Err on the bright side. Use higher wattage bulbs or add extra lights if needed. Touch lights are a great way to add light to an area not wired for regular lighting. Motion sensor lights let seniors move throughout the home without having to locate or reach for light switches. Glow-in-the-dark switch plates are another good alternative.

Use Hardware, Not Hard Wear
Seniors, particularly those with arthritis, who sometimes struggle to open doors or windows. If your current hardware is proving to be “hard wear” on your loved one, then a simple change might be needed. For instance, lever type door handles are easier to open than round handles which must be gripped more tightly in order to be turned. Crank style window openers can be impossible for some seniors to use.

Restricted Access
Seniors with a cognitive impairment or some form of Dementia must be protected from themselves. It is critical for caregivers to restrict access to dangerous areas without having to stand guard over these seniors 24/7. Childproofing tools such as special door locks or cabinet closures work well for this purpose. Any area containing dangerous items like cleaners, bleach, meds, chemicals, etc., should be secured from your loved one. Door alarms are available at little cost. When set, an alarm will sound if the door is opened.

Move It or Lose It
Seniors need to retain as much mobility as possible. In order to stay mobile indoors, they need to be able to move safely throughout the house. Get rid of tripping hazards like rugs and stair runners, rooms overly cluttered by furnishings, or items which constrict movement through the room. Place a trunk or basket in each shared space for quick storage of toys after play. Perhaps a toy-free zone can be enforced where your senior spends the most time. Alternatively, a senior-free zone can also be set so toys on the floor there are not a falling hazard.

Keep a bench or chair beside entry doors so your loved one can sit to don or remove boots or weather gear. Add a full-height barstool to the kitchen counter area to make it easier for a senior to prep and cook food. If your senior completes grooming in a bedroom, make sure there is a chair or sturdy stool to sit on while drying hair or putting on makeup, etc.

A chair in the bathroom enables a senior to sit to finish drying off without having to bend over and risk overbalancing. Walk-in tubs and showers are safer and easier to use for seniors. Add handrails in the shower, bath, and toilet areas. If you need a bath mat, then purchase one designed to grip the floor. It will present a lesser chance of causing your senior to trip and fall.

Can We Hear Them Now?
The unavoidable truth is that no matter how many safety precautions we take, unexpected accidents do happen. When they happen to our seniors, it’s critical that they be able to call for immediate help. A few minutes of delay can be fatal. You can try a personal emergency response system. Your senior would wear a device as a pendant or bracelet which can be pushed if they need help. A call-assist program is similarly helpful.

If there is no such program in your area, then have your senior keep a cell-phone with him or her at all times. As a last resort, make sure there is a phone in arm’s reach of where your senior spends the most time (recliner, bed, computer desk, etc.).

If your senior enjoys the outdoors but doesn’t speak fluent cell phone or push-for-help, then purchase a coach’s whistle. Tell your senior to wear it when outdoors and, if help is needed, to blow it and keep blowing it until someone responds. The odds are that the whistle will be heard more easily than a cry for help.

Where to Begin
Seniors fall most often in the bathroom where most surfaces are hard and/or sharp-edged. So, begin in the bathroom. It’s an excellent start toward a home that is not only welcoming but also safe for your loved one.

For more tips on caring for seniors, visit our senior home care blog or contact us today!

Approximately seven million Americans, many of them seniors, develop delirium during hospital stays annually. Although Delirium has no age restriction, those 65 or older are at the highest risk.

Delirium can cause lack of focus, delusions, and frightening hallucinations. These symptoms frequently are misdiagnosed and treated as Dementia, which results in incorrect treatment and, in some cases, admission into nursing homes where treatment continues but never actually addresses the Delirium.

Patients with Delirium are also subject to further risks: falls, longer-than-expected hospital stays, development of Dementia, and elevated death rate.

How does Delirium differ from Dementia?
Although Delirium patients’ symptoms may be similar to some symptoms of Dementia, they are two distinct conditions. Delirium occurs suddenly, usually changing as the day wears on. Symptoms may include agitation, inability to pay attention, lethargy and sleepiness, or combative behavior.

Delirium patients suffer memory and cognitive issues, frightful hallucinations, and some symptoms of PTSD such as anxiety, paranoia, or anger.

Symptoms of Delirium
Hallucinations are quite common in patients with Delirium — such as mistaking an MRI machine for an oven which will burn them alive. Sometimes patients distort things that actually happened into horrible things that seem connected in their delirious mind. For instance, a catheter insertion might be mistaken as a sexual assault.

Causes of Hospital-Related Delirium
Seniors have as great as an 85% chance of developing Delirium while heavily sedated, in ICU (intensive care unit), in surgical recovery, and/or on ventilators. Other simple problems, such as a bladder infection, can be exacerbated by hospitalization and can lead to the development of Delirium. It is important that you make known to your loved one’s hospital care team or treating physician any altered mental status exhibited by the patient. While your senior may recover as expected from the initial condition that led to hospitalization, Delirium, once begun, can take months to abate.

Prevention is Critical
Almost half of Delirium occurrences are preventable. Prevention, however, is often thwarted by a lack of proper recognition and diagnosis Delirium prevention is critical because of a dearth of good treatment protocols after onset.

Older adults are particularly sensitive to some treatments. Many Delirium cases are caused by some treatments such as meds for anxiety and narcotics. Environmental triggers can also cause Delirium. These include the noise from busy staff going about their tasks, overly bright rooms, and frequent interruption of sleep.

Some Hospitals Try Prevention
Some hospitals try to prevent Delirium by striving to shorten the length of time ICU patients spend on ventilators, limiting the use of restraints, and getting patients out of bed more quickly. They are also taking more precautions with medication, especially benzodiazepines.

Environmental precautions taken by some hospitals include installing large, easily read clocks; keeping audible alarms to a minimum; and turning off room lights at night.

The Bottom Line
Delirium is serious and adds suffering to the recovery of a hospitalized patient’s initial medical condition. And sometimes, recovering from that initial condition takes far less time than recovering from Delirium.

If your senior suddenly starts showing symptoms of an altered mental status during or after hospitalization, then don’t jump, or let your senior’s doctor jump, to the conclusion that it’s Dementia. Make sure to have your loved one evaluated for Delirium. The sooner Delirium is diagnosed, the better your senior’s chance of recovery and survival.

For professional and compassionate assistance caring for your loved one, please contact Home Helpers of Leesburg today! 

Family Caregivers vs. Denial
When family members refuse to face the fact that their aging loved one needs help, they can create anger, stress, and frustration for family caregivers. Whether it’s a mental or physical need, or both, it’s crucial that their seniors get the care they need.

Denial is often the coping mechanism used to gain time to adjust to a loved one’s decline. People often feel anxiety or fear when trying to face changes in a senior’s condition. Denial is also used as a way to avoid taking responsibility or becoming an active caretaker for that senior. Here are some tips on how to deal with a relative’s denial.

Remain calm and take the high road
Even though you may want to respond to family members’ denial about your parent needing care by dropping a brick on their heads to encourage clarity of sight, it’s best to take the high road and stay above any agitated or argumentative response. Do your best to be calm and understanding with a person in denial. Any sarcastic or angry posture or remarks will only reinforce their stubborn or resistant attitude.

Knowledge is power
Sometimes the root of a relative’s denial is a lack of understanding the situation. Offer them comprehensive educational materials that explain what their senior is facing and what care they will need. For instance, you can ask your parent’s doctor for pamphlets or other materials. You can also find good information on the web and then share the web addresses with your relatives.
Having access to doctor’s reports and really understanding the nature of your loved one’s condition will help relatives avoid stereotypical myths and focus on what is actually needed — like well-deserved help for your senior and for you!

Seek expert advice
Some family members refuse to acknowledge the need for help. As long as they don’t admit there’s a need, then, for them, there isn’t one. Maybe they won’t believe you entirely or, perhaps, not at all. Often, family members think caregivers are exaggerating the situation or campaigning for unneeded help. Or they might just refuse to believe whatever information you give them, but be willing to believe an impartial expert, instead.

Try to meet together with a credible expert that understands the situation such as your parent’s doctor or minister, or an elder mediator or care manager. An expert may just reinforce what you’ve already said but, for whatever reason, be perceived as more credible to a sibling or other family member. Don’t take it personally if that happens. Just be grateful that it worked and that your senior will get the care they need.

The bottom line
Is it fair for you to have to be both mediator and caregiver all by yourself? No. Try the suggested techniques to convince relatives that your senior (and you, too!) require more help. If you are unable to help family members out of their denial, then take them out of the equation and move on. If nothing else, you’ll have the relief of no longer banging your head against their denial.

For professional and compassionate assistance caring for your loved one, please contact Home Helpers today. For more caregiving advice for your loved one, visit our blog!