What an amazing couple of years it has been. I have been very busy with my Services for Seniors and life in general.
Coming through the Covid Pandemic was seriously hard for EVERYONE. But especially for Seniors who could not stay connected to their families…in person because of Lockdowns and people getting sick. It was a Lonely Time for us all.
As we maneuver through the Flu Season…( September – March) we try to eat right, walk for exercise and sleep for our health. Nutrition is very important to overall health, as is being part of a community of family and friends. It lifts our spirit to have a conversation with a friend or family…a feeling of connectedness.
On our way to Christmas 2024, remember to take good care of yourself, and we will talk soon.
Where Have I Been NOV-2024
Happy New Year 2017
I wish to send out this post regarding how grateful I am to have such Truly Amazing Clients and their Families. You become an extension of a family when you work closely with the Senior Client….but also their Children who are Caregivers to their Parents.
As we move into the new year I have, again, been taught so much by really listening to my Seniors…and maybe what they are not verbally saying. You become a bit of a Sherlock Holmes in softly extracting what they are trying to say, but don’t know how to express it. Listening is a great skill. Calmness and Flexibility is another.
As a Caregiver you have to be flexible. One case comes to mind when my client had a Doctors Appointment. When I arrived she was so nauseated from the 11 pills the Nursing Staff were giving her on an empty stomach every morning. (the medications have been adjusted, and she is given breakfast before any pills are dispensed), but we HAD TO get to the doctors.
My client who was still in her pajamas said that we should take the wastepaper basket with us in the car because of her stomach upset. EXECUTIVE DECISON….Cancel the appointment! Simple as that sounds, others would press to take her to her appointment. And maybe deal with a situation in the car when there is an accident….or in the Doctors Office. Relax…cancel the appointment…call her Daughter and let your client relax and make her some tea.
Learning to lead with a Compassionate Heart and honing those Listening Skills are my mottos.
Namaste, (The God/Goddess within me acknowledges the God/Goddess within you.)
Nancy
Manicure and Foot Soak
One of my new services that has come about because of my clients suggestions and need is a Therapeutic Manicure and Foot Soak. I have put together a kit to take to clients homes and provide this service regularly/weekly. Most people have a large rocker chair that they sit in, the kind my father liked, some are recliners and some are not. I have adapted my service so my client can sit in comfort while I provide the soothing foot soak: basin filled with warm water with added Epsom Salts or Foaming Aromatic Foot Soap. While the feet are soaking I cover the arms of the chairs with towels and start on the manicure. The manicure includes: removal of old polish, finger soak / clean / and trim, with two coats of polish and lotion application on the hands and lower arms. Back to the foot soak now….the feet are dried and calouses worked by hand and lotion applied to feet and legs to the knees. My clients thouroughly enjoy this weekly pampering. This is one of the ways I have been able to customize my in-home services to seniors.
HAPPY NEW YEARS 2013
What intensions have you set for 2013? Was one of them to visit your aging parents more? Well as nice as that is….maybe you just do not have the time to visit aging parents. You have your work, home, family, pets, church and community service that is taking up your time. This is where I can help. If you are using up time away from work? using up vacation time? or your family has demands for soccer games, school outings, work pressures??? Call me and see how I can help your family unit thrive as you struggle to help elderly parents. Just call or e-mail me….Consultations are FREE! HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
WISHING YOU…..a Very Merry Christmas, and Love To You….My Amazing Seniors. It has been a pleasure working with you. Have an AMAZING New Year….Hugs to You, Nancy
Christmas with Seniors
I am loving all the stories my seniors are sharing with me on my visits about Christmas Past. We were talking about the wonderful window displays that Woodwards and Eatons used to have in their Hastings Street locations. As we all know very well how exhausting Christmas is for us all. Remember that it is magnified in an elderly person. Seniors tire easily. And when they are tired it takes them days to recover from the excitement and all the visiting. So make sure you are aware of their limitations and take them home early and settle them in before you leave.
Hearing Aids for Seniors
I was just at the Hearing Clinic with my 91 year old client for a Hearing Test. It was amazing what they can do these days with hearing tests and hearing aids. I remember my Grandfather with a little box in his pocket and a wire to his ear…that was his hearing aid 50 years ago. Yesterday, I accompanied my client and they had to plug her hearing aids into the computer to adjust the scope to match her hearing level test, and to adjust the volume. There are no little wheels that are volume control anymore! But for an Elderly Senior are they really a help if they cannot clean them properly and have to go into the Hearing Clinic to have the volume adjusted on the computer? Cost for new Hearing Aids $4,000 – $8,000 for the pair….YIKES! Technology for Seniors is a MYSTERY. 🙁
It Doesn’t Take a Lot of $$$
It really doesn’t take a lot of Money to please the Seniors in your care. My client who had a two week stay in the hospital was complaining about the coffee. I checked with the nurses to see if there was any restrictions to her diet, (she takes her coffee black). And once that was determined I went to the coffee shop in the hospital and bought her a “decent” cup of coffee. Cost $1.95. But her reaction was priceless, she really appreciated and enjoyed it. A lot of our Seniors are not used to going to a Coffee Shop. Tim Hortons, Starbucks, The Beanery, Esquires….these are all NEW businesses to a Senior that is 80 or 90 years old. So Remember when you have nowhere to go…..just get them out and go for coffee or tea, and maybe a donut or dessert too. That always makes a nice visit and outing.
Preventing Falling in and Around Your Home
I have to post this article by Health Canada for you all to see. My very dear client suffered a fall and hit her head recently and was in the hospital for 2 weeks as they checked her out from top to bottom. It reminded me of the hazards around our own homes. If you care for a senior or have aging parents please look at these suggestions to help you, help them, make their home safer.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/life-vie/fp-pc-eng.php
Seniors Risk of Falling
Please see this information regarding how to limit the risk of seniors falling in and out of the home. http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile78.stm
