Why The Walk-In Tub Is The Safest Bath For Seniors
Perhaps the most frightening time of a senior citizen’s day is bath time. One of every three seniors will fall annually. One half of those will fall again within the same year. With weakened muscles and bones, maintaining their balance is not as simple as it once was.
Their fear of falling is very real. The pain, permanent injuries, and loss of independence are all fears that a senior citizen legitimately has. With the risk of these types of impairing fears of injuries, bathrooms must be made safer and more senior-friendly.
Today there are new, innovative tubs that reduce the risk of injury, alleviates many fears, and yet still allows for a cleansing bath. The walk-in tub was designed with many safety features that make it truly reliable for a senior citizen or others with any type of disability that makes it cumbersome to get into and out of a conventional tub.
The first feature that one will notice about the walk-in tub is just that, one walks into it. A conventional bath tub has high sides that are difficult to step over. This is one of the greatest sources of fear for the elderly.
They no longer have the balance and stability to stand on one foot while navigating over the side of the tub. This fear is further compounded when having to step into or out of a slick, wet surface.
The walk-in tub has a twenty-four inch wide door that swings inward and seals closed over a five inch high threshold. The width of the door and the low threshold allow for ease of access and more secure footing. Standard in every tub are grab bars placed in strategic positions for the added security that one needs where there is the fear of falling.
Another fear for seniors is the fear of being burned by their bath water. Unable to move as quickly as they once could, a senior’s sensitive skin is exposed to the hot water for an extended period of time resulting in more serious burns. The makers of the walk-in tub have taken that issue into consideration when designing the tub.
There is an enhanced faucet feature that allows the temperature to be preset. This prevents the water from exceeding the preset temperature and maintains a steady degree of heated water to enter the tub.
The increasing trend of keeping the elderly in our homes calls for the renovation of our bathrooms to provide a safe environment for them to cleanse themselves in a calming and relaxing atmosphere free from the worry of falling while getting into and out of the bath.
Dror Klar is an advocate and writer about top quality Window Treatments. Learn more about His Window Treatments,Blinds And Drapes at his websites.
http://www.meditub.com
http://www.stepintub.com
The Sandwich Generation and Their Parents’ Tarnished Golden Years
Parents of Baby Boomers look toward their sixties, seventies and eighties as golden years, with the chance to enjoy the fruits of their labors. But what happens when those days become tarnished gold? What if nothing you or your parents do can restore the shine you all were expecting? This is what faces the Sandwich Generation each year when their parents are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, senile dementia or stroke.
Today, dementia of some kind has affected 14% of Americans over the age of 71 and the incidence is rising. Caring for these seniors generally falls to their Baby Boomer children; studies indicate that one in four families now take care of an elderly parent. Often the caretakers are women. According to a recent AARP study, 8.7 million American women aged 45 and older are caring for both aging parents and growing children. How they, and their brothers in some cases, cope with these demands is of increasing concern.
Now even Hollywood has begun to look at the dilemmas faced by these Boomers. With the Academy Awards season right around the corner, the buzz is out about “The Savages,” a film looking at Sandwich Generation reactions to an estranged, aging father. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman play siblings, Wendy and Jon Savage, who can be described as Open Face Sandwiches – suddenly thrust into caring for their abusive father while they deal with on-going crises in their personal and work lives. How they respond, and what they learn about themselves in the process, mirrors the situation for many Baby Boomers.
If, like the Savages, you are propelled into caring for a difficult parent, undoubtedly you will sacrifice many things – time, sleep, emotional stability, money, energy, days at work, dreams of your own. Because of these extreme pressures, family caretakers report having some kind of chronic condition at more than twice the rate of non-caregivers and research suggests that this additional stress can shorten lifespan by up to 10 years. Here are seven tips to help lighten your load as you attend to your infirm father or mother.
1. Give up your ideas of perfection and be realistic about the path ahead. You will not have the benefit you had imagined of involved, wise, old parents in your life. Acknowledge that the dementia will steadily increase and your parents will become less and less responsive to you. Be respectful of your parents’ dignity even as you transfer control over their circumstances from them to you.
2. Evaluate your options as you keep an open mind. There is not one correct solution for everyone in your situation. It is helpful to hear from others what they have learned but you are still the only one walking in your shoes.
3. Look for resources in the community to help you. Recognize that you can’t, nor do you have to, do everything yourself. Contact local gerontologists, talk with hospital social workers, meet with health care aides, visit nursing homes, join a caregiver support group.
4. Be honest with your siblings about their responsibilities. Even if you’ve been in conflict when them in the past, resolve to have an on-going dialogue now and be firm about finding a way to share the caregiving duties.
5. Take care of yourself to decrease the burnout that is common. A good support system gives you the opportunity to express your emotions and receive comfort. Set aside time for rest and relaxation, difficult as that may be to arrange. A sense of humor will get you through some tough times, as you laugh through your tears.
6. Look at how your past relationship with your parent has affected your present way of life. This is especially important if your parent was abusive when you were growing up. Decide to let go of the tendency to define your behavior today as a response to the memories you hold of your childhood. Make up your mind to make changes in your behavior that benefit you now.
