Adapt Your Home for Elderly Parents with a Home Safety Checklist

 

Earlier this year, my 84-year-old mother slipped and fell. Her accidental fall left her with a broken pelvis – and me with the realization that my aging mother could simply no longer care for herself at home. When we made the tough decision for her to move in with my family, I knew that our current home – with its second-floor guest bedroom and narrow stairs – would need to be changed.
According to Caregiver.org, about 44 million Americans provide 37 billion hours of unpaid, “informal” care each year for adult family members and friends. While everyone’s situation is different, we all face a shared challenge of adapting our homes for an elderly parent.
If you are preparing to care for an elderly parent in your home, you may need to modify your house to meet her mobility needs and to reduce her risk of falling. Consider the following safety checklist to help adapt your home to senior-specific home safety.
Main Entrance

• Install a threshold ramp and chair railings to make it easier to leave and enter the home.
• Repair cracked sidewalks or uneven pavers that pose a tripping hazard.

Bathroom Safety

• Install grab-bars by the toilet and in your bathtub or shower.
• Add a no-slip rubber mat to the bottom of your bathtub or shower to prevent slipping.
• Add a shower chair or bench for enhanced stability and ease of bathing.
• Use a nightlight in the bathroom and hallway to illuminate the path from the bedroom to the bathroom at night.

Stair Safety

• Reinforce handrails. An adult should be able to securely wrap his or her hands around the entire handrail with ease.
• Add a second handrail on the opposite wall, if possible.
• Increase lighting on stairs. Use a two-way switch so the light can easily be turned on and off from both upstairs and downstairs.
• Remove rugs from the top and bottom of stairs.
• If possible, convert a downstairs room into a bedroom to reduce stair use.

Living Space Safety

• Remove throw rugs and runners or use double-sided tape and a non-slip backing to securely hold them in place.
• Secure extension cords against the baseboards and out of high-traffic areas.
• Reduce clutter. Remind children to keep toys and books off the floor.

Kitchen Safety

• If your elderly parent will be cooking or preparing meals, place pots and pans at waist level for easy access.
• If your elderly parent should not be cooking due to impairment, consider disconnecting the stove when you’re not be home to prevent him or her from turning it on.
• Place a microwave on the counter (rather than over the stove) to reduce bending and stretching while preparing food.

Caring for an elderly parent at home? Tell us — how did you prepare your house for your parent’s arrival?
Recommended by the Editor:

• 5 Hidden Dangers In Your Home — And How to Foil Them
• 3 Ways to Help Your Aging Parents
• What an Expert Learned About Home Safety from Her Kids

Check out more home-related topics on Allstate.com.

KNOWING CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERANCE......

Tips for Your Next Physical

Article date: January 3, 2013

A new year means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it’s a time to take stock of your general health by getting a medical check-up. You may be acting on a New Year’s resolution to take better care of yourself, or maybe your new insurance just kicked in or your health savings account has been replenished. Whatever the reason, these tips from the US Department of Health and Human Services can help you get ready for your appointment, especially if you haven’t been to the doctor in a while.

Bring to your appointment

• A list of questions you want to ask
• Your health history, including current conditions and past surgeries or illnesses
• Your family’s health history, including the health conditions of your parents, brothers, and sisters
• All your current medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements
• A friend or family member who can help you listen and understand, if you think it will be helpful

During your appointment

• Go over your list of questions with your doctor, starting with the most important ones.
• Listen carefully to the answers and take notes.
• Explain your symptoms, health history, and any problems you have had with medicines you have taken in the past.
• Ask follow-up questions during your visit. For example, if you are prescribed medicine, ask about the possible side effects. If a test is ordered, ask what it’s for and what the results will tell you. If a specific treatment is recommended, ask if there are any other options to treat your condition and what you might expect from each.
• Tell your doctor if you have concerns about being able to follow your treatment plan.

After your appointment

• Follow your doctor’s instructions to fill prescriptions or make appointments for tests, lab work, or follow-up visits.
• Call your doctor if you are unclear about any instructions or if you think of more questions.
• Call your doctor if you have side effects from your medications; if your symptoms get worse; or if you start taking any new medications, including prescriptions from another doctor, over-the-counter drugs, or supplements.
• Call your doctor to get the results of any tests you’ve had or to ask about test results you don’t understand.

