Newer, Easier, More Comfortable Patient Lifts for Home Care Use

If you are taking care of someone at home who needs to be lifted, there are modern lift devices available that are easier to use and more comfortable for the patient than the devices of a few years ago. At just-patient-lifters.com you can read about the newest developments in patient lifters, which are different from the older styles of hoyer lifts.

Articles at the website explain that making patient transfers with the newer types of lifts is much easier than it was with the older types of lifts that were used before.

The website explains OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Association) concluded that "injuries in nursing homes alone will reach 200,000 with a cost of almost 1 billion dollars. Injuries to care givers in the home care setting are estimated to be even higher...most of these injuries are directly related to patient transfers."

The just-patient-lifters website goes on to explain that mechanical lifters have improved and the slings are comfortable and easier to use now.

Electric lifters allow the caregiver to remain at the patient's side and to use a push buttom to operate the lift.

In a skilled nursing facility and in home care I have used hoyer lifts and electronic lifts. Sometimes people are not accustomed to lift devices, and may view the lift devices with nervousness.

For in-home care, licensed professionals can provide training and practice for caregivers until the caregivers feel comfortable using the lifts.

This may involve the caregivers experiencing the role of being a patient while someone else operates the lift. Having the experience of being lifted by a device, and practicing lifting others with the device, while an expert provides training, helps caregivers to become more comfortable with using it.

In my nursing classes we used to practice lifting each other until we were able to operate the lift smoothly, and relate to how the person being lifted felt. As we became comfortable and experienced using the lifts we were more able to reassure others until they were accustomed to it.

It can be a new experience but I saw many patients in the facility where I worked become accustomed to being lifted by lift devices.

Gail Sheehy at Parade.com Writes About Caregivers

Gail Sheehy writes about her husband's cancer and how she became a caregiver. I, too, became a caregiver the same way. In 1996 my husband, Frank, died from cancer, when I was 44 years old. The words "It's cancer" seemed to come out of a bad dream somewhere, but it was real.

Many of us who have lost a spouse have taken our experience and we try to use it to give something to the world. We had an experience that we would never choose, but now we try to make use of that experience to care for others.

Carmen Leal, at the Someonecaresonline.com website, is an example of a caregiver who helps others after her own loss. Carmen was her late husband's caregiver, and now she provides caregiver conferences, writes books, and provides resources to support other caregivers.

Safety for Seniors and Caregivers

Some websites about safety for seniors and caregivers include the following: (1) Stopfalls.org has a website devoted to fall prevention, includes articles on legislation, the National Council on Aging, reducing bed falls, and more. (2) Medicinenet.com has an article about what to do after calling 911 for any emergency (3) Osha.gov has a section about lifting and caregiver injuries (4) Just-patient-lifters.com explains the new lifting devices that are easier to use and have slings that are more comfortable than the ones used in the past

The fire department in my local area provides free lift assists when a senior has fallen and you can check with your local fire department and rescue workers for more information.

Print a Free Form for Emergency Medical Information

You can print out a free Vial of Life form that is recommended by fire departments and rescue workers from your computer to provide emergency information. At elderlawanswers.com an article explains the Vial of Life and the importance of having emergency medical information. The form includes history, medications, allergies, doctors, and telephone numbers.

The Vial is a form that provides the information that rescue workers and emergency rooms need in order to enable them to act as quickly as possible. The form can be attached to the refrigerator so that rescue workers can find it easily. If someone is taken to the hospital it provides the insurance information as well as the medical information.

Sometimes people have their information kept in phone books and files but this is a way to group the information where it is instantly available.

"Someone Cares" Caregiver Conference To Be a Major Event

At someonecaresonline.com you can read about the upcoming Caregiver Conference featuring New York Times Best Selling author Cec Murphy, radio host Cheryl Kuba, author, singer and actress Stacie Ruth Stoeling and best selling author Debra White-Smith. The conference is scheduled by Someone Cares for October 25-28, 2007 in Ridgecrest, North Carolina.

Over 40 concurrent workshops, multi-media presentations, daily praise and music from Nashville based Music for the Soul, and a concert by Dove award winner Scott Krippayne are among some of the activities.

For more information go to someonecaresonline.com, email info@someonecares.com, or contact Carmen Leal at (808) 372-0274.

