Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Fall Risks for the Aging

Just this past weekend we had two risky events. I stumbled in the parking lot of the local big box store and my husband slipped in the bathroom. Of the two, the bathroom slip was the more dangerous. The stumble was only potentially embarrassing.
As we age the risk of serious injury from falls increases. Bones become more brittle and the risk of a break secondary to a fall increases. Our loss of muscle mass leads to greater challenges as we try to catch ourselves to stop a fall or weakness that may lead to a fall. We are also more likely to have challenges to our sense of balance.
These are only the reasons that we may fall, where we fall also effects the outcome. In the parking lot I had visions of scrapes on hands and knees from the blacktop while I moved forward to regain my balance. The risk of a break is there as it is with any fall but scrapes and bruises are more likely.
The concerns in the bathroom were greater for a couple of reasons, the first being the hard surfaces in most bathrooms and the fact that my husband uses a blood thinner per his doctor's orders. We have grab bars well placed around the toilet and the shower which came in handy to help my husband to guide himself to a sitting position and a softer landing. We have added slip resistant tape to the bottom of the shower rug (it slipped to cause the incident) and will be adding another grab bar in the shower to accommodate his increasing difficulties with balance.
When there are changes in status, always move to change the responses as quickly as possible. The changes we have made and will make in the bathroom will allow us to continue in our home with safety.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

KS - More progress, good results

KS has moved into the assisted living facility she chose about 2 weeks ago. With her challenges this is moving at light speed. New clothing was purchased during a whirlwind shopping trip in one evening. More will need to be purchased but we can now take our time and only purchase small quantities as needed. She left all of her clothing at the old house and will need new clothing for each season as we move through the year.
New furniture was purchased with her room in mind and it fits wonderfully. The way her husband's will is set leaves all of the furniture in the house to her stepsons. That combined with the level of contamination in the house makes the furniture unusable without decontamination. The new furniture has been a wonderful option for her and she is having fun deciding how it will be arranged.
The new computer is set up and we need only buy a USB cable to connect the printer. This is the last we need to do in the facility and we hope to make today the last walk through of the house before KS leaves for good.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Hot, hot, hot

Even if you think that global climate change is not real, you cannot ignore the heat that is baking the US at present. There is also a drought in Africa that is resulting in famine. The rains and run off from snow melt combined to create flooding in the Midwest this past spring and the evaporating waters drive the humidity to raise the heat index to record levels.
Throughout all of this we need to keep in touch with our aging relatives and neighbors. The power grid is being stressed and we are beginning to hear about brown outs and other power interruptions. This raises the risk of heat related injury and death, especially for the very young and the very old.
One of the problems for the aging population is that they do not notice that they are becoming dehydrated. By the time they are thirsty they are already at risk. Be sure that they stay out of the heat in an air conditioned area and that they drink at least a quart of water or non-alcoholic beverage an hour if they are not in air conditioning. Preventing heat stress is easier than treating it.
If your family member or friend is in distress, call 911. They will send help and will provide guidance for what you can do while waiting for the Emergency Services to get to you.s

Sunday, July 17, 2011

More regarding KS and her saga

KS has made the decision to move to an Assisted Living facility. Now the real fun begins. Because of the unsanitary situation in her home, she will not be bringing any clothing from home to the facility. We will be taking her to purchase all new clothing as well as the furniture pieces she will be using in the facility. All of us helping her have other work obligations and she has been taking up huge amounts of time. With any luck KS will be in the facility by the end of the week and we can scale back how much time we spend. There will be more to be done but the urgency will recede.
This is the kind of situation you may find facing you as someone suddenly needs much more time and attention. Personal relationships may be stressed while you deal with the crisis and you need to keep an eye on maintaining these as well as they need to give you the flexibility to deal with a short term situation.
An additional side to this whole situation is that KS has the resources to "go first class" and working out how to pay for things is not a pressing issue. We will be looking for sale items and ways to conserve money but she will be able to buy with an eye to value for price more so than price alone.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Making the Move, more in the saga of KS

