Caring For Aging Parents Support Group
Caring for aging parents can be a difficul time as we become the caretakers for our parents. This broad responsibility can encompass such services as assisted living, adult day care, long term care, nursing homes, hospice care, and in-home care. Whether you have just started caring for your parents or just need a place to talk, we're here.
Hi, we are staying with my husband’s mummy. She is 80 now. Her physical condition seems ok till now, apart from a small symptom of diabetes. But her legs are so lean that they are not able to carry her body weight. She is a little fatty type. I found it really hard to manage her after my hectic work. She always tries to walk without the stick we provided and will fell down somewhere. I have to manage my kids as well. We have arranged a caretaker for the day time but mummy always fights with her for no reason. And she doesn’t like the caretaker giving her the medicines. Sometimes she takes the wrong tablets. As I told this to my friend, she suggested me to get some medical monitoring devices which she read from this blog. [ http://www.apialarm.com/blog/aging-parents-safety/tips-keep-aging-parents-safe-home/ ] I too went through this blog and got a medical monitoring pendant which mummy could use just by pressing a button. It intimates the caretaker or me whenever mummy got with an emergency situation. Also, I got the idea of writing in big labels the time of medicines and number of tablets to be taken. I feel little relaxed now. Hope it can help you.
My parents and my MIL have had much better luck with a front wheel walker, or even a 4 wheel walker! They are light weight aluminum devices that even have a built in seat so that they can take a rest where ever they are, and they can use the seat as a place to put things so that they can still "carry" things around.
I read about a pharmacy that is packaging meds specifically for each patient; they come in pouches based on when they are to take the meds. So all their evening meds are in one sealed pouch. Likewise with mourning meds, noon meds, etc. They are labeled with the time and day of the week they are to be taken.
I am sorry that you are going through all of this. At some point your husband (and his siblings?) will need to take a more proactive role to prevent serious falls and med mistakes for their mum.
Welcome to the group!