Many people are able to stay active outdoors with the assistance of canes, walkers, rollators and wheelchairs. However these devices are a safety hazard when certain parts start wearing out. Please take a moment to check the condition of your assistive device before going outdoors.
Brakes
Wheelchairs and rollators with worn brakes are a safety hazard. Your local surgical supply store or medical supply vendor can assist with repairing or replacing worn brakes.
Rubber Tips
Walkers and canes have rubber tips that provides traction and absorbs impact. Over time these…
Posted in: Did you know?, FAQ, Healthy in NYC, Home Safety, Staying Active, Working with the Elderly Tags: caregiver, caregiver support, elderly, Falls, prevention, safety, tips
Caregivers have a lot on their plate, and it can be very challenging balancing caregiving responsibilities while taking care of their own lives and families. Some people with Alzheimer’s Disease may exhibit wandering behaviors and that adds even more challenges to keeping loved ones safe and healthy. Some may attempt to leave their safe environments without supervision or may get lost while out in the community unattended.
At our center, we have a Wanderguard program for memory impaired seniors to help prevent wandering. The Alzheimer’s Association has a Safe Return Program…
Posted in: Family Caregiving, Home Safety, Uncategorized, Working with the Elderly Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, caregiving, Dementia, wandering
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a friend’s dad who had both of his hips replaced. Since then, I’ve spoken to family and friends with hip issues of their own. One family member dislocated her hip last week after using it to move furniture. She said, “I always used my hip to bump furniture back in place, but I guess I forgot I’m 75 years old now, and probably shouldn’t do that!” I thought, “That would be something to keep in mind.” Another friend has had serious hip pain…
Posted in: Did you know?, Health Care Tips, Healthy in NYC, Home Safety, Important Health News, Working with the Elderly Tags: caregivers, elderly falls, elderly safety, Hip Fracture, Home Safety, prevent falls, slips and falls, slips trips and falls, trips and falls
A frequent type of call I receive in the Customer Care Center at VNSNY relates to patients who have fallen in their homes. I am reminded of the seriousness of such a call as soon as I open my telehealth triage guidelines as listed below:
At least one-third of patients over the age of 65 years and one-half of those over 85 years fall each year. Falls in the geriatric population are associated with significant potential morbidity and occasional mortality. Non-intentional injury is the seventh* leading cause of death in people over 65 years in…
Posted in: Family Caregiving, Health Care Tips, Healthy in NYC, Home Safety, Working with the Elderly Tags: caregiver support, fall prevention, Falls, injuries from falls, nurse coaches, risk for falls, telehealth nurses
Grab bars are valuable in helping the elderly prevent falls in the bathroom. A few questions I normally ask before I recommend the installation of a set of grab bars are:
If you answered yes to any of these questions, installing grab bars may be a good idea.
Grab Bar…
Posted in: Did you know?, FAQ, Family Caregiving, Health Care Tips, Home Safety, Working with the Elderly Tags: caregiver, elderly, Falls, prevention, tips
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with a group of elderly women on the topic of preventing falls. Of those in attendance, each lives independently in a senior building in Queens. To my pleasant surprise the planned presentation, which had four main points and an easy to follow handout, transformed into a dynamic conversation between the women.
As each person shared stories of their own falls and recovery, it was apparent their contributions injected relevancy into the statistics and insights I had presented. I appreciated their honesty…
Posted in: Did you know?, Events, Health Care Tips, Home Safety, Staying Active, Working with the Elderly Tags: communication, elderly, prevention, tips, wellness
(Photo by Hey Paul)
I’m always impressed when I talk with some families who have a great system in place to organize all the important information they need to share with each other as caregivers, to home health aides assisting with care in the home, and to the professional VNSNY nurses and therapists for our patients.
For example, a daughter of an elderly man with cancer called to report that her father was in considerable pain. When I asked the daughter when her father last took his pain medication, she had a…
Posted in: Family Caregiving, Health Care Tips, Home Safety, Working with Children, Working with the Elderly Tags: caregiving, food diary, journal, medical diary, medical information
For the last few weeks, most of the country has had unseasonably cold weather. This can be very dangerous, and it’s important for everyone to take special precautions.
Simple tips to keep in mind:
Posted in: Healthy in NYC, Home Safety, Important Health News, Working with the Elderly Tags: cold weather, tips, wellness
Are you ready to take a few easy steps to help prevent the fall of a loved one in your home? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.
During each of my home visits, I check for any environmental hazards which may increase the risk of a fall. I have found that you don’t need to be a Mr.or Ms. Fix-It to correct some…
Posted in: Health Care Tips, Home Safety, Working with the Elderly Tags: caregiver, elderly, prevention
Oh yes! We have a problem, as do many residents in NYC. There are bedbugs in apartment buildings, hotels, subways, buses, etc. And what happens if you bring them home and you find bites on you or your children. Getting rid of them is no easy task I assure you. But believe it or not we have the weather on our side. They cannot survive in cold climates and basically ‘freeze to death’. But are you going to shut of your heat and relocate to do that??…
Posted in: Did you know?, Home Safety Tags: pediatrics, prevention