Try: Pirchase a button hook at a medical supply store or order one from a medical catalog this is a device with a handle and loop on the end the loop is placed through the buttonhole and around the button by pulling the loop back through the buttonhole the button is fastened tying shoes can be made easier by using elastic shoelaces elastic laces are tied once and after that they stretch shoes with velcro straps will allow you to avoid tying shoelaces altogether

Materials: Velcro-close shoes elastic shoelaces buttonhook

Categories: Personal, Mobility, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Independence, No Supervision

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Nursing homes are common for care recipients cr at the end of their lives however many people need a nursing home level of care but would prefer to remain in their own home with the help of their family and friends community services and professional care agencies there are some crs however who require less than skilled care or who require skilled care for only brief periods of time in most communities people can choose from a variety of living arrangements that offer different levels of care before deciding on a care setting talk to a doctor or maybe a social worker about your care needs most people want to stay in their home for as long as possible if the cr is considering staying at home make sure he is aware of the amount of responsibility and work involved if the cr cannot live independently but doesn’t want to live in a nursing home he may want to consider some of the other alternatives available other alternatives include in home care assisted living board care homes and other alternatives information references

Materials: n/a

Categories: Personal

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Medicare gov

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Discuss the importance of good hand washing to the cr and how it may limit the spread of germs and sickness suggest that the cr wash hands before during and after preparing food before eating after using the toilet after blowing nose coughing or sneezing after touching garbage after touching objects such as door handles and grocery carts in public places note the above examples are not an all inclusive list there are many other situations where good judgment would call for hand washing wash your hands along with the cr to encourage good hand washing technique use the following steps wet hands with clean running water apply soap and work into a full lather keep scrubbing to the count of 20 rinse your hands under running water to get the soap off dry with a clean towel

Materials: Water soap it is not necessary to buy the antibacterial kind clean towel

Categories: Personal

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from www eatright org www health harvard edu and www cdc gov

Keywords: Disease control infection control personal hygiene

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Try to understand things from your cr’s point of view if this cr has been used to living independently for most of his life and residing in his own home having to give up that autonomy can be hard for him to deal with he may just be taking out his anger on you because of built up frustration with the situation he now finds himself in be patient and realize that the cr has to make an adjustment to the changes in his living arrangements make sure the cr gets a thorough checkup by his doctor sometimes personality issues depression and anger can be due to health problems a good physical examination can determine if there are any diseases or medical conditions that may be contributing to the cr’s behavior get help ask other family members to do their part in sharing care-giving responsibilities there are things they can do such as helping with meals or running errands or sitting with the cr when you have to go out if your family members fail to step up to the plate find out which community services and resources may be able to offer help make sure you’re okay as a caregiver caregivers tend to burn out very quickly especially if the cr is staying in your home is cranky and unpleasant stress can adversely affect you physically so keep yourself healthy eat wisely take any medications you are supposed to take and get exercise get support from friends other relatives your place of worship and more consider putting the cr in a day program one or more days a week this will enable you to get a break for a few hours and open up the opportunity for the cr to participate in enjoyable activities and make new friends you may even notice that his mood is more positive when he is around his peers the type of day program you utilize depends upon the physical and mental state of the participant activities may involve listening to music doing crafts and eating meals some adult day programs offer transportation to and from their facilities while this may cost money it is often worth it for the break

Materials: n/a

Categories: Personal

Information: n/a

References: Ehow com

Keywords: Living with care recipient

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Get help with daily tasks give yourself more time and less hassle by using services that can take care of everyday activities like shopping cooking bill paying and housekeeping you could also ask a friend or relative to help with these tasks also if needed get meals or groceries delivered to your home also consider stocking your freezer with microwave meals use a lawn service to do yard work hire a cleaning service to vacuum dust mop and do laundry use memory aides labels lists notebooks and sticky notes can help you cope with memory loss label drawers to help you find things keep important numbers by the phone post reminders to lock doors or shut windows take safety measures make home safety improvements such as installing grab bars in the bathroom to minimize falls use appliances that have an automatic shut-off feature plan for the future at some point it will become too difficult to live independently make plans now for your future care so your family can honor your wishes take your medications as prescribed taking your alzheimer alzheimer’s meds can help minimize symptoms consider using a pill box to help you organize medications ask the pharmacist or a family member to place pills in the pill box for you write down the times to take your medicine on a calendar plan transportation if it is no longer safe for you to drive there are other ways to get where you need to go ask family and friends for a ride take taxi cabs or other public transportation some communities offer services for seniors and those with special needs stay active continue doing hobbies you enjoy whether it it’s gardening dancing painting volunteering playing sports or card games you will benefit from the mental and social stimulation get support get in touch with family and friends also work with elder resources

