Columbia Aged Care

Your loved one may find it difficult to buy comfortable clothing that fits them properly. If your loved one suffers from arthritis or an injury they may also have difficulty dressing themselves.

You can make your loved one’s life easier by purchasing them clothing that is easy to put on and is comfortable to wear. You can buy adaptive clothing specially designed for people with restrictive movement, which will make it easier and less painful for your loved one to dress themselves.

If they suffer from dementia they may resist wearing certain types of clothing or have a favourite outfit. You can help them by purchasing multiple sets of their favourite outfit so they always have clean clothes to put on.

Aged Carer has provided some great tips for buying appropriate clothing for your loved one.

• Choose natural fibre and cotton fabrics that breathe
• Choose clothes with elastic waists
• Buy slip on shoes with a non-slip sole
• Stretchy fabrics
• Bras that clip at the front for women with arthritis
• Choose large buttons
• Ensure there is lots of room in sleeves
• Choose fabric that can be washed frequently and in water with temperatures up to 90 degrees if your loved one is in a nursing home
• Choose clothes that don’t have to be ironed

You can help your loved one achieve a greater independence by buying them comfortable clothes that they can easily dress themselves in.

Read the full article here.

Choosing the right nursing home can be difficult and overwhelming for many carers. You want to ensure that the nursing home you choose will provide the best care for your loved one. However, with so many nursing homes available, how do you compare them to ensure you make the right choice?

The first step to finding the right nursing home is to start searching for homes in your area. Once you have a list of potential nursing homes you should then visit each home to assess them.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing has put together a Nursing Home checklist that will help you to compare each nursing home by asking the right questions.

Some of the questions on the Nursing home checklist are:

Staff

• What was the attitude of the staff assisting you?
• What training do the care staff have?
• How many staff members provide overnight care?
• What type of care or services cannot be provided?

Rooms

• Are single rooms available or will your loved one have to share?
• What arrangements are there to ensure privacy for residents?
• What furnishings and personal items can your loved one bring and what is supplied?

Food

• What are the meal arrangements?
• Is there easy access to well-maintained outdoor areas?

Other

• How can family and friends be involved in your loved one’s care?
• What transport is accessible for visiting shops and family?
• Can the nursing home meet your loved one’s medical and special needs?
• Do you or your loved one understand the costs associated with care?

You can also prepare your own specific questions to add to the checklist and remember to take a new checklist to every nursing home you visit.

Feel free to conduct second or third visits to each nursing home to ensure you make the right choice.

Hopefully with a little bit of preparation and by asking the right questions you can find the best nursing home for your loved one.

Read the full checklist here.

Home and personal security is an important part of creating a comfortable living situation and having peace of mind at any age. Many elderly people live alone or have limited mobility and can therefore be an easy target for burglaries.

However, most burglaries can be prevented by using a number of simple home and personal security measures.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing has some great tips on how to secure your home and reduce your risk of burglary:

• Use security deadlocks and grilles on doors and windows.
• Always lock all outside doors and windows when you go out, even if it’s for 5 minutes.
• Lock up parts of the house you can’t keep an eye on.
• Prune bushes and trees that hide your home’s windows and doors.
• Don’t hide extra keys in flowerpots or under mats.

Here are some basic safety tips for your personal security:

• Always be aware of other people and your immediate surroundings.
• Be aware of situations that could make you vulnerable to crime, such as laneways, back streets, and poorly lit parking lots.
• Don’t carry large sums of money. Pay your bills by cheque, credit card or over the phone.
• When you are banking always vary your routine.
• If you carry a handbag, hold it under your arm or in front of you and never leave it unattended.

You should always stay up to date on any security issues in your neighbourhood and if a crime does occur contact your local police station.

For more information on how to improve your home and personal safety contact your local Neighbourhood Watch or police station.

Read the full article here.

When your loved one is moved into a nursing home it is important that they don’t feel abandoned and that their close relationships continue.

However, many people can become uncomfortable or distressed when visiting a nursing home. Aged Carer has given some helpful tips to create a more enjoyable and comfortable environment for when you visit your loved one.

• If your loved one is immobile or cannot communicate, holding their hand, stroking their forehead or quietly talking to them will let them know you care.
• Share a meal with your loved one in the dining room or order take away.
• Bring a family pet to visit, go for a walk around the garden and show off the pet to other residents.
• Bring a grandchild to visit. If they have a favourite book have them read it out loud to your loved one or if they play a musical instrument bring it along and put on a mini concert.

A short visit can break up your loved one’s daily routine and for many residents in an aged care facility a family visit is the highlight of their week. Making your loved one feel important and a part of the family is the best way to ensure your loved one is happy and content.

To read the full article, click here.

Moving your loved one into an aged care facility can be emotional and difficult, but with a little planning and consideration, the move can be made as straightforward as possible.

