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THR Balance - Physical or in Head

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You are right, Yaka.... I didn't realize you wanted that level of private care. You do need to win a lottery!
 
yakafluss my mom lives with me and has Alzheimer's, I don't have a check list. A tip from the Alzheimer's support group was to make sure they are bonded. I have a caregiver that comes 5 days a week while I'm at work. I'm not sure what State you are in, but in Michigan they have anorganization called the Area Agency on Aging, if you have that organizationwhere you live, I would contact them and ask for some help or some referals to companies that provide in home care.

Medicare will pay for an aide to come to the house but only for 1 or 2 days a week for a short period of time. They will also pay for a nurse, PT, and OT. I had this service for my mom and I believe it was only 6 weeks and each person only came out for approximately an hour. I know this is not what you are looking for, but it's worth checking into.

I wish you luck.
 
Hi again,

Went to visit my father today and his leg has swollen down to his foot. Is this a result of his not elevating it enough?

Yaka
 
Yaka,
Since my surgery didn't have the expected results and now I can not do much around the house, I found a company that has caregivers and the name is CAREFAMILY. They are in most states in the US and are not as expensive as caregivers from hospitals. In the website, you can see the profile of each prospect. Some of them don't have much training but others are CNA's and have a community college degree and experience in nursing homes or other similar places; normally they have CPR certificate and the company does the background check. A caretaker from that company came last week and I was very happy with her work. She helped me with everything I needed. Just read carefully the section on tax forms they will send you at the end of the year.

Best,
Lumiere
 
You definitely want someone that is bonded. Be sure your Dad doesn't have any valuables in the house....remove them temporarily if necessary. Going through an agency would give you more assurance. When I was looking for someone to live with my mom years ago, I hired a private investigator to do a background check on the person we were considering. She seemed nice and we all liked her when she came to interview. But....turned out she had some problems that the investigator discovered. You just can't tell about people these days and you must be very careful.
 
Yaks, there is a national organization called home instead that is usually pretty good. Your county or nearest city should have an office of senior affairs that should have lots of good information on caretakers. The other issue you need to watch is prescription drugs hanging around. Keep your pill bottles put away in a secure place. Drug theft is all too common!
 
Good luck, keep us updated :)
 
This morning it is off to the surgeon for post-op visit. Staples to come out. Interested to hear what he has to say.

Still checking references for caregivers should have someone in place by tonight. Apartment all set for his return. Area rugs up, new bed delivered. I still have a few more things to do. I need a caregiver!

Send good thoughts!
Yaka
 
Does anyone know where to buy this item? I saw it on this forum but I cannot find it anywhere. My dad is coming home on Saturday and larger bath benches do not fit in his tub.

Bath shelf, enables you to sit on the end and then slide across into the bath

[Bonesmart.org] Balance - Physical or in Head


Thanks for any info you can provide!

Yaka
 
My dad is three weeks post surgery. He is 85. He walks well with his walker, although he grips it for dear life. He told me tonight that he is afraid to try and walk without it because he has no balance. Is this in his head? Or is it just a matter of time. He leaves rehab Friday or Saturday. We are both nervous.

Yaka
 
Hie red a caregiver. He is coming home Friday or Saturday. It wouldn't hurt to have another day of PT and OT. We are both nervous.

Yaka
 
It's not in his head. His body must readjust to the new hip and new alignment. He may have some muscle weakness that needs to be addressed ONCE HE IS HEALED. Right now, he's very early in the recovery process. It's very appropriate for him to continue using the walker or a cane to help him be more steady. It's much more critical for him to work on taking good, long strides with whatever aid he needs than it is to get off the aids and try and walk. Those long strides are what will help him regain muscle tone and balance.
 
Yaka.....I have merged your latest thread with your previous recovery thread. We like to keep all recovery updates, questions and concerns in a single thread. That makes it so much easier for us to go back and look at a person's history before making a response. It also provides a chronological story of recovery for people to read.

So please post here from now on about your Dad's recovery. If you prefer a different thread title, just tell us what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
 
yakafluss. Good luck!!!!

I'm still on crutches 3 1/2 weeks out as my surgeon prefers that. At least I am learning to walk properly without a limp!!!!

Hope it all goes well
 
That's GREAT!!!!
 
yakafluss My dad was 78 when he had a new hip - he did not really need it, but carried on for 15 years with one elbow crutch because it gave him confidence that he wasn't going to fall! The doctors just let him do what he felt happiest with.
Do look after yourself, my dear, you are being such a good daughter but you need your health as well. Feel the love and support coming your way from all the BoneSmarties!
Anne
 
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the support. I have a new struggle. How do I make my dad see that it is important to walk more than once a day. He hasn't had his home evaluation yet, but I do know that "motion is lotion" and he must walk at least a lap of his floor (he lives in an apartment building) at least once every two hours.

I called him this morning and he told me that he had too much work to do. What work? PT is the most important thing right now. Any ideas on how to motivate him?

Thanks,
Yaka
 
Hi Yaka,
Your dad is home! Did you find a caregiver? Well, I would say the best incentive to get walking is to know that one can have a stroke if one doesn't move. Do you think that would work for him? I"m sure he's enjoying being at home with all those nurses coming in and out all day and he wants some peace in his new bed. It will take him some time to desire to get up and do stuff because now he can enjoy the privacy of his home. Hope he does well. Is the PT or OT coming over every day?

Take care of yourself before you take care of him
lumiere
 
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