Hopefully you’ll leave the office with a clean bill of health. However, if you ever find yourself facing a diagnosis of cancer or another serious disease, it’s important you take the time to talk with your doctor, ask questions, and get the answers you need, so you can make informed choices about your care.
For help dealing with a new cancer diagnosis, find your cancer type in the Learn About Cancer section of cancer.org or call us any time at 1-800-227-2345. Trained specialists are on hand to answer your questions and point you to resources in your community.
Reviewed by: Members of the ACS Medical Content Staff

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ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as press releases. For reprint requests, please contact permissionrequest@cancer.org.

What Should You Do If You Get Lost In The Woods? Be Prepared.

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It’s one of the most frightening experiences you can endure: You’re hiking or walking through the woods and make a turn off a trail for a little untamed exploring. When you walk back to where the trail should be, it isn’t there. Or rather, you aren’t where you thought you were. You laugh nervously and realize you probably just went a little too far to your right, so you adjust and walk farther, your pace picking up with the anxiety that’s beginning to set in. Oh no, still no path. You’re lost!
Now what do you do? The first thing is to not give in to the inevitable panic that will begin to wash over you. Stop, take stock of your situation and understand from the outset that your odds of being found in this day and age are incredibly high. In fact, most lost people are found by the second day. So, there’s no need to panic.
In his book The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide, author J. Wayne Fears says the decisions a lost person makes in the first three seconds of realizing their predicament can save them or doom them. Admitting that they are lost is best done sooner than later, and stopping and taking stock is critical. Fears recommends following the STOP formula:

Sit

Sitting not only jumpstarts your ability to relax and think clearly, but it also suppresses your urge to run or walk quickly—usually in a wrong direction.

Think

Your mind is your most critical survival tool. You need to keep it calm, reflect on any past training or skills that will help you now and rationally assess your situation and your most immediate needs.

Observe

Identify what problems need to be solved and the order in which they must be dealt with. You’ll need shelter, a way to signal searchers, fire, water and a visible campsite so searchers can find you. What components are at your ready disposal to achieve these?

Plan

Make a plan and put it into action. If you have a cellphone or a radio, call for help first. If a cell signal is low, send a text message, as it takes less power and you can send it to multiple people at once for better odds of reaching somebody. But, don’t just sit and wait. It can still take a while for rescuers to arrive. Choose a visible campsite or, if in a stalled vehicle situation, stay with your automobile as it’s much easier to locate from the air. Construct a shelter, gather firewood and stay alert for other hikers, the sound of a nearby highway, low-flying planes, anything that can translate into your being discovered. Keep a mirror or bright clothing handy to catch the attention of searchers. Make a fire. Damp leaves or wood will make more smoke, thus making it more visible. Sit back and stay calm. Help should be on the way before long.

Before You Go

A little pre-trip prep can save you a lot of worry and hassle should you get lost later. Do the following before you go:

• Leave a trip plan with a friend or relative that includes where you’re going, emergency contacts, when you left and when you expect to return.
• Carry a freshly charged phone or a two-way radio with new batteries.
• Tote an easy-to-use GPS unit. There are plenty of inexpensive, easy-to-use models available.

The decisions you make within the first seconds of becoming lost can ensure your survival or seal your fate. Using the guidance above can help you make the best of a bad situation.

Photo courtesy of Bill Winke

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Powerful Parenting: Simple and Effective Ways to Talk to Your Kids

by Tysen on July 28, 2012

 

 

 

TOPIC: “What to Say and Not Say to Kids”

Our children begin to develop their self-concept by how we value them. The foundation of which begins in childhood and exists into adulthood. One of the most consistent ways we let them know how we value them is by the things we say. Since those things we say cannot be taken back, it’s important to be purposeful in our language. So, let’s talk about some things to skip and some things to include when speaking to our kids.
Basic Points:

1. Kids, especially under age 13, will take most of what you say literally, so avoid or eliminate sarcasm.
2. Avoid statements that will create insecurity.
3. Look for opportunities to make validating statements.

8 Things you should never say to your kids (In no particular order):

Why can’t you be more like your brother/sister/cousin/friend/etc.?: Damages their sense of individuality. Engenders a sense that they are not “good enough” just being themselves. Discourages a desire for personal development. Causes sibling rivalry and jealousy.
What is wrong with you?: Starts them thinking that there is something wrong with them, that they are flawed. Creates self-blame and depression. Can become an obsession and an excuse.
This isn’t that hard. Why don’t you get it?: Learning is different for each kid. You need to be sure of their developmental level and personal strengths and weaknesses. You’re probably explaining things that are above their learning ability, or are abstract concepts that they aren’t able to comprehend yet. If the issue at hand is age-appropriate they may need a little more time or alternative explanation. Be patient, kids don’t learn as fast as adults. Making them feel stupid will discourage most kids from wanting to learn.
That’s Stupid/Dumb: You might as well tell the kid that you think they’re stupid because that’s what they’ll hear. They’re behaviors and statements are extensions of themselves. A better way to address the issue would be to say, “This behavior is not appropriate for this situation…” followed by the reason/s why.

