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Tips for Making an Emergency Checklist for Your Senior

Posted on by Craig Bass
Senior Home Care in Henderson NV
Senior Home Care in Henderson NV

As you are taking care of your elderly loved one, take some time to think about what they will do if there is an emergency and nobody is around. What would you do if you were with your elderly loved one and they had an emergency? It is important to have a plan. One of the things that you may want to do is to create an emergency checklist with your elderly loved one, so they can be more prepared in case of an emergency.

Writing Down Personal Information

One of the most important things to add to your elderly loved one’s emergency checklist is their personal information including:

  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Doctors
  • Medication allergies
  • Medication list
  • Treatments they are receiving
  • Religious affiliations or preferences (if any)
  • Emergency contacts

If all of this information is kept in an accessible place, if you or a senior home care are with your elderly loved one when they have an emergency, you will be able to inform the medics who arrive of the important things.

Who to Contact

If your elderly loved one has a medical emergency, it is important that certain people are contacted. For example, if your elderly loved one is being picked up by the ambulance for heart issues and they have a cardiologist, it is very important that this doctor is contacted right away. The sooner your elderly loved one’s doctors are contacted, the sooner they can work with emergency medical personnel to help your elderly loved one.

Health Concerns

If your elderly loved one is getting a new senior home care provider, it is crucial they know about your elderly loved one’s health concerns. For example, if your elderly loved one has allergies to certain foods or needs medication reminders because they won’t remember to take their nightly medications, these are things the senior home providers need to know.

Having an Advance Directive

Who will be in charge of your elderly loved one’s care or medical decisions if they are unable to do so? This should be thought about well before there is an emergency. One of the things you can work with your elderly loved one is making an advance directive. The advance directive can help to ensure the doctors know who is responsible for medical choices on behalf of your elderly loved one. It can also help to ensure your elderly loved one’s wishes regarding their medical needs are met.

Conclusion

These are some of the best tips for making a senior citizen an emergency checklist. You can use these tips to help create this type of checklist for your elderly loved one. If you need more information about how to create this checklist or what to put on it, you can talk to medical professionals including your elderly loved one’s doctor.

Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/features/older-adult-emergency/index.html
https://acl.gov/programs/emergency-preparedness

If you are considering senior home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Home-Monitoring Technology: Is it a Good Idea for the Elderly?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Henderson NV
Elder Care in Henderson NV

Are you taking care of your elderly loved one? If so, are there days when you can’t make it to their house? Maybe, you even live quite far away and can only visit with your elderly loved one about once a month. If this is the case, Elder Home-monitoring technology may be a good idea.

Fell in the Past

Has your elderly loved one ever fallen in their house? Sure, they may claim it was just a slight misstep. However, studies show that elderly people who fall once are more likely to fall again. They may be worried about falling which can make their balance even worse. If your elderly loved one has fell in the past, it may be time to get home-monitoring technology. There are necklaces, bands, and bracelets they can wear. If they do fall or if they feel as if something isn’t right, they can push the button on the device. It can alert you, an elder care provider, or the police.

Spending a Lot of Time Alone

How much time does your elderly loved one spend on their own? Many senior citizens go days or even weeks without seeing another person. This can lead to a lot of issues. If this is the case for your elderly loved one, it may be a good idea to have a home camera system installed. With some of these camera systems, you can talk to your elderly loved one through them and they can talk back. It can be a great way to communicate and to visually see what is going on at your elderly loved one’s house.

Watching for Cognitive Issues

Another reason why you may want to get home-monitoring technology for your elderly loved one is to watch for cognitive issues. If you aren’t there often, you may miss out on the signs of dementia or other cognitive conditions. While a home camera system can’t replace face-to-face check-ins, it can be a great help during the times you can’t be there to see your elderly loved one. If you do start noticing issues, you can hire elder care providers to care for your elderly loved one.

Conclusion

These are some of the reasons why you might want to get home-monitoring technology for your elderly loved one. Now that you know how beneficial this type of technology could be for them, you can start looking into which systems or products to get.

Sources
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-takes-action-modernize-medicare-home-health-0
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK315926/

If you are considering elder care in Henderson, NV for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Is Your Senior’s Bedroom Causing Her Sleep Trouble?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Elder Care in Summerlin NV

Environment matters so much in lots of the different issues your senior could be having. When it comes to sleep and problems with sleep, you really do need to consider her bedroom and some of the items in her bedroom as contributing factors. Here are just a few ideas to help you to narrow down possible culprits.

Check How Dark the Room Is

Having a dark bedroom is really helpful, because light can cause the brain to mistakenly send out “wake up” signals that aren’t what she needs. The downside to this, though, is that your senior might have trouble navigating if she needs to get up in the middle of the night and the room is too dark. Motion-sensing nightlights can help without completely waking your senior up. Elder care providers can also assist your senior getting into and out of bed at night safely.

Consider Making the Room Cooler at Night

Besides light, having the room even a touch too warm can also cause issues. You can either turn down the furnace a degree or two at night or consider using a fan in her bedroom. Some people find this to not be as comfortable as they want, either, so you might have to try a variety of different things to find the right combination for your senior. An elder care provider can help your senior regulate their temperature overnight.

Dim Screens on Clocks and Other Electronics

Alarm clocks, particularly digital ones, and other electronics your senior has in her room may be bright lights when it comes time for her to go to sleep. Many of these devices have a way for you to make the screens much dimmer, so it’s a good idea to try that. Some electronic devices may even have an option to remove the lights entirely, so check owner’s manuals for that information in order to turn the displays off when they’re not in use.

Double Check the Mattress

Something else to consider is that an uncomfortable mattress might not be obvious to your senior right away, but it can have an impact on how well she sleeps. Double check how old your senior’s mattress is. If it’s older than about 8 years old, it probably is due for replacement. She might experience faster results with a new mattress than with any other solution.
If your elderly family member has a lot of issues with insomnia, it might help for her to have someone there with her overnight, just in case. Elder care providers can offer companionship and they can help with anything your senior needs as well.

If you or an aging loved on is considering elder care in Summerlin, NV, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.