KS has made the choice to move to an Assisted Living facility. This was not easy for her because she has trouble making decisions, hates/fears change and worries about the cost. In many cases cost will be a significant issue but in the case of KS, she has sufficient funds to make the move.
Now we begin the process of down sizing her belongings. The house she is moving from is a 4 bedroom home with a living room, dining room, family room and kitchen with 2 1/2 baths. The house is also a hoarder's nightmare. KS will be going through the things in the home to choose what she is taking. Because of cleanliness issues, she will only be taking her books and a few other personal objects. This will work for her, if your family is in a similar situation it may not be an easy sell.
Working with someone to move into a small space will require thought and tact. If you have helped them to make the decision to move, try to choose the space first. This will give you the opportunity to measure space available and present concrete limits to what can be moved into the apartment or room. You may even suggest new furniture to fit the new space if there are sufficient resources to accomplish that. Remember that second hand furniture can be a choice if you are careful about checking its condition.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Further facts on the Tale of KS

KS is rapidly closing on the day that she will make a decision regarding where she will live. The three significant choices are remaining in her current home with a significant clean-up, assisted living #1 or assisted living #2. We are now dealing with an issue that rises often enough to be almost usual, opinions offered by well meaning but incompletely informed family members.
If you remember, those of us assisting KS are not relatives, we are friends. KS has trouble making decisions and will agree with the last person to talk with her. Two relatives who are unable to understand the degree of the challenges she faces in getting from today to tomorrow are trying to get her to choose a living arrangement that would be suitable for them. Unfortunately this is without understanding her need for supervision, interpersonal interactions, and a need to limit further changes.
There need to be several conversations with these family members to help them to understand that KS is not well served by the conflicting advice and by advice based on incomplete information.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Coping With the First Crisis

There will come a time when it is impossible to ignore that someone is no longer able to continue to be the independent person they have been in the past. The call comes in that Mother or Daddy has fallen, had a stroke or some other crisis has occurred. Rest assured that you and your other family members will cope with the decisions that need to be made. The conversation will be underway whether or not you or your loved ones are prepared.  If you are lucky the crisis will be a small pothole, not a washed out bridge. If you have had the conversations before the crisis, you will be making decisions with more information and some things will have been decided ahead of time.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Age: Is it no more than a number?

Is a person's age more than just an number? Yes and no. Today the news made note that Nancy Reagan is celebrating her 90th birthday. Last week, at the conference we attended, a friend was serenaded in the hospitality suite to mark her 90th birthday. Betty White is spry and active at 89 and Ernest Borgnine is past 90 and still working. There are people well into their 8th and 9th decades celebrated for their level of activity on a regular basis. The thing to keep in mind is that they are celebrated because they are outside of the norm. Most of us are not physically active and in good health past 75 or 80. It is advantageous of us to begin to help gradually as our loved ones age.
We need to acknowledge that our loved ones are probably slowing down as they age. Bone strength can be promoted by weight bearing exercise but bone loss will eventually catch up with all of us as we age. Women represent a greater percent of those who experience osteoporosis because of two factors. Women have less bone mass at the peak of skeletal strength and we live longer into the ages that result in bone loss. Men will also experience bone loss as they age but they start with more. Other effects of increasing age include a loss of muscle mass and strength, diminished collagen under the skin which results in wrinkles, and diminished sensory sensitivity.
A diminished sense of taste and smell makes food less appealing and appetites often decrease. This will result in weight loss and poor nutrition if we don't find ways to help our aging relatives find ways to enjoy food with more intense flavors as well as good nutritional content.
Keeping active physically will improve bone mass and muscle strength. It will be helpful to promote exercise if we attend classes or the gym at the same time. If you ask them to come to support you in your efforts to be more fit they may see it as a means to help you even if it is really the other way round. Of course, it never hurts to be more active ourselves.