Taking care of an elderly patient requires patience, kindness and tried and true tips for making everyone’s life easier. Here are a few things that you can try out that might make the care taking life a bit more simpler. These wonderful inventions will not only make your life easier but will keep your elderly safer.
Disposable Mattress Pads
Disposable mattress pads are a good idea if the elderly patient has an incontinence issue. You will likely want to use diapers for adults as well but just in case of leakage or something going wrong while they are asleep, disposable mattress pads will avoid the mess. You won’t have to worry about washing or cleaning up to much, you can just ball the entire thing up and throw it away. It’s a good idea to lay out one of the disposable bed pads on top of another so that if there is an accident in the middle of the night, you can simply take the top one off and the bed is ready to go without much fuss or hassle.
Ear Plugs
As people age, their hearing starts to wane. If you find yourself getting a headache or frustrated with the level that your loved one listens to the radio or watches the television at, get some ear plugs for yourself. You can try turning up their hearing aid, but that can only do so much. You’ll be much happier having your own ear plugs. Just make sure that you periodically check on the patient while you are wearing them in case something happens and you can’t hear anything.
Reading Glasses With a Light
Many elderly people struggle with insomnia. If they like to read or hand sew in bed or anything like that, they’ll need a light. Having this light on for a long period of time or even all night will not only bring up the electricity bill but might prevent them from falling asleep at all because of the brightness. Purchase the little lights that connect to their glasses. This way, they can see what they need to but it will be easier to fall asleep since the light is dimmer. If they forget to turn off the light before going to sleep, it won’t make any difference to the utility bill at all.
Personal Emergency Button
Invest in a device that your loved one can carry with them from room to room. Falling is a major concern for the elderly and you don’t want them to be laying on the floor unable to move for any time at all. Teach them how to use their device so that if something happens, they are able to press a button and get your attention or someone’s attention right away. If someone is there 24 hours a day, seven days a week with them, then this isn’t as important but if they are ever left alone even for a few minutes it’s important that they have a way to call for help.
Tracking Devices
If you are caring for an older loved one that happens to have a problem with their memories, this can cause them to wander. There are so many ways that you could attach a tracking device to their clothes or shoes in order to help you find them if you think they have gone missing. The nice thing is that they probably can’t move very quickly but you want to be able to find them immediately.
Medication Alarms
Remembering to take medication is important and ensuring they are not overdosing is important. Set up alarms in the pill boxes so that your loved one is not taking more than necessary and set another to remind them when to take it at all.
If the elderly patient that you are caring for is a family member or a loved one, it can be emotionally difficult for you to have them use things like disposable mattress pads and walkers and canes for elderly people. This is because it simply serves as a reminder that they are getting older and that your time with them is short. Because of that, make sure that you are doing everything you can to enjoy the time that you have.