Visiting Nurse Association - Caregiving Center

Senior Tip: Stay Safe Outdoors

Do not carry large sums of money in your purse or wallet.
Plan the safest route to wherever you're going. If you can, go with a friend.
If your building has an elevator, check and make sure no one suspicious is on the elevator before you step in. If you see someone who makes you uncomfortable, don't step in. Stand near the controls of the elevator so that you can step out quickly should anyone suspicious get on.
Watch out for any uneven curbs and broken sidewalks.
Don't carry too many groceries or packages. This may give the message that you are an easy prey and won't be able to react.
Be aware of people who are walking near you, especially behind you. If you think you are being followed, cross the street.
If it's dark, choose a well-lighted, busy street. Avoid passing vacant lots, alleys or construction sites.
Always cross at the corner. Stay within the crosswalk. Make sure all cars have stopped before you cross. Never assume the driver will see you or be able to stop in time.
Know your neighborhood. Know the locations of the police and fire stations, public telephones, hospitals and stores that you can go into, if necessary.
If someone tries to do anything to you, don't be shy. Loudly cry out: "Leave me alone!"
Carry a mobile phone

Senior Tip: Avoid Falls

Wear shoes and slippers that have non-slip soles. Avoid wearing socks only - they might cause you to slip.
Be extra careful if your bathroom floor becomes wet. If your bathroom has handrails, hold onto them when getting up or down. Make sure non-slip strips are in your bathtub.
If you wear a bathrobe or nightgown, be sure it is short enough to avoid tripping on.
Don't leave any clothes, magazines, bags, or other objects lying around on the floor - you might trip over them.
Place loose electrical cords or telephone wires out of walking areas.
Before you go to sleep, place your glasses within easy reach. Get out of your bed or chair slowly. Sit up before you stand.
Sit in higher chairs or chairs with armrests - they're easier to get in and out of.
Remove or secure any loose rugs or mats.
Make sure hallways and staircases are well lighted. (If the hallway or staircase in your building is not well lighted, call the superintendent.) When walking up or down stairs, hold onto a handrail or use a cane.
Wipe up any kitchen spills as soon as they happen.
Place lamps in dark areas. If you walk into a dark area let your eyes first adjust to the dark.
If you do fall, DON'T PANIC! Try using a stable chair or some other piece of furniture to help you get up. If you cannot get up, try calling out for help. If you can, slide or crawl to the telephone or front door and call for help.

Senior Tip: Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is important at any age. Maintaining a healthy diet helps control diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, digestion and elimination, and can also strengthen bones. While all of us need our daily dose of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to maintain good health, the elderly need them even more, since, as you age, your metabolism slows and you tend to eat less food. That means that the food you do eat must pack a healthy punch. A diet that includes a variety of foods in moderation will do our aging folk just fine. NOTE: Since some ordinarily healthy foods are contraindicated with certain medications (for instance, don't eat lots of green, leafy vegetables if you are taking Coumadin, a blood thinner), you should always consult with your doctor before changing your diet.

Keep your diet low in fat, low in caffeine, and low in alcohol.
Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits a day. Include dark green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, and citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits.
Have two servings of protein a day. Protein is necessary to build and repair skin, hair and muscles. Choose from lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and cheese, or from beans, peas, and nuts.
Have many servings of bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, and corn to fuel your body and boost your energy, and go easy on cakes, cookies, and other sweets, which have empty calories.
Drink plenty of fluids. This will help your digestion and keep your kidneys working well, and prevent you from becoming constipated and dehydrated. Although incontinence may be a problem, it is still very important to have liquids.
Add fiber to your diet. Along with fluids, this will aid in digestion. Start moderately, eating from a choice of carrots, potatoes, apples, broccoli, green peas, prunes, bran cereal, corn, grape-nuts cereal, a little at a time each day. Also check the labels on foods for fiber content. About 20 to 35 grams of fiber is a good daily amount.
Ask the doctor about taking a multivitamin supplement if it is too difficult to get all the nutrients you need from diet. Older people particularly need the important vitamins B-12, B-6, D, A, E, and folic acid.
Eat foods that are rich in calcium to strengthen bones (particularly in aging women). These include nonfat dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, tofu, salmon, sardines, citrus fruits, and dried beans. Consider taking a calcium supplement of 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams a day.
If you have high blood pressure, limit your intake of sodium, mostly found in processed food. Consult your doctor about your sodium intake if you take diuretics or have diarrhea.
If you have diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, or take diuretics, eat fish and other seafood which provide zinc. This mineral helps heal wounds and aids the appetite.

Senior Tip: Stay Cool on Hot Days

Drink plenty of water. If you go outside in the sun, drink water before you leave your home.
Avoid drinking coffee and alcohol. These actually dehydrate rather than replenish your body fluids.
Avoid strenuous activities and exercise.
Stay indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned room. If you don't have air-conditioning, use fans and open windows to let breezes in.
Lower blinds or pull shades to keep the sun from shining through your windows.
Take frequent cool baths or showers.
Avoid cooking during the hottest part of the day.
Eat lightly.
Wear loose, light-colored clothing. If you leave your apartment, wear a hat. Try to go outside only in the morning or evening, when it is cooler.
Try to avoid the heat and humidity. Visit the library, a shopping mall, movie theater, senior center, or any other public place that might have air-conditioning.

Caregiver Tip: Preparing for Home Health Care

Making preparations for home health care is a good way to ease your parent's transition from total independence to needing help with daily life. Simple, clear lists will enable the caregiver to handle duties smoothly and create the least amount of tension. Here are tips to help you prepare for home health care:

Make a list of clearly written emergency phone numbers: physicians, dentist, and other health care providers, pharmacist, home and work number of grown children, number of a close neighbor.
Make a list of helpful phone numbers: the market, library, repairmen, clergymen, other relatives and grandchildren, friends.
Make a list of your parent's likes and dislikes including food preferences, TV programs, outings, and routines.
Make a list of all medications and the times they are to be taken. (Note: Home health aides do not administer medications. They can, however, remind patients when to take their medications.)
Make a list of what you would like accomplished on a daily basis, such as eating meals, bathing, changing clothes, an exercise regime, getting outdoors.
Put a baby monitor next to your parent's bed or buy a telephone with an intercom so that he can easily call for help.
If your parent needs help moving from bed to chair or to the bathroom, provide equipment that will make home care easier -- electric bed, wheelchairs, walkers, bed rails.
Make a list of reminders of certain "house rules" such as no smoking, religious observances, alcohol consumption, and other concerns you or your parent might have.
Encourage a good relationship between your parent and the health care giver. Allow the caregiver to express her own ways of doing things and her own needs.

Caregiver Tip: Storing Medications

Keep medications out reach of children or anyone who might misuse them.
Check to see which medications need refrigeration. Make sure they are stored where they will not freeze and where children cannot easily reach them.
Store medications away from light and heat, which can effect their chemical composition.
Make sure the person taking the medication can read the label clearly.
Keep medications in the same place in the medicine cabinet or storage area.
Make a schedule for the person taking the medication so that it becomes routine.
Dispose of a medication if it has no label, if the label cannot be read clearly, or if the medicine is outdated.
Be sure that medications that look like water or soft drinks are labeled so that no one else drinks them.
Keep an available list of important telephone numbers of family members, the poison control center, the rescue squad, and the family doctor.
Properly dispose of unused or outdated medications.

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