Learning opportunities for caregivers include practical topics, legal and financial issues, Medicaid and Medicare issues, respite options and caring for the caregiver.

"Someone Cares" provides Christian Caregiver Conferences and Resources. A ministry from the heart and soul, Someone Cares has a "mission to help churches and caregivers focus on the One who cares for them as they care for those they love."

Founded by Carmen Leal, who had been her late husband's caregiver for 12 years, the goals of "Someone Cares" include the following: (1) Serve the Caregiver, (2) Pray for the Caregiver, (3) Learn from the Caregiver, (4) Care for the Caregiver, and (5) Grieve with the Caregiver.

Carmen has authored nine books, is in demand as a speaker, and has written for many popular publications such as Guideposts.

At someonecaresonline.com you can get information about conference schedules, caregiver devotions, and information about hosting a Someone Cares Caregiver Conference where you live.

There actually will be two conferences at that time. One is the conference for caregivers and will focus on "Learning to care for the terminally, critically or chronically ill or developmentally disabled."

The other conference is a Caregiver Symposium for Church, Staff and Lay Leaders.

The website explains that fifty-four million caregivers live in the United States, and with the aging of the population that number is expected to rise.

Supplies for Care in the Home

Health supplies and equipment can be complicated until you can picture what is needed and where you can find it. Often people are not aware of the many inventions that can make taking care of someone at home safer and more comfortable for the patient and the caregiver.

I looked at the website at valuemedicalsupplies.com to see pictures recently of some of the new equipment for someone I was assisting. If you are a caregiver trying to solve some problems for someone you can get a lot of good ideas by researching supplies.

The home health professionals, as mentioned in the previous post, provide training and you can ask for advice about supplies and equipment.

Home Health Services - Nurses, Physical Therapy

Home health services include licensed professionals such as registered nurses, home health aides, licensed physical therapists, or speech therapy. The nurses and professionals visit your home to provide care and teach the patient and caregivers how to provide the care routine that is needed.

For example, at the webpage for bestcarehomehealth.org, which has offices in many locations in California, there is information about who is eligible. The services need to be prescribed by a physician,the patient must need skilled nursing or rehabilitation therapy, and the patient must be homebound. Homebound means it is difficult or taxing to leave home.

You can also search the internet or yellow pages for additional home health organizations.

Medicare, Medi-Cal, Workers Compensation, Private Insurance or Personal Pay are the options listed for paying for the services.

The nurses provide training for family or paid caregivers so that someone can remain in the home instead of going to a long term care facility.

Understanding What a Long Term Care Ombudsman Does

If you need to find out how to choose a facility for long term care, and how to get good quality care, then contacting your local Ombudsman is a good place to get help. On the Internet you can go to ltcombudsman.org to use a locator to find the ombudsman in your area.

You can also contact the Administration on Aging, which is the agency that administers the Ombudsman Program. The website is at aoa.dhhs.gov

Sometimes the need for long term care comes up unexpectedly, and having information from your local ombudsman will help you know where to start looking for a home that will suit the circumstances.

Knowing your local ombudsman can be helpful in other ways too. A long term care ombudsman resolves complaints made by residents who are in long term care facilities.

The ombudsman can advise the senior and the family caregivers about the person's rights and provide education about what constitutes good care. Part of the ombudsman's duties are also to provide information about nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living other facilities to seniors and caregivers.

When you discuss your issues or questions with an ombudsman the information is confidential unless you give the ombudsman permission otherwise.

Website Lists Nursing Home Ratings, Violations, Complaints

Memberofthefamily.net is a website that says on its homepage has information on 16,000 Medicare/Medicaid certified nursing homes in the United States, including the National Watch List of homes with violations and substantiated complaints.

They also have a list of nursing homes that are "deficiency free" on an Honor Role.

The website explains the reports are based on recent government surveys, and describes the reports on the website as easy to understand. I agree the information was presented so that the average person could easily read it, and it was in regular language, not medical terms or technical terms.

The states are listed so you can search your own. There is a Nursing Home Annual Survey Rating System which includes four color codes. The codes include red for "Actual Harm or Immediate Jeopardy", yellow for "Potential for More Than Minimal Harm", blue for "Potential Harm", and green for "No Violations Reported."

