Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing home care for elders and seniors. Call (512) 347-9207.

Today we are continuining with our topic of keeping aging adults safe in their homes and will talk about some common problems and possible solutions for the bathroom area.  Many seniors have accidents in the bathrooms and often as result of this avoid taking baths or showers out of fear of falling or hurting themselves.

This problem is particularly prevelant amongst those with physical limitations but someone with memory loss or dementia can be even more at risk.  Home Instead provides training and tips to its caregivers through a multi-phased training program, which includes information about home safety and potential problem areas throughout a senior’s home to be adjusted or avoided where needed.

If your loved one has moderate to severe cognitive impairment and needs verbal cues and some assistance with toileting and bathing, the bathroom needs to be as accessible as possible to maximize independence.

Solutions for the Family:

1)Remove dangerous chemical and aerosols.  Don’t use automatic cleaners in the toilet.

2)Install grab bars by the toilet and and in the shower.

3)Install a hand-held shower nozzle.  People with Alzheimer’s disease reach better to hand-held showers rather than overhead showers.

4)Install lever-type faucets on the sink with easy-to-see hot and cold symbols.

5)Make sure water temperature is not too hot for independent use.

6)Warm the bathroom to body temperature, but avoid floor level space heaters.  These can be very dangerous if they are in an elderly persons reach.  Use room-size rugs for warmth, but avoid rugs that could trip your elder loved one.

7)Use a fan to avoid fogging the bathroom.

8)Install a shower chair to aid balance and use a non-skid mat.  Discourage seniors from sitting directly in the bath tub.  It may be too difficult for him or her to get up.

Source:  Home Instead Senior Care - Alzheimer’s CAREGiver Training Program.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder home health in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

“I had a fall.” These can be chilling words to hear if you are a caregiver, spouse, child, or friend of an older person.  The possible consequences can be devastating: bruises, broken bones, hospitalization, loss of mobility, and loss of independence.

The fear of falling can lead older adults to limit their activities. This can actually increase the risk of falling as lack of exercise and reduced movement impairs flexibility and balance. 

Falls are the leading cause of injury among Americans over age 65, sending 1.8 million seniors to the emergency room in 2005, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing falls is a key component of healthy aging.

Experts say that efforts to prevent falls should include management of chronic conditions, limiting the number of medications to reduce adverse side effects, physical therapy to increase range of motion, and “fall-proofing” the home.

The first step to fall-proofing the home is to create open paths through each room.  Furniture should be re-arranged so that seniors can walk through each room without have to maneuver around tables and chairs.  There should be a clear path from the bed to the bathroom that is wide enough to be negotiated in the dark.

Aging adults in Austin, Texas can decrease their risk of disability and increase the potential to remain  independent by participating in a walking exercise program, a University of Georgia study shows.

Researchers randomly assigned 26 low income adults age 60 and older to either a walking exercise group, which met three times a week for four months, or a nutrition education control group. The results from the study show that walking, on a regular basis, can make a huge impact on quality of life:

• The control group saw a 9 percent decline in aerobic capacity over the four month study period, the aerobic capacity of the walking group increased 19 percent.
• Researchers found that physical function increased 25 percent in the walking group, compared to a 1 percent decline in the control group.
• The walking exercise group saw its disability risk go from 66 percent to 25 percent, a 41 percent decrease in just four months. The control group saw its risk of disability increase during the study period.

More information on the study, which appears in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, is available in the press release. http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/080715_walking.shtml 

Home Instead Senior Care Austin can help your elder establish a regular walking program with your elder family member. Our CAREGivers help these older adults stay independent. Please call us for more information at 512-347-9207.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Helping elders live at home. Call 512-347-9207.

Catherine Kohl, our senior care expert is ready to answer your questions on elder care in Austin - hisc.kohl@yahoo.com.

Did you know that one out of three Americans age 65 and older fall? 

Did you know 30% of those falls end up requiring medical attention, due to a bump or blow to the head? And that many traumatic brain injuries are missed or misdiagnosed among our older adults?

Traumatic brain injuries caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Brain injuries accounted for half of these deaths. Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but research shows that traumatic brain injuries also can have serious consequences, said Dr. Ileana Arias, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Falls are not a typical consequence of aging but they do occur more frequently among older adults whose health and aging conditions are associated risk factors.

How to prevent these injuries? Take a look at CDC’s “Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” an initiative for seniors, the materials are available at www.cdc.gov/BrainInjuryInSeniors.

Millions of people in this country provide care for an older adult - a parent, grandparent, other family member, professional caregiver, or a close friend. For most caregivers, the older adult’s health is the overriding concern. One way to help older adults live, better lives and stay independent is by learning about traumatic brain injury, or TBI and how to prevent it.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin will give tips on preventing falls for seniors in our next blog. Visit us again.