“When I was your age…” Not the worst statement, but it discounts the child’s unique situation, creates a sense that you don’t relate to your child, and indirectly implies that you think you were a better kid when you were young you’re your child is. Tells them that they don’t measure up.
Seriously? What were you thinking?: Very invalidating! Evaluate their behavior, not their internal thoughts or emotions.
Get out of my house!: Most often said to teens. Many parents want to emphasize that the teen is not in charge and needs to change their behavior, so just say that. This phrase is going to make the feel that you don’t care about them and in return they are likely to start not caring about you in return as a way of protecting themselves emotionally.
I hate you!: Never ok. If they feel that you hate or dislike them they will not like themselves. You probably mean that you hate their behavior, but drop the word hate from your vocabulary and address the behavior directly using less angry and aggressive language.
3 Things you should say often…
Good Job! Well Done!: Believe it or not, they need your feedback to identify their successes and take personal ownership of them. This is the foundation of genuine self-esteem.
How are you?: Conveys the message that you like them and are concerned with their personal well-being. It also encourages self-reflection and open communication which will come in handy as they become teenagers.
I love you!: Seems like a no-brainer, but make eye contact and say it often. This will convey that they are someone worthy of love and will begin their foundation of self-respect.

Survive a Night in Your Car

It’s a harrowing statistic, but according to the National Weather Service, about 70 percent of winter weather-related fatalities occur in an automobile. You can bet many of those vehicle-related deaths began with someone simply leaving the house to run an errand, make a short trip to visit family or friends or take care of routine business. The weather turns unexpectedly bad, road conditions rapidly deteriorate and, suddenly, what was an ordinary drive becomes an overnight ordeal.
Don’t think just because you don’t live in New England, the upper Midwest or the western mountains that something like this can’t happen to you. Even in areas where snow is a rare event, cars can slide off icy roads and become stranded in freezing weather, leaving passengers stuck right there with them. Here’s how to make it through a freezing night in your car and ride out events until help can arrive.

Be Prepared

The first thing to do as winter approaches is be sure you have stored a few key items in your car. If you wait until you need them to try to round them up, it will be too late. Essential items to include in a winter survival kit, according to a combination of recommendations by Wisconsin Emergency Management’s Ready Wisconsin initiative and survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt’s OutdoorSafe website, include:

• Bottled water (at least four quarts)
• Snack foods, particularly nutritious energy bars
• Raisins, dried fruit, nuts, candy bars
• Strike-anywhere, waterproof matches and small candles
• A flashlight with extra batteries
• First-aid kit
• Folding knife and multi-tool
• Emergency flares
• An extra winter coat, mittens and a wool cap
• Winter boots
• Toilet paper
• Cellphone and charger
• A space blanket
• A spare blanket or sleeping bag
• A portable radio with spare batteries
• Tow rope
• Nylon cord
• Flagging tape
• Chemical hand and body warmer packets

Other essential winter tools in severe weather country include jumper cables, a small shovel, tire chains and rock salt, sand or kitty litter to provide added traction when stuck on a slick surface.

Before You Go

If you’re leaving for an extended trip, always check weather and road conditions before departing. If poor conditions are forecast, you may consider postponing your trip. Also, let others know when you are leaving, which way you will be traveling and when you should arrive at your destination so they can alert authorities and provide them with solid information to help in finding you should the need arise. Fill your car with fuel and make frequent stops to stretch, relax and refill your tank, never allowing it to get much below a half tank. Should you become stuck and need to spend the night in your car, the ample gas will allow you to start your car throughout the night and run the heat for short intervals.

If You Are Stranded

First call for help if you can’t get your car unstuck. Don’t overexert yourself and don’t leave your car and begin walking for help. You stand a much better chance of being found if you remain with your car, which can also provide the best shelter from the elements. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety warns against running your car constantly. Instead, be sure the exhaust pipe is free from snow and roll down a window enough to vent the car and prevent carbon monoxide buildup. Run the car for short 15-20 minute intervals to warm up and then turn it back off, using blankets, a sleeping bag, hand warmers and the body heat of others in your car to stay warm. Eat snacks to keep nourished and read a book (another item Kummerfeldt recommends) until help arrives.

Looking for driving safety tips? Visit the Allstate.com Tools and Resources section for more.


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