Posted on 03/29/2021 2:54:09 PM PDT by Pining_4_TX
As we age, our abilities inevitably decline. The activities of daily livings (ADLs) capture those skills we need to remain living an independent life – primarily getting dressed, bathing and toileting, and eating meals. Bathing and hygiene are particularly crucial – simply put, if you cannot bathe and use the toilet where you are, you need to be somewhere else. Simple home modifications, a grab bar in the shower or tub, an elevated toilet seat, a shower seat all are inexpensive additions that
“reduce injury, enable independence, preserve dignity, and improve quality of life in older people with irreversible disability for complex multifactorial reasons.”
Those simple modifications can reduce falls by 19% and increase independence by 30%, translating into considerable savings to the healthcare system over the cost. It should come as no surprise that this is another area where we may have failed “our seniors.” Here are findings from a new study reported this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.
(Excerpt) Read more at acsh.org ...
I used to say that... when I was young. :-)
Good point. He should have mentioned that.
Everybody has unmet needs. At least with these, it would actually save money in the long run (I think).
I’m sorry to hear that. He might check out care.com which has a forum with all kinds of helpful information for caregivers.
That was my first thought about Covid - that is was a plan hatched by the Social Security and Medicare administrations to kill off all the old folks.
Well, over the long term it does.
If you do nothing between the age of 40 and 65, you’re not going to live long...or comfortably.
Being physically active will stave off severe deterioration. If you start early enough. And stick with it.
But if you’re already having trouble getting out of your chair, you’re on the down slope. Recovery being quite difficult.
Thanks will definitely have a look!
When I get old,... LOL!
Yes, but some people are not active because they don’t feel good. Which comes first?
I’m only 65, so not that old yet. I hope to be like my grandmother, who lived to within a few weeks of 100. Once, when she was around 90, she said something about going over to the nursing home to read to the old people. She wasn’t trying to be funny; she just never thought of herself as old.
Being active comes first.
Just do it.
They just need to produce it in vats — so one can just roll over into it every morning, slosh around, and be good through the afternoon nap.
You said it! I'm 70 and slather Aspercreme all over before going to bed every night.
One day at a time :)
>>You know when you’re really old? When you kids talk about you in front of you....”What are we gonna do about Pop?”<<
Good one; now I’ve had my laugh of the day. My kids don’t talk about me in front of me YET, but I suspect it won’t be long now.
I’ve been my 94 year-old father’s caretaker for seven years.
He could drive a car when I started but has declined to the point where balance, body functions and his mind are slipping.
When he first started with the balance problem I gave him a cane but he wouldn’t use it. Switched that to a hiking stick and he used it for years until he had to start using a walker a couple of years ago.
Bibs are a daily attire. It saves on having to wash pajamas so often.
There are five handrails in the house, two at the commode, two at the bathtub and one where there is a step to negotiate. He could not get by without them.
Bright motion sensor night lights are all over the house.
Weight loss became and issue so butter and cream have been added to his morning eggs and his two cups of coffee in the morning are beefed up with cream and sugar to around 300 calories each. He’s gained 10 lbs in 4 months.
Ensure Plus three times a day add another 975 calories.
Switched from bed pads for humans to dog pee pads. Much cheaper and larger.
He is restricted to a route from his bed/bath to his chair in the living room. If he goes to other areas of the house he risks falling but he doesn’t always listen and it has happened a few times.
Dementia is a bitch. Some days are perfect clarity and others are a foggy haze of “how did I get this way?”
Sis lives in a nearby town and is a retired nurse. She handles the medical stuff and comes over once a day to give him some daughter compassion which he needs. I can be a real bastard sometimes when I tell him to man up. He’s not capable of doing that anymore.
He is to the point where we can’t take him out anymore, even to the doctor. There is a nurse practitioner who comes to the house once a month to give him a check up and prescribes medicine if he needs it. She’s on call so we can explain the symptoms and she’ll call something into the pharmacy.
The best advice I heard from someone who went through the same thing as a caretaker is that ‘what worked yesterday might not necessarily work today’.
Because of the dementia and repetitive routine sometimes I feel like I’m living the the movies 50 First Dates and Groundhog Day.
Anyway, thanks for the chance to vent. It felt good.
Don’t worry y’all are not slowing down, the clocks are speeding up :-)
I am right behind y’all at 67.
I saw a t-shirt on the interwebs somewhere that said IIRC...I thought getting old would take longer!
Regards
alfa6 ;<}
My BIL turned 74 the other day. I told him he didn’t look a day over 70. He said “Thanks, I feel like I’m 70!”
Maybe so but a house equipped like that will do really well on the real estate market when the time comes to sell it.
“This ole house is a-gettin’ shaky
This ole house is a-gettin’ old
This ole house lets in the rain
This ole house lets in the cold
On my knees I’m gettin’ chilly
But I feel no fear nor pain
‘Cause I see an angel peekin’
Through a broken windowpane “
Getting old is not for everyone.
the most healthy old patients I saw in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s, were the ones who told me they stayed away from Doctors, and took little or no medications.
...............................................
I’ll turn 80 in August and for many years I have made it a point to stay away from doctors, hospitals, and prescription medications. I was given prescriptions for cholesterol and thyroid four or five years ago but after a few months stopped taking them. I believe such medications, if taken too long, interfere with the body’s natural ability to overcome many diseases.
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