Caregiving Rodeo

Snacks My mother has a good appetite but has been losing weight as she ages. She has three prepared meals a day, plus around three snacks. (I.e. she eats like a Hobbit.) Having some standard snacks on hand makes it easy for me or one of our helpers to just grab something quickly between meals. I keep a section in the fridge for Mom’s snacks: yogurt cups, applesauce, diced peaches, Mandarin oranges. And we try to keep bananas in stock in the pantry. She is also a fan of apple pie and apple Danish pantries. Putting a piece of fruit out on the kitchen island, let’s her decide when to eat it and peeling the banana or orange keeps her busy.  Beverages Advice about the elderly usually includes keeping them hydrated. We do this by leaving glasses of water in Mom’s usual places: puzzle table, side table by her easy chair, dining table. In the hot weather, I love to give her popsicles. We get real-fruit-juice popsicles from our local grocery store, so can feel glad about giving her a health...

Your loved one might get some satisfaction from helping out around the house. Here are some chores that my mother has been able to do, even with diminished capability: Folding laundry Putting silverware away Pushing the dust mop around the house Weeding in the yard The job doesn't always get done right, but it's still useful to have her engaged in a task.  Towels are the easiest type of laundry for my mother to fold. When it's a mixed batch of items, she gets more confused. She will often sort things by color rather than type. But it doesn't matter that much; I can come along and sort it out later.  With silverware, I need to make sure her hands are clean first. Big and small forks usually end up mixed together, but it's not a big problem. With dust mopping, the pile of dust and the mop might end up in a strange place.  Weeding used to be such a good way to spend time together outside, but lately Mom loses the plot. She's more interesting in wandering around pic...

We love jigsaw puzzles. As my mother's abilities have declined, I have replaced the more complicated puzzles with ever simpler ones: 500-piece, down to 300, 100, and even less.  These puzzles keep Mom focused and busy. That means she stays out of the way when I'm cooking. And if I want to sit down to read for a while, I can keep her happy with a puzzle. I order them from Puzzle Warehouse . These are a few of the brands/styles that work best for us.  Cobble Hill "tray" puzzles : The border is already done and the finished picture is printed in black and white to help with placement of pieces. 35 pieces. These are our favorite right now. Mind Start puzzles : Designed especially for dementia patients, featuring age-appropriate themes and large puzzles pieces. Either 63 or 24 pieces.  Springbok 36 Piece Alzheimer's Jigsaw Puzzles  : Beautiful images with super large puzzle pieces.  Children's puzzles can also work if they have these features: small number of piec...

I need to know what my loved one (LO) is up to--whether she's leaving the house, whether she has gone to the bathroom, whether she is getting into things.  A motion sensor in the bathroom lets me know whether she is in there or has been in there. During the wee hours of the night, I don't keep sound notifications on all the time but I can look at the history and see what's been going on during the night. Door sensors let me know whether she has opened an exterior door, which used to be critical although now I also have security latches on those doors (see other post). Still, the door sensors are a backup in case I leave a door unlatched. A security camera that shows the living room and the kitchen lets me peek in on my LO if she is prowling while I am in my room.  These devices are linked to an app on my cell phone. I can adjust the notifications on each device individually. From within the app, I can schedule notification to be off or on during set hours of the day.  We...

So that I don't forget, here is a list of topics that I'll try to cover in other posts: latches on various things adapting the activities to suit the abilities (e.g., jigsaw puzzles) suitable shoes ADA compliant house for "aging in place" medications and supplements jobbing out some of the tasks information resources drivers license and state ID card weaning them off their credit cards, then cash getting all the legal documents done ASAP: PoA, etc.  If I think of some more, I'll add them.  Some more: bedtime stories warmed-up pajamas fidget blankets light therapy motion sensors

Putting name tags on your senior loved one can help avoid a Silver Alert. If someone finds your LO wandering, they or the police can simply contact you or escort your LO back home. We use a wristband from Road ID . The wristband just goes on while getting dressed for the day, and sometimes even stays on overnight. https://www.roadid.com/pages/shop-road-id You can put the Road ID tag onto a watchband or you can slide a watch onto the Road ID band. Or just use the Road ID tag by itself. They also have versions that attach to shoes or other things, but my LO is used to putting on a wristband.  You can put as much or as little information on the Road ID tag as you like. For example, you might want to put your loved one's condition on there. We opted to add "Memory Loss" after the phone number and address. If my LO ever asks, "What's this for?" I say, "It's in case of emergency." There are other companies that sell medical alert bracelets. Then, lab...

I use Jiobit to keep track of my Loved One (LO). We have two Jiobit dongles--one for each pair of walking shoes.  Here is the website:  https://www.jiobit.com/personal-safety It requires a subscription, but I have found the service to be a great peace of mind.  You can track your LO through an app on your smart phone. The Jiobit clip-on dongle needs recharging every now and then. It comes with a charging dock. The gadgets that depend on Bluetooth are just not as powerful or accurate.  Being able to track your LO can preventing the need for a Silver Alert (missing elder). Maybe your elder is still walking around by themselves and you just want to keep an eye on them. Or maybe they don't normally go out alone, but might slip out the back door or get separated from you while shopping.  Put a Jiobit on them--on their shoe, belt, or something else that they always have on. If my LO ever asks, "What's this for?" I say, "It's in case of emergency." Note: I also...