Tips for the Elderly – Providing Research Help for the Elderly

Help Bathing with Memory Loss

August 20, 2019August 9, 2019
by Rene Rose

Whether the person with a memory loss is living at home or in a nursing facility, bathing often provokes agitation and distress. It is one of the most stressful tasks faced by Caregivers and recipients alike. One of my clients, who lives in a condominium, has a live-in caregiver because of her memory loss.

Mrs. Jones (not her real name) is very sweet and easy going, that is, until it comes time for her bath. But it was not always that way. When I first met Mrs. Jones, I was surprised to learn that her neighbors had called the police on two occasions. Why? Because her screams were so loud. The entire complex knew when Mrs. Jones was being given her bath.

Determine the Cause of Resistance

It is not uncommon for persons with dementia (memory loss) to be taken into a shower or tub verbally and physically resisting. Why do they resist? They resist for many reasons. In institutional settings, it is common for a resident to be undressed in their room by someone they perceive to be a stranger.

Remember that the resident suffers from dementia. The Caregiver may have cared for this resident for three years, but to the memory impaired resident, the Care-giver is a stranger. Wouldn’t you resist if a stranger were taking your clothes off?

Next, the Caregiver puts a flimsy gown on him, places the resident in a chair with wheels and whisks him down a corridor with strangers on either side, staring. As he enters the shower, he begins screaming because the tiles and faucets remind him of the gas chambers in Auschwitz. The memory impaired resident perceives that he is being taken to the gas chamber.

We unknowingly contribute to the agitation and distress experienced by our loved ones and residents with dementia. Our behaviors play a major role in whether or not the task of bathing the memory impaired will be successful (i.e. not stressful). Caregivers can reduce the physical aggression and other agitated behaviors when bathing persons with dementia.

Keep in Mind the Reasons we Bathe

Lets first lookout why we bathe. Oftentimes, when I am in a long term care facility, and I observe a resident who is not happy about being bathed, I ask the Caregiver, “Why are you taking Mr. Smith to the shower?” Usually, I am told, “Because it is Monday.” Or, “Everyone is bathed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

Wrong. There are only two reasons to bathe Mr. Smith. Either Mr. Smith has soiled himself and needs to be cleaned, or he smells. But NOT because it is Monday.

Bathing is such a routine part of everyday life that it seems preposterous to ask why we do it. However, when residents and loved ones clearly become distressed by the experience of being bathed, it is worth inquiring whether, when, how, and how often this has to happen.

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Early Warning Signs of Forgetfulness

August 11, 2019August 9, 2019
by Rene Rose

Everyone experiences forgetfulness. It is a natural part of life. When we have too many things on our minds or when we are feeling pressured from family, friends and co-workers, we often forget.

Even the simplest thought – what we had for dinner last night – becomes a blur. Keys are misplaced and we forget where we parked the car.

As we age, this forgetfulness may increase slightly. It is a normal process of aging. How do we know, then, when forgetfulness indicates a more serious problem such as depression or Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders?

Signs of Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is progressive. It gets worse over time. Memory lapses become more frequent. Notes to ourselves become less effective. Memory loss begins to interfere with day to day activities. Only your doctor can determine if your confusion indicates a more serious memory 1oss other than age-related.

The following warning signs will help you to know what to look for in determining whether or not your loved one may have Alzheimer disease or other dementia illness. If you check several items, see your physician for a complete examination:

car accidents
change in personality
loss of several hours
difficulty remembering time and place
problems at work
unable to balance checkbook
placing items in inappropriate places
unable to recognize familiar faces
difficulty performing everyday tasks
poor or decreased judgment
problems with abstract thinking

Other Symptoms Caused by Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness may also be due to stress. No one is immune from stress. Anyone at any age can experience stress. Burnout, which can result from chronic or extreme stress, has been blamed for costing the North American economy $200 billion a year.

One major car company pays as much for stress and burnout as it does for steel.

The effects of burnout are devastating to families. We only have to look at drug abuse, alcoholism, spouse and child abuse, suicides and other self abuse to see evidence of people who have lost their self control and perhaps, self-love.

How do you know if your forgetfulness is due to stress? Look around What is happening in your life? Did you recently go back to school while holding a full time job? Did your son or daughter recently get divorced? Are you worried about finances? All of these scenarios cause stress.

In some cases, our response to this stress may be insomnia and loss of sleep.

Other times, we may find ourselves irritable or fatigued. And, of course, another reaction may be forgetfulness. In this case, if you eliminate the stress (or develop strategies for coping) you will eliminate the forgetfulness.

Elderly Products

Help Maintain Your Balance with a Standing Aid

June 22, 2019June 24, 2019
by Rene Rose

A standing aid can provide the needed support for you stand up and maintain your balance in the process. Many seniors have trouble standing on their own either due to weakened legs, medication side effects or other conditions.

Depending on your condition, you may want to consider physical activity such as walking even with a walking device if you need it. This movement helps to strengthen the leg muscles and that in turn helps to maintain better balance.

Standing support is available in various styles including those with advanced technology. You can use them anywhere and whenever you need to. Some models are portable for convenient travel.

How to Select a Standing Aid

Know the weight capacity of the support device. One of the most important factors to consider is the weight capacity of the device you would like to use. The one you select must be adequate for your weight.
Determine where this aid will be used. If you need assistance to get into your bed or out of your bed, you will want a device such as a bed support rail designed for that purpose. For the bathroom you would want the appropriate grab bars and so forth.
Determine if you need a portable model. Some of the devices are available in a portable version for easy travel.

