Senior Caregivers

[AussieGirl]

To the great caregivers of the elderly that may be on this forum,what are some common things to look out for when caring for the elderly other than the obvious? Im moving into my grandmothers house to take care of her and also to get a job in the city. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Alice28]

I've worked in care homes and took care of my grandpa, so here's some things. First off, remember grandma, although I'm sure wants you to move in, this is a big change! Aging is scary! So cut her some slack if she snaps at you.... it will happen. Also, the most important thing is she stays active. Physically ad mentally. Look into senior day activities, call you local senior center or church, if there is something that interests her, sign up for a class with her. Painting, cooking, bird watching. Helping keep the brain active helps with memory and quality of life. If you have a specific question you don't want to post you can pm me. I don't claim to be an expert, but I've worked in care homes, Alzheimer's homes and cared for my grandpa. It's not easy, but I'm glad I did it.

 

[Alice28]

Sorry, also the obvious, don't underplay memory loss! If she is having trouble get her into a doctor! Sometimes mood changes can be a UTI, sometime a sign of Alzheimers or dementia. Many times family members underplay it. It's very important you go to the doctor with her so you can get the info to.

 

[alldembirds]

i would just say always listen out for falls. I have had to watch my wifes grandmother for several years now, she had fallen a couple times and bounced right back up. She is nearly 80 yet very independent, she still drives, I have to wait for her to leave so I can clean the house or she gets on to me ("Men dont clean" her words"). . I still check on her every 15 minutes -30 and it a good thing because she broke her hip last month in a fall and laid there for almost 15 I felt horrible it shouldnt have took so long but she was in the opposite side of the house . And like alice said they get snappy and mean sometimes but i am sure it is scary getting old and not remembering things.

Patience is all you need.

 

[phalenbeck]

I lived in a seniors only condo. and have some experience with my mother and grandmother. Old people often become self-centered, and inconsiderate. As Condo treasurer they wanted stuff NOW, and would not respect daily office hours. When my marrage went south Grandma comment was 'who will do my hair now' After a tropical storm they demanded I get Progress energy to get the power on now. (most the city was out}

 

[lazy gardener]

Safety is a big concern. Night lights, removal of scatter rugs, keeping clutter cleaned up on floors and table tops, installing safety rails in the bathroom, including around the toilet. If your senior is prone to forget and leave a burner on, you can have a safety switch installed for an electric stove, or you can remove the knobs on an electric or gas stove. While some of these measures can cause the elderly person to feel like you are overstepping your bounds, they can also save a life... even your own in the case of fire risk. Also, be on the look out for telephone or charity scams. So many elderly folks are incredibly innocent and easily taken advantage of.

 

[AussieGirl]

Thanks for the tips you guys and sorry I haven't posted sooner .everything has been great so far and my gramma has loved having me here. She hasn't shown any memory problems yet.... But im keeping a diligent eye out. Her main problem is sleeping right now,she sometimes has trouble and goes and plays a game of solitaire till she's tired. I figured maybe have her try those sit and be fit videos to help out and we also go for a stroll down the street when we can. The only thing that's been hard is she likes to leave the ac at 80-85 degrees all the time so I'm gonna have to find a ac unit or something to keep cool.

 

[AussieGirl]

*Update* had to take grandma to the hospital. She had a weird feinting spell and me and my mom got her checked out at the emergency room. The doctor can't find anything wrong with her so he let her go home the next day after spending the night. She's just not the same as she normally is. She's so tired and doesn't seem all the way "there" so to speak. She use to be able to get around easily in her motor chair but now she can barely do that withought hurting herself. To top it off my uncle has been aware of all this and had seen her at the hospital unfortunately it seems his vacation up north is more important and has left all duties to myself and my mom. The rest of the family is on vacay as well and idk if their even coming. I really really feel she should be in a nursing home or something . I know the doctors couldn't find anything but I feel like inadequate for whats going on. Any advice would be appreciated I just really needed to get this off my shoulders.

 

[Alice28]

You should try checking her heart rate multiple times a day. Especially if she seems to be having a "spell". Her heart rate might be dropping. This is something the doctors won't see unless it happens while she is at the hospital. We had this happen to a lady in one if the care homes I worked in. Same stories, te doctors couldn't find anything because when she went in her heart rate had picked back up.

 

[lazy gardener]

Hopefully they checked, but any time an elderly person has a change in cognition or behavior, activity tolerance, the first thing to check for is a UTI (urinary tract infection)