Simple tips to make life easy

Hetty58 Haha I know what you mean about Parsley Box, some are better than others. The chicken dishes are ok.
I meant just to have them to one side as an emergency or add on. I mean to try Wiltshire Foods.

Thank you for your lovely long post, Lucy. We do already give out lots of that information.

I'm really looking for ways to make day to day life easy. Like frozen mash or roast potatoes.

I hope I have understood correctly that it information to pass on to careers?

Trained M.H. agency careers is essential. Respect, love and compassion. Ask the question 'how would we like to be treated'?

Depends on the level of Alzheimer/dementia.
Never talk about them as if they can not hear.

Early stages encourage keeping the brain active. do not ponder that the condition may get worse.

If family do a memory box, photo's, a note book with favorite stories/ life experiences/job not only does it stimulate the patient but gives careers/friends a starting point of conversation.

Always say your name in a conversation several times even if you are a spouse, especially useful if different careers/friends come.

Talk slowly, give time for an answer. If they have a cognitive problem takes longer for a response it is not that they have not understood. Listen carefully as often patients voice reduces or is unclear. Do not be frightened to ask them to repeat something if you haven't heard it correctly.

Find out interests/ gardening /crosswords/books/cooking etc. most can still be done with supervision.

Crafts, zig saws, singing, dancing. A couple of minutes can stimulate the brain. Career move out their comfort zone to adapt to loved one.

If the career chooses a joint activity they are interested in and the patient it is done with enthusiasm.

Safety
Hot water machine instead of a kettle.
Electric touch sensitive hot plate instead hob/cooker.
Microwave.
Scissors instead of knife to open packets & chop meat.

Later stages equipment:
Safety belt on shower/ wheelchairs. Foot plates.
Luminous walking sticks in patients favorite colour.
Smoke, propane and carbon monoxide, panic alarms.
Wireless bed alarm placed under the waterproof sheet, fall prevention mat on floor near chair alerts you to when they stand up or get out of bed.
Door alarm for when leaving a property it rings each time the door is opened.
All the above can be requested from S.S. or Wellbeing £6.25 mth.

Most good incontinences solutions have been mentioned.

If mobility deteriorate and they are being taken out in a car, I suggest a HID car grab handle that slots into the car door latch. It can be used for extra lift. £13.95 Amazon

A slide board/banana board saves careers back.

A GPS tracker/watch is so useful if you have 'a wonderer'. You will know where to look for them. It also gives them more freedom to walk etc. They often forget to take a mobile phone so secure a tracker safely so they can not take off. If they have mental competency you must ask permission.

Home camera's can make some patients paranoid.

Velcro shoe fastenings if laces become a problem.

In our area Churches all denominations have volunteers to sit/ walk with people giving family members time to do something they enjoy. Neighbourhood groups have offered similar.
My advice is to encourage help from others and friends to call early on in diagnoses to set up a good net work.

Lastly depending on age, Mental health have a budget if people cannot afford paid career help. Pension credit, PIP, S.S. care should be applied for. Get a S.S. assessment.

Lower income families:
Keep receipts of extra clothing, bedding, equipment, travel, as this is needed if applying for allowances to lower income.

If the person or partner has worked e.g. B.G. B.T. teacher or assistant, cleaner, police, health, insurance, TEC, industry etc. or the firms gives a pension they have huge charity budgets that they need to donate each year. Career and equipment is on the list for donations or lower income families.
Nov and March are usually the cut off dates for applications.

Look or advertise on freecycle for disabled items you need.
Disability shops have 2nd hand equipment at low prices.
Ask family for an item as a Christmas, birthday gift.

(hollysteers, Parsley Box meals (have you actually tried them?) have a weird, long life, overheated taste that makes them totally inedible, unless laced with lots of curry paste!)

Having been there and done that - my best piece of advice for a carer (to make life easier) is to always remember that it's a voluntary role.

You don't have to do it and nobody should expect you to. I certainly should have made it quite clear that I couldn't really cope!

I had to learn how to produce tasty high calorie meals. Completely the opposite of the way I had cooked in the past. When someone can only be coaxed to eat very small amounts then calories e.g. double cream and butter in mashed potatoes is better than mixed greens. Multivitamins can be given in supplements.

? To all you wonderful caring people. It's such a difficult time, take any help you are offered, look after yourselves.

Thank you kittylester and welbeck. I meant attendance allowance kittylester and was awarded it and although it was less than the council charged for the carers it was a welcome contribution towards it. I applied for carers allowance but was refused.

i know exactly what you mean Blubber.
so many people would try to give irrelevant or incorrect advice, esp social workers and nurses.
it all added to the stress.

re drugs, these can be put in daily blister packs for ease of use. just ask pharmacist.