Having Trouble Getting Out of the Car?

You can also benefit from a standing aid to get out of your car with ease with the auto mobility solution above. You will first need to turn your body to face the door. A seat cushion that swivels helps you do that.

Once you make that turn a specialized handle provides the needed assistance for you to stand and exit the car and helps you maintain your balance as you stand.

How About a Gentle Lift Up?

A lift chair will give you a gentle lift up to make it easier for you to stand. The portable version is a seat assist that you can take along with you and place it on a seat when and where necessary.

The same mechanism works for a portable commode. It can be used separately or over the toilet. It actually lifts some of your weight for you so you can raise yourself up with minimum effort.

Other standing devices include security pole, pole with bar, lift walker and couch cane. The poles require installation and are fixed to the floor. They can be placed in different rooms in the home (see images for poles and lift walker at the top of this pate). The couch cane is movable and is typically used with a couch or large chair. The lift walker can be carried around to use as necessary.

These are some of the devices to assist you with maintaining your balance as you get up from a seat. Look around our website for more support solutions.

Elderly Products

Elderly Products for Daily Living

June 19, 2019June 22, 2019
by Rene Rose

If you are looking for elderly products or solutions to help seniors with daily living activities you are at the right place.

Woodwardhome.org specializes in products for the elderly and equipment for disabled seniors. We provide practical solutions for the daily challenges many elders face when performing routine tasks. Our product line includes elderly devices, caregiver tools and a range of disability aids designed to make life a little easier for older adults .

Elderly care is our business. We have been assisting seniors and their caregivers since 2016. We also work with contractors needing equipment for home modification to make living at home safer and more suitable for elders who want to age in place. We offer volume discounts for large orders and work with businesses, government agencies, schools and other organizations.

We have been successful in helping many senior citizens make informed decisions to accommodate their needs at home in consultation with their care provider through the range of content provided on our website.

Residential Ramps for the Elderly

We understand the special needs of the elderly, the concerns loved ones may have and the challenges caregivers often experience. We designed our product line with you in mind.

Throughout this website you will find information that will help you to understand what is available. We show you different options that may assist with specific challenges.

Identify solutions to meet your needs. We inform you about various assistive devices and systems that you may not know about and describe conditions or daily living issues they can help alleviate or solve. This makes it easier for you to identify solutions for your particular situation.

Make informed decisions. We provide checklists, tips, data and other relevant information to consider when evaluating possible solutions.

How Elderly Products Can Meet Your Needs of Daily Living

The frustration many older adults experience when dealing with limitations often associated with aging can be alleviated with the use of appropriate elderly products for daily living.

Today’s technology makes it possible for seniors to maintain their independence while remaining in their own residence. For those who are not so independent, assisted living is also made possible right at home.

The key is to recognize the signs of weakened physical or mental abilities and consult with your health care professional about making some adjustments and the use of assistive devices.

Using elderly products that meet your needs such as a specialized phone with amplification technology if you are hard of hearing can be life changing for you and those around you, as this device facilitates normal phone conversation for people with hearing difficulties.

Look around our website and discover devices, equipment, systems and gadgets that you probably did not know exist and get the right fit for your situation.

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Osteoporosis and Hip Fracture: Reduce Your Risk

June 16, 2019June 21, 2019
by Rene Rose

Osteoporosis and hip fracture are conditions that seem to go hand in hand. Unfortunately, many of us know someone who has had a fall that resulted in a hip fracture.

Later we find out that they also have a history of osteoporosis. In order to understand how these two conditions correlate, it is important to understand osteoporosis.

The Basics of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis can be described by low bone density. Your bones have parts that are porous and resemble a honeycomb. In people with osteoporosis, the spaces in the honeycomb are much bigger and there is less structural support in the honeycomb.

This happens when you lose too much bone mass, make too little bone or both. With low bone mineral density, your bones become weak and are prone to breaking.

As a normal part of body function, our bones are constantly losing old bone material and creating new bone mass. Unfortunately, as you age, you can lose more bone than you form, which leads to weak and brittle bones.

The most common areas of osteoporosis related bone loss is in the wrists, spine and hips. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 54 million Americans have low bone density or this condition.

How Osteoporosis and Hip Fracture are Related

Because individuals with osteoporosis have low bone density and weak bones, they are more likely to break. Broken bones related to osteoporosis are common at the hip. As we age, we are more likely to break a hip, as the rate of falls increases with age.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in every three adults age 65+ has a fall each year. This means that 33% of older individuals are falling each year. When you have low bone mineral density, then your bones are prone to breaking with even a small amount of stress.

Think about the force placed on your bone if you were to fall right on your hip. You can imagine that the weight of your body would be enough to break the bone. This why these two conditions go hand in hand.

Prevention strategies

There are strategies you can use to decrease your likelihood of having osteoporosis and hip fracture. In order to improve your bone mineral density, you should walk daily. To reduce your risk of hip fracture, you should actively work on improving your balance and strength to reduce your risk of falls.

Many older adults do not want to talk to their family or healthcare providers about falling, because they are afraid of how they might respond. However, it is important to address the underlying causes that can result in falling to avoid future injuries.

Set up your home for success and avoid environmental hazards that can cause you to fall at home. One of the best ways to prevent a hip fracture related to osteoporosis is to stay up on your feet!