• If incontinence is an issue, strip the bed and wash upon rising. Include the nightclothes as well.

• Open windows –if not a crack- to let in some fresh air.

• Cut lemons or limes and squeeze. Allow to stand out on kitchen/bathroom counters.

• Soak cotton balls in vanilla or peppermint (increases alertness, too) extract. Place into a container with holes punched in lid. Or boil some cinnamon sticks in water and let them sit.

• Freshen up a room with flowers: besides roses, try gardenias, jasmine, or marigolds.

Vacuum floors, clean and sanitize bowls, and wash floors weekly. Once a year, wash the drapes, have the carpets and chair cushions cleaned

• Use sanitary disposal bags for those hygiene accidents. Keep the hamper lid closed.

Just a little attention at the right time and done regularly should help keep the house smelling fresh!

It’s no wonder so many family members take on caregiving duties. But at what cost?  Many are foregoing future plans or giving up their jobs and losing the income it would have provided. Many sacrifice their own health and well-being due to the demands of providing care on a regular basis.  Our advice: seek agency home care and respite help when it becomes mentally and emotionally overwhelming.

• Wants to add his/her name to your bank account

• Begins to isolate you from family and friends

• Borrows valuables and financial assets with or without an agreement

• Makes withdrawals in your name

• Uses your credit card or writes checks with or without your permission

• Claims to have a serious problem and asks for a large amount of money

• Requests that a will be rewritten to include his/her name as a beneficiary

• Requests that he/she be given financial power of attorney.

Help protect yourself by ensuring that your caregiver is bonded and carries general liability insurance. An agency should not only provide these protections, but also perform thorough interviews and background checks. If a caregiver provides transportation, an agency will also make sure he/she has a valid license and auto insurance.

• Medical/falls history: Medical conditions often have symptoms and side effects that contribute to falls. Conditions could range from low blood sugar and heart failure to plaque build up in an artery leading to the brain. Tests will determine possible cause and fall risk.

• Medications: Changes to a medication regimen can increase falls risk. It is important to periodically review medications to reduce side effects leading to falls.

• Vision: A doctor can help develop strategies to adapt to decreased vision.

• Home environment: Slips are a leading cause for falls. Home care agencies often provide a checklist and assessment of the home that includes changes that can make your loved one safer.

• Footwear: Proper footwear can help decrease the possibility of slips. Hospitals provide a slip reducing sock that is worth looking into.

• Muscle strength: As we age, our muscles become weaker. Assess any symptoms of muscle weakness and give your loved one exercises, like swimming or yoga, to make him/her stronger.

• Balance: Poor balance increases the risk for falling. Assess the reasons your loved one may be struggling with balance.

• Walking: Whether walking alone or with an assistive device like a cane or walker, a physical therapist will determine if your loved one can modify how he/she walks and uses an assistive device more safely.

• Roadblock to getting help #4: No one cares for her the way I do.”

That’s true, but so what? New people can expose your relative to new interests.

• Roadblock to getting help #5: “We can’t afford help.”

This is the rainy day for which you or your relative has saved.

• Roadblock to getting help #6: “We’re saving our pennies for a rainy day.”

If you’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, it’s pouring.

Seek day care and home care agencies that offer respite care which may range from a few hours per day to 24 hours. Most do not require a minimum number of days per week and can accommodate your schedule with 24-48 hours.

It has been pointed out that sometimes families can be their own worst enemies when it comes to getting help:

•  Roadblock to getting help #1: “He doesn’t want to go to adult day care.”

Most people don’t, until it becomes familiar and predictable. Try explaining “It’s just for a few weeks.”

• Roadblock to getting help #2: “They won’t appreciate him or her.”

Neither will you if you don’t take a break.

• Roadblock to getting help #3: “I don’t really trust nursing homes or care agencies.”

A little mistrust is good, but only if it means you find the best aide or home, not if it means you do without. Do a lot of research before you choose, then monitor thereafter.

It’s a good idea to suspect UTI whenever an elderly person is having uncomfortable urination or new incontinence. In these cases, make sure the person is seen within 24 hours by his or her doctor or by an urgent care facility.

Consider the case even more urgent if you notice new or worsened confusion or drowsiness and decreased responsiveness. This probably is delirium, a more critical situation: Bring the person in to get urgent medical care without delay.

UTIs are diagnosed by testing urine for blood, white blood cells, and other signs of infection. Doctors also sometimes order a urine culture in order to confirm the presence of bacteria. This allows the lab to test different antibiotics against the bacteria, since some bacteria have become resistant to certain antibiotics.

If a person is delirious or otherwise seems seriously ill, doctors will also check to make sure that there isn’t another serious infection or other illness that needs to be addressed.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) generally cause symptoms related to bladder irritation:

• Burning sensation during urination

• Blood in the urine

• Fever (sometimes)

• Abdominal pain (sometimes)

• New or worsened incontinence (sometimes)

If you gradually add smaller amounts of salt to your food and eat fewer salty foods, your tastes will adapt to enjoying a less salty flavor. It generally takes from 8 to 12 weeks for people’s tastes to change.

Most sodium in your diet (75 percent) is already in the processed and prepared food you eat. Major sources include tomato sauce, canned soups, condiments, canned foods and prepared mixes. Read the Nutrition Facts labels on the foods you eat so you know how much sodium you’re getting. About 25 percent of sodium comes from the salt shaker, so you can make a big dent in that number yourself.

So, put away that salt shaker and try alternative ways to season your food like this one from Dr. Oz: 1 part turmeric to 2 parts sage to 3 parts ginger and sprinkle with black pepper.  Mix and put into a shaker.

Anyone in the health care industry knows they are to maintain the privacy of your individually identifiable health information (also called protected health information, or PHI).

Home health care agencies will create records regarding you and the treatment and services they provide. They too, are required by law to maintain the confidentiality of health information that identifies you. They should provide you with a notice of legal duties and the privacy practices that are maintained concerning your PHI.  Ask about the Notice of Privacy Practices that they have in effect. They should provide you with the following important information:

•     How they may use and disclose your PHI

•     Your privacy rights in your PHI

•     Their obligations concerning the use and disclosure of your PHI

To Help Manage Sundowning Behaviors:

Closely monitor your own body language, assure that your facial expression, body movements, and tone of voice are calming and reassuring. If you need to touch the person or approach them, move slowly. Always explain in advance what you are going to do before you do it. Keep to a set routine; reduce the noise level, and keep rooms adequately lit. Consider hiring a home companion for respite care. Remember, this is just a phase and it will pass!