Did you apply for attendance allowance, blubber?

I, too, had carers to help with my late husband's morning shower. it was one thing less for me to do but he hated being showered by young women. He had dementia and if I took my eyes off him for even a couple of minutes he would be naked again so I had a battle to dress him again. I claimed carers allowance but the local government charged more than the allowance for the carers. Other than the half hour in the morning I did everything else. He was doubly incontinent so the bed had to be changed every morning and sheets to wash. With the extra laundry and heating and paying for carers there was no spare money for massages etc even if I could find someone to look after him for a couple of hours. I was up in the night every two hours but I would do it all over again if I could have him back.

Make sure whoever is caring places tablets in the weekly, tablets per day containers available to buy. If carers are coming in, ensure they know where and when and that the client actually takes them. Glasses, or plastics cups/drink bottles of water or juice need to be easily available. A lot of elderly people don’t like drinking too much as they don’t want to get up in the night and/or are afraid of accidents. Many with dementia forget to drink, dehydration exacerbates their condition.

welbeck

unfortunately the Admiral nurses do not operate in all areas.
seek advice and help from community continence service asap. products though basic are free on nhs.
i knew someone who would not accept that her mother needed pads. she would sit her in reclining chair wearing plastic pants over ordinary ones, then take her to the toilet when she could visit. i tried to urge pads, but she saw it as defeat i think. i said she could still use the toilet, but wear the pads as back up.
the mother developed deep sores on the side of her hip and top of leg, which never healed.

@Welbeck
The Admiral Nurse Helpline is a nationals helpline. Anybody can call to speak to an Admiral Nurse

Wilshire farm foods are quite good, as little packaging as possible, and all oblong, so they fit in the freezer easily.

They take your card number once, then each order will be paid for using the card without having to answer any questions.
Good for people with early dementia, once it's set up.

They also will phone and patiently prompt people if they've not received an order.

That's quite a good service, I think.

That is going on my list of tips Cs783

A simple tip that not everyone uses is to have a meal plan for a week/ fortnight. It doesn’t take long when you’re used to it and means one less thing to have to think about each day. Sorry if this is too simple!

unfortunately the Admiral nurses do not operate in all areas.
seek advice and help from community continence service asap. products though basic are free on nhs.
i knew someone who would not accept that her mother needed pads. she would sit her in reclining chair wearing plastic pants over ordinary ones, then take her to the toilet when she could visit. i tried to urge pads, but she saw it as defeat i think. i said she could still use the toilet, but wear the pads as back up.
the mother developed deep sores on the side of her hip and top of leg, which never healed.

Contact the free of charge Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline for information, support and advice on all dementia related issues. They are highly qualified, experienced and expert nurses in the dementia field. Open seven days a week, Mon to Fri, 09.00-21.00hrs and Sat/Sun 09.00 -17.00hrs.
Tel: 0800 888 6678
They are very busy and not always able to answer but if you leave a message they will get back to you within a short time

I recommend this book: www.waterstones.com/book/contented-dementia/oliver-james/9780091901813
(Other books and booksellers are available.)

for mild, intermittent or occasional continence issues, puppy training pads are very useful and much cheaper. good for back up, belt and braces approach.
you can get a big pack of them in poundstretcher.
can be put on car seats, wheelchairs or on the bed.
they are thin, so not very absorbent, but a useful back up. by the way do not use plastic/rubber ie impervious pants, the moisture has to go somewhere and it will double back into the skin, can cause damage.

Are you in the UK, jillybird, if so, have you had contact with the Alzheimer's Society? They are really helpful and the CrISP courses are really good - she said modestly!! There is also the Talking Point forum which is used by Carers (and some people living with dementia) and a source of support and information.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

The little individual jelly pots are handy to have, and don't have to be kept in the fridge.

Ready made custard in packs or tins, lovely with tinned pitted prunes or tinned peaches. Tinned rice pudding, jelly and blancmange, yoghurt - all nice treats easy to prepare and easy to swallow.

My Dad struggled to look after Mum on his own for far longer than was good for him.
It took a fall and a hospital admission, and a supportive social worker who insisted, before he'd agree to have a carer to help.
Even if it just gave him an hour to eat his breakfast and make a shopping list in peace it was a great help.
I suggested quality ready meals and prepared veg but he was very resistant: I don't think he wanted to accept the situation and the deterioration at all.
We helped when we could but they were four hours away from us so it wasn't very frequent unfortunately.