Materials: n/a

Categories: Personal

Information: n/a

References: Www alz org

Keywords: Dependence independence

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Be patient when you are teaching cr have enough patience for him her because sometimes he she may be harder to teach than your kids make yourself approachable so cr won’t hesitate to ask questions try to help cr be comfortable with the computer cr may feel intimidated in front of the computer so you must make him her feel comfortable all the time and encourage cr that learning to use a computer can be done by anyone regardless of their age show respect in teaching cr you may have to repeat each step that you are teaching to be able to help him her catch up cr expects to be treated right and be respected you can show respect to cr by being patient to him her all the time even though he she may be harder to teach than the usual in teaching cr try to speak slowly and softly show cr individually how to navigate the computer to find and use each program he she is interested in then it is important to let cr do ithe tasks him herself still with your help so you can make sure he she has learned each task correctly; explain things clearly once you have started the process in teaching cr make him her comfortable by showing each part of the computer in that way you can help removing cr’s fears of using the computer if he she understands the use of each part show cr the monitor mouse keyboard memory processor and video card then allow him her to learn the use of it get started now that you know how to approach cr you may start teaching them the basics you may start turning on the computer explain the use of the mouse and keyboard manually the best way to get started is to teach cr how to play solitaire on the computer it is easy to be learned and cr may enjoy it it will instantly resolve cr’s fears and intimidations once he she gets to enjoy using it teach the basic programs start teaching cr how to operate the necessary things about computers and how to navigate it explain to cr how to use basic programs on the computer like microsoft word and excel tell him her what these programs can do for him her show cr the importance of these programs to get his her interest on it then help cr to understand about the internet and demonstrate how it works ask cr to do a search on the search engine to introduce it to him her cr may find it hard to handle a mouse he she may even hold it in a wrong way try guiding cr’s hands while moving the mouse avoid talking and using complicated words such as computer terms that may be harder for cr to relate to ajust every setting on the monitor so that give some reminders remind cr to practice navigating the computer more often tell cr that the more he she expose him herself into it the more he she will learn you may want to write down some important lists on how to navigate the computer and give it to cr so he she has his her guide when he she is on his her own

Materials: Pen and paper

Categories: Sage, Topic, Personal, Social

Information: From the telephone book look under support groups or nicotine anonymous

References: how to teach senior citizens to use a computer by troy marshall no date available at www howtodothings com

Keywords: Computer internet

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Remove or tighten any loosely fitting towel bars to avoid those being used unsafely as a grab bar

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Personal

Information: n/a

References: guide to in-home senior safety by home watch care givers available at www homewatchcaregivers com

Keywords: Falls bathing bath tub shower bathroom safety

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Install grab bars on each side of the toilet

Materials: Grab bars

Categories: Sage, Topic, Personal

Information: n/a

References: guide to in-home senior safety by home watch care givers available at www homewatchcaregivers com

Keywords: Falls toilet sitting bathroom safety

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Install an elevated toilet seat to help with standing and sitting

Materials: Elevated toilet seat

Categories: Sage, Topic, Personal

Information: n/a

References: guide to in-home senior safety by home watch care givers available at www homewatchcaregivers com

Keywords: Falls toilet sitting bathroom safety

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: If there is a need to step into a bathtub it is vital that a grab handle is installed on the outside of the bath

Materials: Grab handle

Categories: Sage, Topic, Personal

Information: n/a

References: guide to in-home senior safety by home watch care givers available at www homewatchcaregivers com

Keywords: Falls bathing bath tub shower bathroom safety

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed