Our Elders Care

Resources:

• • http://www.elderwiseinc.com - Certified Care Givers - for Southern VT & NH

• www.rewardingwork.org/vt - Rewarding Work is a Vermont website that connects caregivers with elders living in Vermont.

  • Senior Helpline at 1-800-642-5119 some grants are available

  • VTnursing.com - Vermont Nursing and HomeCare Frequently Asked Questions http://vtnursing.com/homecare_faq.php

  • http://www.aoa.gov - Administration on Aging

• http://www.medicare.gov - Medicare

• http://www.vnavnh.org - Visiting Nursing Association & Hospice of Vermont & New Hampshire

• http://aarp.org -

• http://SustainableAging.org - This link is not currently work - but I hope they fix it.

Senior Solution (formerly Council on Aging for SE VT), 56 Main St., Suite 202, Springfield, VT 05156 (802)

• Website: www.SeniorSolutionsVT.org

• Email: information@seniorsolutionsVT.org

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeniorSolutionsVT

  • Council on Aging Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Council-On-Aging-for-South-Eastern-Vt/115600095127369

  • http://humanservices.vermont.gov/community-partners/cp-aging-agencies

  • Phone: 885-2655 or toll free 1-800-642-5119 (V/TTY).

• Brattleboro Office 230 Main Street, Ste 207, Brattleboro, VT 05301-2878 Phone: (802)258-3029 Claudia McCarty Case Manager

JilMac's essential "Did you know"?

• 90% of people in Nursing Homes are there because their families can't handle bathroom incontinent issues

• Bidets - Keeping hinney's clean & dry is important. http://biobidet.com Scroll down to the Bidet videos http://www.biobidet.com/BB1000_SupremeBidet.htm

• Adult Diapers are made of paper - paper dries the skin - use Vaseline to create a barrier from paper & irritants which can lead to infection

  • You can order diapers directly from Amazon and have them automatically delivered monthly by mail.

  • Their are two types of diapers: pull-ups (which can be cut off if needed) and adhesive tabs

• Christopher Reeves died of complications from skin Bed Sores - not because he was paralyzed, used oxygen, or bathroom hygiene

  • If senior is sedentary - consider purchasing ROHO cushion with 2 covers for easy cleaning - they are expensive but the BEST

  • Specialty Lift Chairs give your Senior freedom - pay the extra for INFINITE POSITION - it allows them to put their feet above their head - good for circulation. Expect to pay $1,000 - it is well worth the money, they sleep easily in it.

  • The good place is across the river from Bellows Falls - they have good selection to check out, & you can order and get within a week

  • The fabric is easy to clean - the vinyl makes the senior sweat - with either use a chair pad.

    • Here is a sample http://www.lift-chairs-4-less.com/LC4L-LC-125S.html

• Prescription Iron Supplements can create constipation, laxatives extract fluid from the body drying other areas out

  • when skin drys out - it causes itching - itching causes scratching - scratching can become infected - avoid infection - it causes illness

  • avoid the diarrhea/constipation swings, seniors can actually die from either of these, and it exhausts them AND their caregivers

  • it is much better to spend your money on a natural source of iron that you find at your Food Coop - they are your GREATEST FRIEND!

• Cod Liver Oil - makes the brain work better, which leads to better decisions - Elders AND Caregivers should get PLENTY

• Head & Shoulders eliminates scalp formations, itching & scratching - use on a regular basis - if you need more help go to a Dermitologist! They have great Pre Cancerious Creams that take care of a lot of skin issues.

• Keep feet in good condition by going to the Podiatrist monthly - medicare & medicare pay for most of this.

  • It takes a while to get the first appoint, then make visits every month.

  • If the caregiver is good - they will be able to learn how to do the monthly care if travel is difficult.

• Baby Monitors provide caregivers visual/audio access, while giving seniors privacy, enabling caregiver to work in another room

• Nest Internet Monitors are great if you are out of the house, or if you want others to participate in monitoring or interacting - they have voice & sound.

• Multiple TV remotes - allow the senior access to the TV - and allow the caregiver to easily lower sound, change channel, turn TV off/on without disturbing the senior

• Digital Cameras are your friend, Take pictures of things, when you are a caregiver it is hard to remember did this happen yesterday or last month. It is also easy to bring a picture of a bruise, from last week and the week before - to the doctor's office so they can see the process of a wound, weight loss, or anything that may change OR that you have a question about. Even bowl movements - take a picture - you have a time/date stamp. Click before you flush! Laugh ... but what goes in and what comes out and primary concerns.

• Medical Supply Web Sites & Stores can be a great place to research ideas - because we need to find solutions as our senior ages.

• Grab Bars - you can't have to many! In my fathers bathroom we had 7 of them in the bathroom and one on the door (and a spare that never got put up, just in case!)

Oximiters - Finger Pulse models easily show Oxygen Levels and Heart Rates

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Oximiter