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.

Call Home Instead Senior Care Austin for help with your aging relative living with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. Our CAREGivers are trained to help people with memory loss live a better life. Call us at (512) 347-9207.

Many seniors living with Alzheimer’s will believe they are still independent and may resist any kind of help, saying they can do everything on their own. One day you may discover that he/she had gone in the back yard, locked the door behind him/her and spent the afternoon sitting in the sun. if it’s hot and temperature reaches 100 degrees that day, it will be frightening to know that he/she was left alone without food or drink. 

The thought of this happening will frighten most family members. Home Instead Senior Care Austin had a family caregiver once who is a single mother who knows what it’s like to balance many responsibilities, including those she faces as a caregiver for her grandmother while managing a career and caring for her young daughter single handedly.

She once told us her story; I try to use this situation as an example for other caregivers, because it can be reassuring to know that there are others out there going through things just like them. We also try to recommend non-medical assistance programs, like that provided by Home Instead Senior Care or local support groups so they can find others to talk to.