Caregiver Tip of the Month
— Nursing Homes and Assisted Living —
Some offer a more caring environment
Unfortunately, long-term care is most often provided in facilities where frail, elderly residents live out their lives in loneliness, helplessness and boredom. In the opinion of many health care professionals, there is a better approach – the Eden Alternative. It offers a significantly improved living experience for residents of both assisted living facilities and nursing homes – stimulating environments in which residents are active, involved and thrive. Rather than simply waiting to die, the Eden Alternative creates an environment in which life can once again be worth living.
The Eden Alternative Principles
1. The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom account for the bulk of suffering among our Elders.
2. An Elder-centered community commits to creating a Human Habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals and children. It is these relationships that provide the young and old alike with a pathway to a life worth living.
3. Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Elders deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.
4. An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.
5. An Elder-centered community imbues daily life with variety and spontaneity by creating an environment in which unexpected and unpredictable interactions and happenings can take place. This is the antidote to boredom.
6. Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.
7. Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.
8. An Elder-centered community honors its Elders by de-emphasizing top-down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.
9. Creating an Elder-centered community is a never-ending process. Human growth must never be separated from human life.
10. Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any struggle against the three plagues. For it, there can be no substitute.
The Eden Alternative's website includes a searchable registry of the more than 200 group living facilities – so far – that have fully implemented the Eden Alternative approach for their residents. For more information, go to Eden Alternative.
Our visitors ask ...
Q. Is there a walker that prevents the user from falling? Someone explained a cage type walker now being used in convalescent homes.
A. The type of walker you describe looks like it is made of white 1-1/2" plastic pipe. It completely encloses the patient, has a built-in seat, and allows the patient to be somewhat mobile while substantially reducing, but not eliminating, the risk of falling.
We suggest that you check out the AbleData.com website. This federally-supported project provides information about assistive and rehabilitation equipment, including home health supplies and modification devices. Its database contains detailed information for more than 25,000 products, including price and manufacturer. To visit their website, simply click on AbleData.
Another potential source of information could be the Director of Nursing at a nursing home near you.
Daily Living Solutions
— products for seniors —
As we grow older, it often becomes difficult to use many everyday products because of arthritis and other conditions. If you or a loved one needs a little help – or a lot – we've selected a group of practical and affordable solutions from our affiliated merchants to help overcome those limitations.
Whether you are looking for yourself, or to help an elderly senior continue living in their own home, you'll find a wide variety of supplies and accessories – raised toilet seats, safety rails, incontinence supplies, large-handle eating utensils, pain relief, diabetic supplies, pill splitters and crushers, big-button telephones, canes, walkers, rollators, wheelchairs – and much more.
Everything is sorted into convenient categories in our Solutions for Seniors section.
Caregiving – Finding the money for care at home
A variety of resources can help pay for care at home. We discussed these resources in some detail beginning with the May 2004 issue of this newsletter and continuing each month through the August issue. To review these newsletters, simply click on Archives and select the issue you want to see.
Our visitors ask ...
Q. I received a phone call from my sister last night (I live in Massachusetts and she lives with my mom in California). My sister advised me that my mom has been getting considerably worse in the past 4-6 months. My mother is absolutely adamant about not going to the doctor. I am now 32 years old and do not remember a time in my life where my mom has seen a doctor. In the past few months, she has lost about 50 pounds, has constant diarrhea and vomits daily. She refuses to eat, won't get out of bed and is absolutely miserable.
My sister has contacted someone in California who will force my mom by some type of court order to be taken in for evaluation and held for 72 hours. This is something we do not want to do but every time my sister tries to communicate with my mom, she refuses to listen and refuses to go. Do you have any advice or can you point me in a direction that may help in this situation? We have no idea as to how to get through to her. Please help any way you can.
A. We are not doctors; but, it sounds like your mother may be severely depressed, is suffering from dementia, has an ulcer, and/or – the list of potential problems is large. She needs to be seen by a doctor as quickly as possible.
The laws regarding situations like this vary from state to state. Because your mother lives in California, you and your sister will have to proceed with the remedies available via the California legal system.
Your sister may be able to get someone from the California Department of Aging to come out to your mother's home and evaluate her. Your sister may also have to file a legal action to be appointed by the court as your mother's legal guardian. We recommend that she talk with an attorney who specializes in elder law. Have her check the yellow pages in her local telephone directory, or go to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys' web site at www.naela.org. On their home page, she'll find a link in the upper left corner (just below their logo) that will help her locate an elder law attorney.
Caregiver Tip #2
If possible, include your loved one in all decisions that affect them. It is best to allow them as much independence as circumstances permit. Remember that the caregiver's role is to help them maintain as much control over their lives as possible, not take it away. This includes allowing them to make their own decisions unless the decisions are potentially harmful to them.
Some of their decisions may result in an inconvenience to you. If so, step back and try to see it from their point of view. Quite often your loved one isn't being selfish, but has some real needs that must be met to maintain their quality of life. Remember, when most of us were growing up and dependent upon our parents for help, our wants and desires weren't always convenient for them. But they went ahead and helped us anyway. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Our parents need our help, especially because many elderly have difficulty doing things they once did with ease.
They share many of the same hopes and dreams, ambitions and desires of people half their age – but from a unique perspective – one that arises from the wisdom gained by experience. The more you can consult with them, consider their desires, and truly respect them, the smoother the transition in your relationship will be. Don't make the mistake of assuming that they want the same things you do.
Our visitors ask ...
Q. Is there any place to get people's opinions on various retirement homes?
A. We don't know of any Internet resource that includes consumers' opinions about various retirement homes. However, professional evaluations of nursing homes are available. For more information, visit our Nursing Home Ratings page.
Our visitors ask ...
Q. How do I remove old worn out bathtub safety treads so they can be replaced?
A. We suggest using an old putty knife (one with worn, rounded corners) or an old kitchen knife without a sharp point (not a steak knife or paring knife) to remove the treads without scratching the bathtub's surface.
The old adhesive, however, is another matter – one that depends on what material the bathtub is made of: porcelain, plastic, or cultured marble. Each material will require a different solvent to remove the adhesive without damaging the bathtub. Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and talk with someone in their paint or adhesives department to get a more expert opinion as to which solvent would be best.
Recommended Reading and Videos
Many excellent books and videos can help guide you through the caregiving process. For our recommendations, including a brief description of each one, click here.
For more helpful information from our website, click here. To see previous issues of this newsletter, click on Archives.
Aging Solutions is a free service of:
Solutions for Seniors, Inc.
1051 E HILLSDALE BLVD
FOSTER CITY, CA 94404
Your comments or suggestions for future issues are always welcome; email them to us at editor@aging-parents-and-elder-care.com
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