My grandfather has dementia and is finding it hard to live by himself, particularly since my grandmother has passed away. It looks like she had been doing a lot of the care for him in the house, and since she's passed away, the house is getting messier and less safe. We want to know that he is safe and being looked after all the time, so we are placing him in a nursing home. I think the process can be quite hard for families, but seeing your grandparents happy and healthy in the right environment is a good feeling. This blog is about choosing a nursing home.
Helping my grandfather find a new home
When You or an Aging Parent May Need a Visiting Nurse
Carrie Peters
It can be difficult for someone to admit that they may need help with their medical or everyday care when at home, but a visiting nurse can mean staying in your home while staying safe despite a health concern or limitation. While only your doctor can tell you the best choice for your overall wellbeing, note a few signs that it may be time to hire a visiting nurse, either for yourself or an aging parent.
Shaking and tremors
If someone has Parkinson's disease or another condition that causes shaking and tremors, this can be very serious for them to manage on their own, especially if they need to administer their own medication. Tremors can cause a person to struggle with an injection, not be able to properly dispense pills or liquids, and have a hard time with proper wound care as well. Shaking and tremors may also lead to falls when getting in or out of bed or a chair. If the tremors are very severe, it's time to call a visiting nurse to assist.
Malnutrition
If you know you're not eating well because you struggle to prepare your own foods or notice that your parent seems to have lost quite a bit of weight, a visiting nurse can help. It may be that foods should be diced into smaller pieces for someone to manage more readily or pain in the mouth or jaw area is keeping someone from chewing properly and pain medication can help. You or your parent may also suffer from fatigue and not have the strength to prepare meals as you should. Since proper nutrition is important for overall health, it's good to have a visiting nurse assist you rather than forego a good diet.
Memory problems
Memory problems don't necessarily need to be the result of senility or Alzheimer's disease; it's not unusual for anyone who is a bit elderly to struggle with memory. However, this can mean a person forgets to take their medication or doesn't do so on the right schedule, forgets to care for a wound or post-surgical suture properly, and may even forget to eat as they should. A person can also forget doctor's appointments or to do their physical therapy exercises. In all these cases, a visiting nurse can oversee the daily or weekly appointments and needs when it comes to medicine, exercise, and other such care so that it's not overlooked due to a fading or struggling memory.
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