Looking after your elderly relatives can be extremely rewarding, especially if they’re a parent, and it’s your turn to truly give back to them after all those years you spent toddling about the place. However, it’s not the easiest task to take on, and it can create ripples in your well-established life. Not knowing what you’re doing exactly is all part of the experience, and you will learn most of the lessons through doing it. To get you started, we’ve listed four essentials from a mountain of things that you’re going to need.
Table of Contents
Suitable Bed
Choosing the right mattress at any age is essential to a good night’s sleep and maintaining excellent posture. For your elderly relatives, a suitable mattress is vital for maintaining the integrity of their back and other joints. To choose the correct one, consider your budget, the temperature, noise, conforming relief, and support. A popular choice of mattress is memory foam because it curves to fit the body and isn’t extremely firm or soft.
As well as nailing the mattress side of the bed, you need to provide suitable bedding for your elderly relative. Depending on the needs of your elderly relative, you can check out some quality hospital bedding products at MIP Cares. Hospital bedding sheets are designed to benefit the skin, and they clean easily in case of any accidents.
Medicine Lists
If your elderly relative uses a plethora of medication, you need to ensure you can keep track of what goes where and when. Having a detailed printed list of all of the medications is essential. The list can help you to keep track. Further, if you require a speedy trip to the emergency room, your list will be helpful to the medical staff. Having a printed list will save you from brain fog taking over in the heat of a stressful moment. Utilizing a pill organizer from Ikigai Cases to store your medications complements this preparation, offering a convenient and organized solution.
Ease of Use Equipment
You may be providing care, but that doesn’t mean you have to everything. Ensure your elderly relative’s independence by investing in ease-of-use tools. You can invest in reachers for those high or low places. Also, you can place handle grippers for them to use on equipment like cutlery. When it comes to the TV, you can give them access to the channel hopping tool by providing them with a wide remote.
Vitals Kit
Keeping track of your elderly relative’s vitals will help you easily spot any abnormalities. You do need to learn how to use some equipment first, though. Firstly, invest in a decent thermometer to measure the body temperature. Next, you should get a pulse oximeter to track their pulse and oxygen saturation. Finally, you’ll need to learn how to take their blood pressure with a blood pressure cuff—creating a daily log will keep you on top of the game even if it does seem like overkill.
Caregiving is tough and fulfilling, but there is a lot to learn and research – make your start here and venture onto further reading.
Featured Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay
