Convalescent Care part 2

Toilet / bathroom IF possible the convalescent area should have its own dedicated facilities. An alternative to this would be to set aside the nearest toilet for their use OR if the situation demands it you could use a commode chair.

Toilet / bathroom areas should be fitted with grab bars ahead of time as you never know when a family member or you, will need them. Even if you can not have a private bathroom in the sick area, if all you can have is a sink with running water, it would be great. Also consider some sort of call or panic button in this area in-case someone needs help or falls. It is easy to install either wired or wireless doorbells near the toilet with the ringer in the hallway or some other convenient location. The convalescent person should have a whistle to blow for help on their wrist or as a pendent. You may need to consider stocking a bedpan and urinal in case the person is bedridden.

The shower or tub should be cleaned after use with a 10% bleach solution to cut down on transmission of diseases. If the person has any wounds the bathing area should be treated prior to them using it too. Consider stocking a shower chair too.

Much of the DME [durable medical equipment] is covered by insurance in which case you can get new stuff. It is cheaper though if you have to get it out of pocket to hit garage sales, flee markets or other such places.

Stairs are OUT! Convalescent and elderly people need to be on the ground level. From a health and safety point of view and general convenience issues it is easier and better to be on the ground level. If the person is semi-mobile it is easier for them to be more independent. If they have to be transported via ambulance there is better access. The fire department will thank you if they ever have to evacuate your family member too. Stairs contribute to both the number and severity of falls. If there is no way around having stairs make sure that there are hand rails on both sides and that they are very sturdy. If possible replace stairs with ramps for easier access.

Floors are easy to trip on. How is that you ask? Deep carpet can catch feet and trip people. Throw rugs are dangerous as are cords and wires. Keep the walkway clear and uncluttered.

Lighting is a large issue for convalescent, old folks and actually ALL of us. Night lights are a good idea for safety in walkways and bathrooms. A way to save money and dress the place up some is to use LED Christmas lights. Finding strings of such lights is becoming easier as they are showing up for All Hallow’s Eve more commonly known as Halloween. The lights are cheaper if you wait till the day after the holiday to buy them.

Phones should be accessible and secured so they can not be knocked off the hook. In the convalescent area you may consider a separate line into this area. Consider the doorbell call system as already discussed. This may be a good situation for FRS radios. Cellphones would be great here too if the person can use one.

BTW it is often cheaper and easier to keep someone home V putting them in a ‘real’ nursing home. IF needed you can often hire sitters 24 / 7 cheaper than nursing homes.

As a side note there are a lot of people who have run the numbers and decided that living on a Cruise Ship is cheaper and better than an assisted living facility. ;]

What are your thoughts??

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/convalescent-care/

Convalescent Care

Setting up your home and family for convalescent care.

In the ‘modern’ world most people live in single or nuclear family homes / apartments. There is mom and dad and 2.3 children. Or it could be a single parent household. Grandma and grandpa live somewhere else, and if you have any siblings they live in yet another someplace else. This may work out well for everyone in ‘normal’ times and situations.

In today’s world if someone gets sick or hurt and they need help or need help with the kids then you have to have someone travel across town or across state[s] to be able to help out. At best this disrupts their lives a bit or a LOT and makes it less likely that you will assistance at times. Some things to consider for the person being helped is that things in the home and your routine have to be altered to accommodate the the helper. On the other hand the helper will end up either bringing TOO much of their stuff OR won’t bring things that THEY need to be away from their home. Depending on their situation it will cause a hardship in their household with pets/plants and security.

Back in the old days most people lived in multi-generational situations and siblings were just down the street from the main family which made for a highly supportive environment. OH well, things are what they are for all of us.

Why would you have to provide convalescent care? It could be simple situations like the kids [or you] have the flu. A family member or friend could need help after a surgery or broken leg. Or your parents could just be old / infirm and can not live on their own any longer. [this is where an in-law apartment comes in nice. More on this later.]

In an ideal situation and new construction your place would be designed much as a modern bed and breakfast [B&B] or an actual better setup would be as a boarding house. What is the difference between the 2? A B&B is short term and the boarding house is much longer term situation.

With this in mind each room or suite of rooms would have their own bathrooms that would include tubs and or showers and there would be a central kitchen. Some may be set up as inefficiencies with a kitchenette. On a much larger scale would be a hotel / event center that has a restaurant, pool with a hot tube and ALL the trimmings. Use your imagination for the set up.

For most B&Bs and many of us normal folks housing would have to be adapted and retrofitted.

Regardless of where and what you start with there are certain considerations to account for.

Privacy – it does not matter how much you love someone nor how well you get along most of us will want someplace to retreat to at least to sleep. A private room is especially important if they are sick and contagious. So, if the room exists the sick person should have a private room.

The sick or convalescent room should NOT be carpeted. Carpets are hard in the best of times to keep clean. Expect in a sick room to have messes, vomiting, diarrhea and urine end up on the floor. There will be other spills to contend with too. Carpets and drapes [as in room dividers or entrance curtains] are some of the biggest harbors of germs in a healthcare setting.

See you in part 2. We would like to hear YOUR thoughts on this and other topics.