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Is your elderly loved one using a walker?

In this post, I will go over 7 walker safety tips to ensure that your loved one is getting the best use of of their walker while staying safe.

Walker safety for the elderly

Make sure the walker is the right fit for needs and height

As a caregiver, it is important to ensure your loved one’s walker fits their needs and height.

Not having the right type of walker or having one that is not right for your height can cause pain in the wrists, in your back and opens your loved one up to injury.

So make sure to talk to a healthcare provider so that you get the right one.

Get a foldable walker.

A foldable walker is helpful because you will be able to pack it up into the car.

At night, if you want to keep it out of the way, it is easy to do so with a foldable walker as well.

Keep it out of the way at night (but accessible)

To prevent falls, it is important that you keep the walker out of the way for your loved one at night.

For older adults, a simple fall can lead to broken bones, a concussion or even death. Thus it’s always to keep “fall hazards” out of the way.

And for your loved one, leaving a walker in the way during the night could prove to be a fall hazard.

At the same time, it’s important for you to place the walker in an accessible spot so that when your loved one does wake up at night, they can grab the walker easily and transport themselves.

Use the walker properly on a staircase or steps

Climbing the stairs is inevitable.

Most places will have an accessible ramp that makes it easier for people using a walker.

But this is not always the case.

Here’s a video on how to climb the stairs with a walker.

The right footwear

It’s important to wear the right kind of shoes when using a walker.

Flat shoes with a firm grip on the bottom are the best choice to shoes to wear with a walker and prevent injury.

Remove any other fall hazards from the path of your loved one

Frayed rugs, wires that crisscross and other objects in the way of your loved one’s walker can pose an unsafe situation.

Make sure all of these are kept of out the path of your loved one.

Report any discomfort to your doctor

Is your loved one experiencing pain in their legs, arms or back when they use their walker?

Talk to your doctor about it so the right adjustments are made.

 

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December 11, 2019 Family Caregiver0

Although the holidays should be a happy time of the year, this is the time of the year when people are most stressed.

The causes for this stress vary. 

Maybe money was tight this year and you can’t get people the gifts you had hoped to get them.

Or perhaps you dread seeing a difficult family member.

Whatever the case, the stress is real and if it is left unchecked, it could affect everything else.

The good news: you don’t have to dread your holidays. 

So how do you bust through holiday stress?

In this post, I outline 12 practical tips to help you deal with the end-of-year festivities.

12 practical ways to bust through holiday stress

  1. Be realistic and come to an agreement on gifts – When money is tight, giving gifts can feel like a burden. If you’re experiencing a season of difficulty, don’t force yourself to give lavish gifts. Come to an agreement with whoever you exchange gifts with about your situation. Perhaps, you could agree to stick to gifts under between $20-$50. We promise, you will still enjoy your holidays without an expensive (read: stress-inducing) gift.
  2. Agree to disagree – Do you have different political ideas from someone in your family? Has been this been a cause for fights during family celebrations? Agree to disagree with them. Yes, we can’t always get the other person to change their chosen side but we can agree with them that just for those few hours you’re together, nobody will bring that topic up. 
  3. Stay off social media – Social media is well-documented to make people sad. Seeing colleagues at work enjoy family dinners and outings when you’re not doing the same can be depressing. So skip out on it. Delete the app from your phone. Do whatever it takes to avoid social media so you can reduce your stress levels.
  4. Shake up those traditions. – If you’ve had certain holiday traditions for a very long time, it can feel as if you’re just going through the motions. Shake things up a little. Instead the same old traditions, why not try something new? Do you always stay at home for Christmas? If you have the money, how about taking a trip to somewhere nice and warm?
  5. Use your time off to reconnect with fun outdoor activities – Exercise is well-known to boost a person’s sense of well-being. Use your time off from work to enjoy (or try new) outdoor activities. Never hiked before? Go hiking. Is the weather good enough for biking? Ride your bike outside for a few hours. Play football with the family. Incorporate these fun outdoor activities to get out of the house and improve your mood.
  6. Journal your emotions – One of the best ways to combat stress is to first admit to yourself that you’re stressed. Take a pen and paper and write down what you’re going through. Admit that there are areas of your life you’re not happy with. Becoming self-aware of your emotions increases the chances that you will do something to help you heal.
  7. Pick up a fiction book – Pick up your favorite genre of fiction novels and enjoy away!
  8. Saying no is okay – You don’t need to go to the tenth party in a row if you don’t feel like it. Saying no is okay. Explain that you’d like to enjoy some time alone and use that them to recuperate.
  9. Get the sleep you need – There’s the temptation to stay up until the wee hours of the day during the holidays. This can add to your stress levels as well. Stay rested to bust through that stress!
  10. Stick with your daily routine – A lack of a daily routine during the holiday can throw you off. Even though you may not be at work, still create some structure for your day just you’d have a work. You will fair much better and definitely reduce the stress.
  11. Do less. Enjoy more – Around the holidays, there’s always pressure to do so much especially if you’re hosting people in your home. Can you get someone to clean your house for $25 instead of doing it all yourself? Hire them to clean up for you. Instead of cooking all your holiday meals, how about ordering some of those dishes in? 
  12. Volunteer – Volunteering is a good way to look beyond ourselves and our problems so we can impact others. It can also help with perspective-you might realize during your volunteer work that even though you have valid problems, some people have it worse. 

