We have already turned our clocks forward an hour and now is the time when everyone starts to talk about the dreaded spring cleaning one must do like an annual pilgrimage or something. But, over time, as we age, we tend to collect stuff and sometimes this stuff starts to build to a point that something needs to be done about it. Now if you are still a self-reliant senior or if you are not so capable to handle your own spring cleaning, there is always help. Just ask friends and family, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.
Now we must keep in mind one thing if we are going to help anyone other than ourselves, we must do the first rule of kindness: Ask the individual for permission to clean and make some changes around their home. What may look like a pile of junk to you may be their most beloved item. Therefore; just tossing items that look like junk to you might cause them more stress than rest.
Secondly, talk to the person you will help or who will help you and make a list of what can be tossed and what must be kept. Most seniors will really appreciate it when one considers them and their feelings.
While making your list, you should also make a schedule for routine maintenance to have regular household chores like: cutting the grass or cleaning the gutters taken care of if your loved one can’t take care of them themselves. Having someone you can rely on to handle these things can be very important because some things left undone can get out of control very quickly.
Review safety measures
• Make sure you replace the batteries on the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Also, test them to make sure they are working properly. These devices should generally be completely replaced every so often. The general rule is that smoke & carbon monoxide detector should be replaced every five to seven years.
• Check the fire extinguisher and make sure it has been inspected by a professional within the last year and that it is in good working order.
• If your senior is capable of using a fire extinguisher, make sure they know how to use it in case of an emergency. Also, make sure it is in an accessible area where anyone can find it.
• Program their phone with emergency contacts on speed dial and be sure to show them how to use this as well.
• Make sure that someone can always check on your loved one. If needed have 7 different people check in on them. One person per day so no one person is feeling burdened. Or if they have friends, create a buddy system, so they can keep an eye on each other.
• If they have important documents like a trust, will’s, insurance etc… have a professional review the documents to make sure your loved one is properly covered.
• Clean out the medicine cabinet – Make sure that the medicines have not expire, throw out any unused medicine that is not required and look at the medicine to make sure they look as if they have been stored in a cool dry place as most medicine recommends.
• Remove clutter and any other items that might cause someone to fall. Be sure to also check the exterior areas of their property, add non-skid flooring if possible to areas where a slip, trip or fall may occur.
On to the general cleaning
• Be sure to organize everything and make sure everything has a place for it. If not, most likely it will become clutter, which can lead to trips, fire and rodents. This is what we want to avoid.
• Dusting can be pretty irritating to someone that might be sick frail or elderly. Try to dust and wipe things done with a rag or something so you won’t get all the dust in the air.
• Move furniture and other large items to eliminate as much dust, dander and the items themselves if they now present a hazard.
• Be sure to sweep everything. Outside areas, be sure to look for hoses or other items left out in the open.
Maintenance (time for the handyman work)
• Be sure to check all the doors, door locks, windows and the window locks to make sure they are working properly. If not, have them fixed immediately.
• If you are the handy type, check the roof, gutters and exterior areas around the house that might need some TLC before a small issue turns into a major problem.
• Try to save them money on their bills. If you see someone is using regular light bulbs or has a very old toilet consider replacing the bulbs to fluorescent and for the toilet consider a dual flush toilet that wastes less water.
• Finally, give everything one last walk thru to make sure everything is working properly and in its place.
If you or a loved one is having difficulties in the home and is not able to care for themselves, First Care of New York can help. As a license home care service agency FCNY provides highly qualified home health aides which can assist with most of the spring cleaning and every day activities of daily living for that matter. If you or a loved one needs care or someone to look after them, FCNY is your place, as we pick up where others leave off.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
The Vertigo basics
Have you ever had a few too many drinks and you stop somewhere or lay in a bed and you feel like the room is spinning or you feel like you’re moving but your actually staying still. Well, if you ever felt this way, that would be my best description of vertigo in a non-medical form but you get the idea.
Vertigo
[vur′tigō, vurtī′gō]
A sensation of instability, giddiness, loss of equilibrium, or rotation, caused by a disturbance in the semicircular canal of the inner ear or the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The sensation that one's body is rotating in space is called subjective vertigo, whereas the sensation that objects are spinning around the body is termed objective vertigo
Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.
Which means the inner ear or vision problems might be the cause of the feeling (unless, of course, you are drunk at the time of the feeling).