7. Grow up. As you take on the complex chores of caregiver, you are the one ultimately making decisions about your own life as well as that of your parents. Both Wendy and Jon Savage matured as they reconnected with each other and their father, making dramatic changes in their lives after his death. They were able to trust themselves and take chances to achieve what they wanted, both professionally and personally.
Just as in the aptly named children’s game, tug-of-war, you in the Sandwich Generation may feel like you are in a battle zone – pulled simultaneously from both sides and stretched to the limit in the middle. It is a struggle to sense the breaking point, which must be done to protect yourself for the long haul. It’s not easy to put limits on the connection with your aging parents, but you need to place that relationship in the context of the rest of your life. Trust yourself as you design a plan that works for all of the family, yourself included.
(c)2007, Her Mentor Center
Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. are founders of http://www.HerMentorCenter.com, a website for midlife women and http:www.NourishingRelationships.Blogspot.com, a Blog for the Sandwich Generation. They are authors of a forthcoming book about Baby Boomers’ family relationships.
Walk In Tubs Are An Amazing New Bathroom Compliment
A walk-in tub is one of the ultimate innovations to assist an elderly or handicapped person in maintaining their independence and dignity. The family has less fears of their loved one bathing unassisted with one of these tubs.
Perhaps the most difficult part of bathing in a conventional bathtub is stepping into and out of the tub while maintaining one’s balance trying to step over the high sides of the tub. This no longer poses a problem with the walk-in tub.
This tub has only a five inch threshold under a twenty-four inch wide door that seals when closed. With grab bars standard in all of these tubs a person can feel confident in maintaining their balance.
The tub is designed with a non-slip seat and flooring for added safety. The faucet is within easy arm’s reach and has an extendable showerhead for further ease in bathing and rinsing off.
An additional benefit is the special design of the faucet. It is enhanced so that it reduces the wait time for filling the tub. This faucet also has an anti-scald mixing valve that prevents the water temperature from exceeding the preset temperature.
Also included in this tub are air propelled hydrotherapy jets. With water propelled jets a person with fragile skin may not be able to use the jets at all or for a very limited amount of time. The air propelled jets allow for sustained use for a longer period of time.
The jets have temperature sensors that adjust and maintain the temperature of the water that is thrust outward. These jets act as a water massage, which has beneficial effects for the reduction of arthritis, sore joints and muscles, and inflammation.
Unlike a Jacuzzi or a hot tub, the water is not recirculated. The water is completely drained after each use. This allows the tub to be wiped with disinfectant to maintain a bacteria- free environment. Not only is this important for a person with diabetes, open cuts, or recovering from a surgical procedure, it is imperative when the tub is to be used by others.
Compact and designed to fit in less space than a conventional tub, the walk-in tub matches up to existing plumbing thereby eliminating the need for any further expense to install new drain lines and plumbing. Constructed of high quality fiberglass this tub is low maintenance and wipes clean with a non-abrasive disinfectant cleanser, providing many years of use.
Dror Klar is an advocate and writer about top quality Window Treatments. Learn more about His Window Treatments,Blinds And Drapes at his websites.
http://www.meditub.com
http://www.stepintub.com
Caring for the Elderly
Caring for the elderly is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs in nursing. Demanding a great deal of tact and care, looking after elderly patients is a trying and testing job, although it is one of the most necessary and most sought after positions in modern times. Elderly patients require care for a number of reasons, and these each carry their own complexities and challenges which must be met by the carer.
For some elderly patients, care is a round the clock affair, and this means you also have to be dedicated to patient’s well being. On top of that, patients require genuine attention, which extends beyond the hours of the job. A carer for the elderly must be a genuinely caring person, willing to commit to a career in people. At times it can be a demoralising and depressing job, but at the end of the day, the difference good care can make to quality of life is substantial.
Amongst other things, elderly patients need human company and companionship, and a good carer should have the ability to listen and interact on many different levels. It is a good idea to come with plenty anecdotes, and a good knowledge of current affairs to keep your patients amused whilst you provide them with essential care to improve the quality of their lives. Additionally, it requires patience. Elderly patients can, at times, be set in their ways, and can find it hard to accept help and treatment from someone younger than themselves. However, it is essential to remember that the patients are people too, with their own opinions and dignity. In nursing the elderly, it is a case of striking a balance between offering care and assistance and understanding the mindset of the patient, and this is arguably one of the most difficult things about the job.
Caring for the elderly is not a job for everyone, but it is a job that many would find appealing. Working with the elderly can be very rewarding, and the loyalty and respect you can expect in return for your help is heart-warming. Furthermore, many patients will adopt you and care for you as their own, creating a uniquely bonded two-way relationship. It is this relationship which makes caring a job that is worth far more than any wage, and is something which can provide the real sense of job satisfaction which can’t be found anywhere.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for http://kidsandteenscentral.com/ – In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for http://iwomensinterests.com/ and http://itsfamilytime.net/