Since part of the blog is for caring for elderly relatives I thought today would be a good day to list some things that you should have handy when you care for your elderly relative. Then the readers and posters of the blogs can add to the list and we can provide some helpful information to each other and to visitors to the blog. Of course if you elderly relative is in foster care or assisted living the list would change.
Here are some things that I think would be helpful:
Blood pressure kit. I prefer the Omron ones that go around the wrist that you can buy at Costco or Walgrens.
A sugar testing kit even if the elderly parent doesn't have diabetes to test for low blood sugar episodes.
Notepad and pen.
A list of phone numbers of doctors, hospitals, pharamacyies, friends, and relatives of the parent.
Cell phone or at minimum a non-cordless phone that doesn't require power to work in case the power goes out.
Minimum of two flashlights with good batteries in case the power goes out.
Candles or Kerosene lamps. I would go with the lampts because they are much safer.
Several different sizes of replacement.
Aspirin.
Pain pads that you can buy at any store or Absorbine, Jr roll-on pain liquid.
A night bag with essentials in case the elderly relative takes an unexpected trip to the hospital.
Bottles of disinfectants.
A file with the elderly relative's legal papers like the Advance Directive, Living Will, if the are an organ donor a copy of their donor card.
A case of bottled water.
Some nonperishable food.
And the last item is only if you can get insurance to pay for it because the cost is over twelve hundred bucks if you pay for yourself but if insurance will pay a home defibrillator.
What would be on your list? What did I miss?
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11 comments:
That's a lotta stuff on the list, Bill! Most of it I haven't had to deal with, since mom's been in some kind of assisted living for years now. But I might add one thing: a divided box labeled w/days of the week and a.m., noon, and p.m. for medications if your care-ee takes them herself.
You've reminded me, though. I must keep checking the batteries in the motion detector in mom's room. They could run out at any time now, since we've had it for a while.
Sure agree on the file with papers. I know where mine are, but I should put together a traveling file with copies to hand out, too.
Patience.
LOL, Dona! We should all put that one first on the list!
Great list, Bill! I have most of those things at Mom's house, sometimes copies here. The notepad and pen travel in my purse at all times, with notes from phone calls with Mom, as well as from app'ts with doctors and PTs.
In addition to the phone numbers, I recommend a list of every medication the elder is taking and whether it's taken morning, noon, dinner or bedtime, since meds can't be mixed within a few hours of each other and some are taken more than once a day. Even with the handy-dandy pill organizers, it's easy for a mix-up to occur and good to have a reference to check.
There are also battery powered lamps now available, which are safer than either candles or the oil lamps.
I hadn't thought about the packed overnight bag, but it makes a lot of sense. I think it should contain a copy of the list of phone numbers and meds in a clearly labeled envelope at or near the top or easily spotted.
For those caring for elderly parents or relatives who are living on their own, I really recommend a med-alert system of some sort. The type where the "patient" has a sort of necklace with a button to push, should they fall or run into any other problems. You can set them up so if the alarm sounds, the center is instructed to immediately call the EMTs or they're to call you or a next door neighbor first and either follow your instructions or, if they can't reach you, call the EMTs. If the center receives a call and can get no response through the speaker when they respond, they'll call the EMTs first, then you or anyone designated to be notified. It's an out-of-pocket expense, but worth every penny, in terms of peace of mind for everyone involved, IMHO.
Dona, you're absolutely right. Patience is a critical. Now, if only we could find a place to get it somedays!
Hi Pat
I forgot the most important thing on the list! A list of drugs the elderly patient takes and a divided box with days of a week etc! Great suggestion! And you can get those boxes at the Dollar Store
A copy of the papers in the file to give to someone if you are out of town too.
You came up with some great suggestions!
Bill
Dona
LOL. It goes on my list right now especially after being at my Mom's going on four nights in a row and with the caregiver sick it looks like I will be here through Saturday!
Bill
Hi Dr
Great suggestion about the list of drugs. That is the first thing 911 ask for when they arrive and also the first thing asked at the emergency room!
I'm going to look for some battery powered lamps, where do you get them?
Another great suggestion to put envelopes in the overnight back with the numbers and meds!
Med alerts are good too! It gives the caregive peace of mind too!
Bill
Look for the battery powered lamps in camping sections of department, discount or hardware stores. I'm pretty sure that's where we saw them.
Hi DR
There is a Home Depot and a Target withing walkking distance of my house, I will check with both of those for battery operated lamps!
Bill
What we've done for dad since a spate of frequent hospitalisations some years ago, was to do start a notebook detailing his medication, which has to be updated a few times daily, everytime he takes his meds. It a notebook, just a schoolkid's copybook really, with columns drawn across the two pages. The first column is wide, it lists all the medications he takes, and their dosage, in the morning, afternoon and night. At the bottom is his blood pressure reading.
The rest of the columns across the page are numbered 1 to 31, for the days of the month.
So each day, he ticks the column for the day's date, all the way down the page -- when he takes the morning medication, eg, he ticks the space next to it, all the way down to the night dose at the bottom of the page during the course of the day. And he fills out his blood pressure reading too.
This helps indicate at any point in the day when he last took his medication, and when's the next one due. And if he forgot to take something. So it serves as a reminder for him, and if he gets hospitalised or in an emergency, it also shows at one glance when the next medication is due.
If you haven't got the space across the two pages for the whole month, at least do a week's worth that you can see at one glance. That helps you keep tab of the blood pressure as well.
Now the rest of the update, which I was going to do when you opened the blog up for the weekly update, but I'll put it in now since I'm writing.
Not so good news, actually. Dad fell yesterday and is now in hospital with a hip fracture. He is scheduled for hip replacement surgery first thing tomorrow morning. He's a terrible patient. I know he's in pain, but he's moaning and keening, it's awful to hear and sets everybody on edge.
I don't really know how he fell. He said he tripped, but mum said where he fell, there was nothing he could have tripped over. Her hypothesis is that dad, in the past week, started walking sideways, like a crab, because shuffling like that must have seemed easier for him to do, at the time. In other words, he wasn't following what he learnt at physio -- face where you're going, feet pointed in that direction, and take measured steps. I think he said he tripped because he didn't want to be faulted. Mum thinks that from how he landed, he was shuffling sideways again, and possible tripped over his own feet.
Well, all that's really moot now. However it happened, it has happened and now we just need to deal with it.
Hi Snug
The best to you and your dad! Falls are so dangerous for the elderly. Your dad, you, your husband, and your family will be in my prayers tomorrow morning while your dad undergoes surgery. I hope the hip replacement will bring new life to him!
The note book is a great idea! For a number of reasons!
Bill
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