The original meaning, according to Medterms.com is:
The word "vertigo" comes from the Latin "vertere", to turn + the suffix "-igo", a condition = a condition of turning about). Vertigo is medically distinct from dizziness, lightheadedness, and unsteadiness.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6129
“A Balance” is defined as a state of equilibrium. It takes a significant amount of work for this to occur in the body. The brain uses inputs from many sources to understand where the body is located in relationship to the world and to allow it to function. Sensory information from the eyes, ears, and position receptors in the rest of the body help keep the body upright and allow it to move in a coordinated fashion. Information comes to cerebellar lobes located in the base of the brain from the vestibular system in the inner ear, vision from the eyes, and proprioception (position) receptors located throughout the body that send signals through the spinal cord. The cerebellum uses that information to maintain posture, coordinate body motions like walking and also coordinate fine motor skills like using a pen to write. Vertigo, a feeling of spinning movement and sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting, occurs when any part of the system breaks down. However, people tend not to use that word to describe their symptoms but instead use the word dizziness or lightheadedness. It is up to the health care practitioner to understand the person's symptoms and define vertigo as the cause of their situation.
http://www.medicinenet.com/vertigo/article.htm
There are several causes in which people suffer from vertigo and plenty of treatment programs that can help as well but, if one still feels that “hung over” feeling they may want to lay down as it might cause them to fall and hurt themselves. This can lead to further injury such as: slips, trips and falls that have ended in a injury or even a fatality. In our previous Blog we have discussed some of the dangers of slips, trips and falls and at First Care of New York, we are here to help you and your family avoid such things from happening. We provide services in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. For your convenience, a nurse can be scheduled to visit you or your loved one at home to evaluate the level of care that is needed at no cost to you, if they participate in our program. The nurse will also be able to evaluate the home to bring to light any potential hazards that might cause harm to you or your loved ones, while suffering from a vertigo episode. They will help clarify some questions you or your loved ones may have. We can provide as much care as is needed from a couple of hours a week to 24-hour live-in care and everything in between. We have highly trained home health aides, personal care aides, homemakers, and nursing care. We help with bathing, cooking, toileting, grooming, medicine reminder, laundry and cleaning services. First Care is a licensed home care service agency that provides top quality aides to all our clients.
For more information about First Care of New York, please visit: http://www.1st-care.org/
Vertigo
[vur′tigō, vurtī′gō]
A sensation of instability, giddiness, loss of equilibrium, or rotation, caused by a disturbance in the semicircular canal of the inner ear or the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The sensation that one's body is rotating in space is called subjective vertigo, whereas the sensation that objects are spinning around the body is termed objective vertigo
Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.
Which means the inner ear or vision problems might be the cause of the feeling (unless, of course, you are drunk at the time of the feeling).
The original meaning, according to Medterms.com is:
The word "vertigo" comes from the Latin "vertere", to turn + the suffix "-igo", a condition = a condition of turning about). Vertigo is medically distinct from dizziness, lightheadedness, and unsteadiness.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6129
“A Balance” is defined as a state of equilibrium. It takes a significant amount of work for this to occur in the body. The brain uses inputs from many sources to understand where the body is located in relationship to the world and to allow it to function. Sensory information from the eyes, ears, and position receptors in the rest of the body help keep the body upright and allow it to move in a coordinated fashion. Information comes to cerebellar lobes located in the base of the brain from the vestibular system in the inner ear, vision from the eyes, and proprioception (position) receptors located throughout the body that send signals through the spinal cord. The cerebellum uses that information to maintain posture, coordinate body motions like walking and also coordinate fine motor skills like using a pen to write. Vertigo, a feeling of spinning movement and sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting, occurs when any part of the system breaks down. However, people tend not to use that word to describe their symptoms but instead use the word dizziness or lightheadedness. It is up to the health care practitioner to understand the person's symptoms and define vertigo as the cause of their situation.
http://www.medicinenet.com/vertigo/article.htm
There are several causes in which people suffer from vertigo and plenty of treatment programs that can help as well but, if one still feels that “hung over” feeling they may want to lay down as it might cause them to fall and hurt themselves. This can lead to further injury such as: slips, trips and falls that have ended in a injury or even a fatality. In our previous Blog we have discussed some of the dangers of slips, trips and falls and at First Care of New York, we are here to help you and your family avoid such things from happening. We provide services in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. For your convenience, a nurse can be scheduled to visit you or your loved one at home to evaluate the level of care that is needed at no cost to you, if they participate in our program. The nurse will also be able to evaluate the home to bring to light any potential hazards that might cause harm to you or your loved ones, while suffering from a vertigo episode. They will help clarify some questions you or your loved ones may have. We can provide as much care as is needed from a couple of hours a week to 24-hour live-in care and everything in between. We have highly trained home health aides, personal care aides, homemakers, and nursing care. We help with bathing, cooking, toileting, grooming, medicine reminder, laundry and cleaning services. First Care is a licensed home care service agency that provides top quality aides to all our clients.
For more information about First Care of New York, please visit: http://www.1st-care.org/
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