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| Why didn't I think of this sooner? |
Sometimes the simplest things can save much trouble and discord. I've struggled with giving my mom her medicine for some time because she can no longer bend her head back far enough to toss the pills into her mouth from a paper medicine cup as in the past. Putting the meds into her hand doesn't work, because she has arthritis and inevitably drops one or more of the pills on the way to her mouth. If I try to put the pills into her mouth we don't fare much better. A few weeks ago it (finally) occurred to me to put the meds onto a spoon--and this works like a charm for us.
Having her hair washed is not Mom's favorite past-time, to put it mildly. We get by with once a week hair washing by using dry shampoo in between. I'm amazed how well this stuff works--it absorbs oil, fluffs Mom's hair, and smells fresh. And, Mom actually enjoys her nightly hair brushing. You can find the dry shampoo we use here: Batiste Dry Shampoo
Finally, I've started splurging a bit on lotions, gentle hand soap, and body wash for Mom. I order online from Bath and Bodyworks, and always use coupons from Retail-me-not. This has helped me to feel more positive about that daily sponge bath I must now administer to Mom. We have not yet used a no rinse bath soap, but if Mom's fear of water near her face increases we may have to try this.
I hope these things help others. The posts below contain additional information Mom and I have found helpful over our twelve years as caregiver and patient.
A Practical Post - covers everything from medications to mealtimes to products for incontinence.
How We've Managed Thus Far - discusses the importance of a pet and plenty of exposure to daylight; repeats some of the info from A Practical Post.
Helpful Products for a Hard Time - incontinence products.
Caregiving Routines -- discusses the emotional/practical transitions that must occur for patient and caregiver as the patient loses ability to carry out activities of daily living without support.
Bath Day -- written back in 2007, still has some helpful guidelines for bathing a patient in the mid stages of Alzheimer's.
Nifty Gifts -- reviews one of my favorite products, the dementia digital clock.
Scripture for Caregivers -- The most popular blog post I've written, with over 8000 hits, this post includes Biblegateway links to over 60 Scriptures that provide encouragement for caregivers.
Good practical tips are so valuable! This is slightly off-topic, but I wash my own dishes never having had a dishwasher. When I switched from dishwashing liquid that smells generic to something that smells wonderful, it has made the task so much more pleasant. The extra cost is worth it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that affirmation Vee--little things like this are important to me, but sometimes I do feel a twinge of guilt!
DeleteAnother great post. I have to try to dry shampoo you suggest here. Mom doesn't not like her hair being washed and once a week is about as often as she will permit.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melanie! I hope the dry shampoo works as well for you as it has for us. By the way--the aerosol seems particularly noisy in this product, and I've learned to warn Mom, "You are going to hear a loud spraying noise--" or she is startled by it.
DeleteMy m-i-l can't swallow pills at all any more, so we have a pill crusher we got at CVS, crush them up, and mix a small spoonful of applesauce with them. Then we have a drink ready and give her a drink to wash it down right after we give her the applesauce/medicine. The only problem we have is keeping vigilant about not having any medicine prescribed in a gel cap. We can poke a hole in one end and squeeze out the contents, but there is no way to get it all out. So any time a prescription is called in, we have to remind them "no gel caps."
ReplyDeleteGood tip Barbara, thank you for sharing. I know that sometimes patients are no longer prescribed Alzheimer's meds in the later stages of the disease. I don't agree with this and it's good to have a strategy in mind for the time when she no longer can swallow pills.
DeleteA family member with Alzheimer was recently admitted into a care home. Yesterday while visiting I noticed the caregiver placing the pills in a patients mouth with a spoon. Just like you! :-) Great tips, Linda. You're mom is so blessed!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this, Georgene! I sure wish there were classes available for caregivers; I could've used this tip a few years ahead of finally discovering it for myself. As I said, sometimes little helpful strategies make a world of difference. When I've sought help I've found emotional and psychological support through caregiving groups, but have never found a "how to" class for caregivers although I'm certain in larger cities they must exist.
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