There is also a place for "Repeat Violations" for "same violation on two or more of the survey dates listed.

The Nursing Home Watch List shows warnings, the name of the facility with a hyperlink to its page, and the address. You can read the list of ratings, violations, and scope/severity codes for each home on the Watch List.

Nursing Home Quality Trends and Staffing includes Quality Indicators developed by the University of Wisconsin. Again there are four color codes to identify the number of quality measures that do not meet standards or to show there is no more than one quality measure not meeting standards.

Reading the lists of violations shows activities such as "Provide services to meet the needs and preferences of each resident".

Depression Is Not a Normal Part of Aging

Caregivers can be alert for signs of depression in the elderly, and the website at psychologyinfo.com explains that depression is not normal at any age. Sometimes people think depression is part of the aging process. Understanding causes and treatments shows that the elderly have options for treatment of depression.

The symptoms of depression in the elderly, related medical illnesses, psychotherapy, and medication are explained.

The website explains that signs of depression might be mistaken for other medical conditions. For instance, depression can include loss of interest, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

An evaluation with a healthcare professional is needed when signs of depression are present in the elderly.

Book "How To Say It To Seniors "

"How to Say It to Seniors - Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders" by David Solie, M.S., P.A. says in the introduction that it "explores the reasons why communicating with the elderly is sometimes so frustrating and offers strategies and skills."

The book explains that seniors may have different phrases, vocabulary, and personal agendas that cause a communication gap when adult children, professionals and workers try to talk to them.

This sounded to me like the books about communicating with teen-agers, but it makes sense that each age group has its own way of talking, its own style of communicating.

The world of seniors is uniquely different from the world of young adults or the middle-aged and they react differently.

Chapters include "Different Missions, Different Agendas," and "The Need for Control".

Insight into the world of seniors can be gained by reading the chapter "Legacy, The Need to be Remembered".

Those of us who work with elderly people as caregivers could improve the way we listen to seniors by knowing what to listen for, and what motivates them. Seeing the world through their eyes, sensing their feelings, is one of the ways we caregivers can learn to communicate with seniors.

The book is available at amazon.com.

Caregivers and Seniors Take a Look at the 20th Century

Looking at the 1900's through the eyes of seniors who experienced the historical events, and whose lives were often impacted by them, can help caregivers to relate to seniors. For instance, a 90 year old person, born in 1917, would have been a ten year old child in 1927. This person might remember hearing adults discussing World War I, the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, and Charles Lindbergh, who made the first solo transatlantic flight in "The Spirit of St. Louis," in 1927.

The book "The Astonishing Century" by Robert Joyce is one of the good books for nudging someone's memory of the 20th century.

Some of the people I've assisted have been over 95 years old and they remember the roaring 20's and the flappers.

A person who is 80 years old in 2007 was born in 1927, and would remember the impact of The Great Depression of the 1930's in America. Growing up during the depression era included the stock market crash, the dust bowl, migrations of people moving from the midwest to California, and poverty.

Some of the seniors tell me that to this day they collect objects they no longer need because they grew up with so little that they can't bear to part with hard earned possessions.

Someone who is 70 years old in 2007 was born in 1937, and would remember a childhood growing up during World War II. In 1958 the Explorer I, the first American satellite, was launched and the space program was on its way. This person would have been 20 years old when Elvis Presley, hoola hoops, poodle skirts, and rock'n around the clock was "in".

I know one senior who still has a huge collection of records from that time, and hopes to get a record player to listen to them for old times sake, even though the music is available in other formats now.

A 60 year old person, born in 1949, was a teen-ager when the Beatles were popular and may remember their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show singing "I Wanna Hold Your Haaaaand." This person was a teenager or young adult during the Viet Nam war, the demonstrations, hippies, flower children, and the first man on the moon.

I am in my 50's so I really did grow up with the hippies, the musical "Hair", and Viet Nam.

Some time when you are caregiving, and feel the need to start a conversation, try asking a senior citizen about one of these historical events and ask what he or she was doing at that time.
You can go to infoplease.com or any number of websites for history timelines.

For instance, you could ask a person who is in the 70's what it was like when Elvis first came on the scene, and whether this person ever tried a hoola hoop!