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Home Adaptations for Independent Living
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Aiding the Caregiver
| Posted on December 25, 2013 at 2:11 PM |
We talk about adapting or building homes for aging
in place as being critical for safe and independent aging, most often with the focus
on the aging client themselves. Adaptations include replacing tubs (when climbing over a tub wall gets too difficult ) with walk in showers, or
installing comfort height toilets to counteract the difficulties many
people encounter when getting up from a seated position, or adding bars that help
with balance issues. Without question, all of these measures contribute greatly
to safety and independence as we age. It's important to acknowledge that creating a barrier
free environment will also positively impact the types of caregivers we attract and the quality of care we may receive in the future. We recently adapted a home for a client who required
a wheelchair for mobility. Her biggest problems centered around her
bathroom. Between the narrow doorway and overall configuration of the space, she was
unable to get her wheelchair inside the bathroom, relying instead on her caregivers carrying her (or more accurately dragging her) through the bath
in order to use the toilet. She admitted that she had considered renovating her
bath to accommodate her failing health, but as she explained, her caregivers were "wonderful
and willing to compensate and carry her throughout the home when necessary." It came as an unpleasant surprise and rude awakening when one of her aides
dropped her en route from doorway to toilet, prompting our client to call us
for help. Our initial conversations included her main caregiver who
admitted she did not like having to carry our client at all and was worried not only
about the client's safety but her own. She expressed that if we could not provide solutions to the restrictive bathroom configuration, she would need to resign for fear she would ultimately injure her client. So let's acknowledge that if we want to retain
quality caregivers, we need to set up safe, easy to negotiate spaces not only for
ourselves but for them as well. Caregiving is often a difficult, stressful job and the last thing any responsible caregiver wants is to cause harm to
their loved one, or get injured themselves and unable to do their job. And while we're on the topic of caregiving, I recently received an
email from a reader who found himself thrust into the role of family caregiver when his wife was diagnosed with a rare and deadly cancer three months after giving birth to their baby daughter. Happily, his wife ultimately won her
battle and survived the ordeal.
What they went through however proved to be such an extreme learning experience
for them both, that he wanted to share his thoughts about effective caregiving in the hopes it would benefit others. “In the beginning it was an intense whirlwind of
emotion and confusion as I did not fully understand what exactly needed to be
done. I had to quickly learn what was
required of me and go above and go beyond these requirements for my wife. I had to remain strong for my wife, my
daughter, and myself. During my trials, and the trials of the many other
caregivers I met along my journey, many lessons were learned. Here are some of the best tips for being a
caregiver that I have learned from my experiences. USE RESOURCES TO BECOME INFORMED Knowing all the options you have regarding treatment
and all possible outcomes will help you feel more prepared for any decisions
you might have to make. Write any
questions you may have down so that you don’t forget them when you are with the
doctor. Remain organized with your
information and your questions, and don’t be afraid to ask about even the most
minor things. ESTABLISH PRIORITIES Prioritize everything that needs to be done. You
may find yourself overwhelmed with everything, but prioritizing will help you organize and can make the entire experience easier. ASK FOR HELP Consider hiring and/or enlisting the help of others
for those things you don’t absolutely need to be responsible for. Friends
and family are often eager to help, but they really don’t know what would be most helpful.
A
little direction can go a long way.
Asking for and accepting their help can make things considerably easier on you and your
loved one. This alone will go a long way towards lowering your stress levels
and helping you focus on things you need to get done. TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF When a loved one is ill and everything falls onto
you, taking some time for yourself can make you feel selfish. This is not the case however and can actually
be very beneficial. Taking this time to
unwind can lower your stress levels, and allow you to focus greater attention
to your loved one as well as the many things that need to get done. If you fail to take any time for yourself,
your stress levels will remain high and your ability to do anything will be
greatly reduced. USE TOOLS TO REMAIN ORGANIZED There are many things that can help you remain
organized and focused. Clutter and
disorganization will lead to higher stress levels and an inability to fully
understand what needs to be done and where priorities lie. Keeping a notepad handy to jot down reminders
will help immensely. Keep all important
paperwork and information sorted into folders in one place nearby.
This way you never find yourself frantically looking for that one piece
of paper with the important information you need at the last minute.  Susan Luxenberg President HomeSmart LLC |
Categories: Fixing To Stay
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