Those are my 12 tips for busting through holiday stress.

Found this post helpful? Share it with someone else so they can reduce their holiday stress levels as well.

 


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December 5, 2019 Family Caregiver0

People who have Type 2 diabetes struggle with wound-healing.

This is because blood flow to the extremities (hands and feet) of a diabetic can become limited. In addition, the disease can damage nerves in the hands and feet. Therefore, if they sustained a wound, it is possible they would not feel it until it was too late.

Thus, even for a person who has done a good job of keeping their blood sugar in check, wound healing may be a challenge.

This can lead to serious infections that spread and ultimately lead to amputation.

There is no way you can ignore proper foot and nail care for your loved one, as a caregiver. You’ll need to learn how to care for (or help your loved one care for) their feet and nails to avoid the scenarios above.

In this post, I will share steps you can take to ensure your loved one continues to get their nail care, while reducing the probability for injury.

Foot and nail care for your elderly loved one who is diabetic

Clean the feet daily

Cleaning feet daily with a wash cloth and warm soapy water is the first step to providing foot and nail care.

If you’ll be helping them, make sure to clean in between their toes.

After washing make sure to dry their feet completely.

Bacteria and other micro-organisms thrive in areas of the body that are warm and moist.

If there is any break in the skin at all, these bacteria can enter and cause havoc.

Cut nails straight across

It’s also important to cut their nails straight across instead of curving them. A nail file is helpful here.

Ingrown toenails are a painful result of nails that curved when they are cut.

This can also lead to infections and other foot problems, especially for a diabetic.

Eat healthy

Eating the right foods in healthy proportions can help with wound healing.

Fruits and vegetables for instance are rich in Vitamin C.

Vitamin C has been known for a long time to help the body with healing.

Eating the right proportions of protein is also helpful when it comes to healing.

So help your loved one enjoy a balanced diet on a daily basis.

Exercise helps too

As I mentioned before, diabetes can lessen blood flow to the feet.

Although, one of the ways to improve blood flow to the extremities is through exercise.

Even just a simple 30-minute daily walk can be enough to get blood flowing the right way.

Talk to a doctor about foot and nail care for your loved one who is diabetic

Podiatrists are doctors who are trained in providing medical care for the feet.

I recommend that your loved one sees a podiatrist on a regular basis to receive expert care and guidance.

They can even help with cutting your loved one’s nails.

In addition to this, a medical doctor could prescribe special socks and shoes that protect your loved one’s feet.

If you have a loved one who is bedridden, a doctor may prescribe TED (Thromboembolitic Deterrent) hoses to help with blood circulation. TED hoses may look like regular pantyhose but they are effective in improving blood flow.

For a loved one who is able to walk around on their own, your doctor may prescribe compression socks to help with blood flow.

If you’ve never heard of any of these, ask your doctor about them.

 

Foot and nail care for your elderly loved one who is diabetic is important.

In fact, their lives could depend on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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If you live in the Greater San Diego or Orange County area then you know we’ve been hit with some cold nights lately!

Some parts of the county have fallen to 30 degree temperatures over the last few weeks.

This is nothing compared to what our friends in the Midwest have to deal with.

Nonetheless, they are cold temperatures and if you’re caring for a loved one, there are precautions to take.

Let’s look at safety precautions you and your family should take as the weather gets colder.

4 health and safety precautions to think of as the weather gets colder

Adequate heating

Do you have enough heating in your home?

People cite cost as a reason why they may not turn on their heat.

If this is the case for you, get in touch with SDG&E (or your local electric company if you live outside San Diego county).

Gas and electric companies have special programs for the elderly and those that fall below certain income levels.

Your rates could get adjusted based on these factors so you pay an affordable rate.

You could also find out about county and government programs that could help you and your family cover heating costs.

Helping your loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s

If you have a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s, you might want to put extra precautions in place in case they wander off.

A whopping 6 in 10 people with dementia will wander.

We have heard media stories about children or older adults with dementia who have died in the cold because they wandered off.

Even though we don’t have to endure harsh winters, this is something to keep in mind.

Keeping your loved one out of the cold can protect them from respiratory tract infections, for instance.

Practical tips to do this would include:

  • Install locks/latches at high and low points especially to protect your loved ones at night.
  • Help your loved one with calming language when they feel disoriented. Instead of becoming impatient with them, assure them that they’re safe.
  • Make sure to meet their basic needs. Your loved one may wander when a particular need -food, water, toileting-is not provided. Make sure to help them here so they don’t wander off.

Here are even more tips from the Alzheimer’s Association on how to keep your loved one from wandering.

Check on them

If you don’t live with your loved one, check on them.

Elderly adults who live alone are more likely to sustain a life-threatening injury.

You wouldn’t also know if for some reason they are unable to heat their home unless you check on them.

So check on them especially now that the weather is colder.

Pre-existing health conditions that worsen with the cold

Some people tend to get more joint pain as it gets colder.

People with any type of lung disease may also be affected by cold weather.

Make sure to check in with their doctor if there are any steps you or your loved one needs to take to prevent these episodes.

 

Following these health and safety precautions as the weather gets colder will ensure you enjoy an incident-free holiday.

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