Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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.

Rollator Brake

Rubber Tips

Walkers and canes have rubber tips that provides traction and absorbs impact. Over time these…

I have always admired caregivers for the sacrifices they make for their loved ones. In recent weeks my admiration for them has only deepened as my wife and I welcomed in our first child. We have been learning the art of burping, changing diapers, surviving those sleepless nights and of course providing the love our daughter needs.

I realized that our family’s time of transition is truly a on the job learning experience. It was not a surprise that the caregivers I’ve met in the past few years came to mind…

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:

1. Do you have difficulty getting in and out of the tub or shower?
2. Do you use the towel rack or sink for support?
3. If you use a shower seat, do you have trouble getting on and off it?
4. Have you recently fallen while taking a shower?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, installing grab bars may be a good idea.

Grab Bar…

When a patient is discharged from the hospital, rehab center or nursing and he or she returns home, it can be a stressful time for any caregiver. Take a look at this Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service video which provides valuable tips to assist both the patient and caregiver during this time of transition.

Afterwards, download and print out their helpful discharge checklist.

Based on my experience as a therapist in the hospital and home care setting, I have found these questions helpful to ask prior to your loved one’s discharge.

1) Do…

It’s one thing for this hospice worker to go about his day in familiar territory aware of the curves, signals and speed traps that go into driving care for hospice patients. It’s quite another when the person being cared for is his parent.

One week ago, my Dad, who is 83, on dialysis and battling leukemia and lymphoma, was rushed to the emergency room with severe chest pain and shortness of breath. This was an unwanted twist in his disease progression. As the person responsible for his heath care decisions, Dad…

Instead of focusing on wellness and maximizing functioning, seniors sometimes focus on illness and loss of functioning. One of our Center’s main goals is to focus on what is feeling well, and using that to help people function as highly as possible. We strive to help seniors and their caregivers feel positive about their level of functioning, skills and talents.

In our program for people with memory impairment, it is very important to help them strengthen their skills and “exercise” their memory as much as possible. Over the years, we’ve observed that the…

Do your streets look like the one in this photo? If so then it may be a good idea to stay indoors even if you’re a winter warrior like my 97 year young member.

Walking outdoors in inclement weather can increase the risk of falls because sidewalk pavement may be uneven or have cracks. Decreased visibility from falling snow or from covered sidewalks will affect your ability to walk safely.

According to the Centers for Disease Control

• Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. They are also the most…

I had a dear patient once, my first, who wanted to tell me what it felt like to die. She had dozens of friends, but no siblings, no husband, and no children. She had been married—once in her 50s for about a year—but she divorced her husband because “he couldn’t stand being married to a smart woman.”  She was surrounded by people who loved her, but there was no one in her life with whom she could reveal such intimate thoughts.

Every day was a struggle. She would wake up, acknowledge…

Seniors are busy all day at our center. From the time they come in the morning to the time they go home, they’re engaged in activities and laughing their way through the day. Not only do we strive to keep seniors active here at the center, but we also want the positive, productive feelings and brain stimulation to continue at home.

To ensure that the good times continue to roll when people leave here, the Recreation Coordinator for our dementia program contacts caregivers to suggest and help plan activities for seniors at home.  Her…

In my time as a hospice volunteer, I have had the honor of working with a wide range of patients at various stages of their illnesses. When I am asked what kinds of experiences I have encountered, I think back to some of the situations that have stayed with me all these years. One patient, a lovely 80-something-year-old woman with beautiful skin, was unconscious each time I visited her. At these visits I would spend time talking to her daughter, who was taking care of her mother herself. I learned…