Kate Sumner, author of Caring for Your Elderly Parent: A practical guide for Australian families has provided some great tips on Aged Carer that will help make the move into an aged care facility easier.

• Accept and express your feelings. Both you and your loved one will have concerns about moving into an aged care facility. It’s important to express your feelings thoughtfully, and ideally not to your loved one. Listen to their feelings, but try not to let them get stuck in the negatives.
• Be patient with the staff. Remember that the staff of the aged care facility are getting to know your loved one in the first few weeks and might not get it all right straight away.
• Give your loved one and the staff a chance to get to know each other. While you may want to be by your loved one’s side in the first few days, it’s important that the staff have space to establish your loved one’s new routine, and for your loved one to get to know the staff.
• Say hello and goodbye every time. Don’t just slip out hoping not to upset your loved one as it will actually make them feel less secure. Avoid leaving all together in a big group, but do say goodbye and let them know when you’ll return.

Many families find the initial days difficult, but with care and patience you will help your loved one adjust to their new home and lifestyle.

Read the full article HERE.

As people age, some everyday activities can become difficult or even dangerous. Stairs can present a hazard for elderly people, and are often the cause of falls.

Falls can be traumatic and damaging to health, but they are a preventable accident. Aging Parents Authority has provided some great tips to make stairs safer for seniors.

• Stairs should be well lit, with a light switch near the top and bottom of the staircase.
• Remove any thick carpet on stairs. It can make stair climbing more difficult for the elderly.
• Remove tripping hazards on and around the staircase. This includes small toys, throw rugs or nails sticking up that shoes could catch on.
• Install a sturdy hand railing.
• Seniors should not climb stairs while carrying items that they cannot see over or around.
• Get in shape for stair climbing. Walking, leg stretching and balancing exercises can help build both strength and confidence, which will aid in climbing stairs.
• Consider installing a chair lift. They are now easier to install and use than in the past. If the previous tips are not sufficient, the elderly person may require a chair lift.

If you suspect that there is a hidden problem that is preventing the senior from successfully climbing stairs, see a doctor. Such health problems could be inner ear infections, which affect balance, or arthritis causing stiff, painful joints.

A few simple measures can make a big difference to the safety of staircases.

Read the full article HERE.

While information technology has become second nature to younger generations, it still remains a bewildering and scary concept to many elderly people.

Technological advances now allow elderly people to have access to new systems and programs designed to help them live independently.

To help them make the most of technology, and stay in contact with friends and family more easily why not set aside some time to help them understand the concept and how to use technology, such as computers, the internet, emailing and even mobile phones.

Chad Hunter has provided four helpful tips on how to teach technology to the elderly these include:

1. Be patient.
Take your time and slowly go through the whole process clearly and concisely. Making the person feel rushed, stupid or incompetent will not help the situation. Remember this is all new and difficult to understand.Take your time and take breaks if you get frustrated.

2. Use analogies.
Elderly people are used to learning new things and have learnt alot during their lives. Use analogies to describe different terminologies and instructions to help them not only understand but remember when you aren’t there.

3. Spoon-feed terms.
World wide web, email, hard drives and symbols like ‘@’ are all new to elderly people with no technological knowledge. Go through it slowly since most of these terms seem like a foreign language to younger learners, you can imagine what your elderly student might be feeling. It would be a good idea to put together a glossary and instructions that they can refer to and study.

4. Practice makes perfect.
Sit with your student and go over concepts and practice exercises with them. Give them tasks and things of their interest to do on the computer. Show them how email can connect them to family. Show them how digital cameras can capture hundreds of photos.

Once you find things of interest for them, have them practice these steps as much as possible.

To take proper care of elderly parents, younger children often decide it is necessary for their parents to move in under the one roof. The initial transition period can be difficult on the children and their family as well as the elderly parents.

Home Instead Senior Care have provided seven tips to ensure multigenerational families can live happily together.

1. Take a family partnership perspective.
Everyone needs to be informed and to give input into the arrangements.

2. Set expectations right away.
People understand it's not just what they get out of it, but how they fit into the family.

3. Ask for help.
Engage your children in responsibilities around the home and make it clear to adult siblings that you expect them to be involved. If extended family members will not help with respite care, arrange for a professional caregiver service.

4. Make family unity key.
Routines, rituals and traditions help draw the family unit together. Plan a family movie or game night or take a walk together.

5. Find threads of common interest.
Build on these to develop deeper relationships. Focus on activities that provide simple ways to generate a common bond, such as ethnic cooking, family history, health or wellness.

6. Keep lines of communication open.
Recognise the importance of "my time" and "our time." Try to take everyone's needs into account. Visit www.4070talk.com for more information about bridging the communication gap between seniors and their boomer children.

7. Distinguish between private space and shared space.
Shared space should be stocked with material inviting for all ages and items that could stimulate discussion, such as a child's project or "brag book" of photos. Make clear rules regarding the private spaces set aside for each member of the household.