We are finding out that talking to friends in similar situations helps. Yet depending on where you are living and what kind of "help" is available for seniors, your plans may have to be adjusted accordingly.
Let me back up a little and explain:
We are currently looking after my 92 year young mother. She has just moved into our home as she is no longer able to take care of herself properly.
We have help that comes into the home 3 times a week to bathe her That is a chore that I really didn't want to do as I have mobility issues myself.
So now there is a new wrinkle in the mix. Both my husband and I were planning a trip before Mom came to live with us and we are not getting any younger either, So what do you do?
Mom is not able to live on her own and we are running out of time to go on this trip. The options need to be looked at and plans made for her care before we commit to our own travel ideas.
So we need to make sure there is a place that will take her for a short-term stay. One that is clean and nice. One that cooks meals that she will enjoy, One that has some activities to keep her mind active and off of the fact that we are not there. One that will look after her medications and also her general health while we are gone.
That's not too much to ask, is it?
So where do we start?
- Thank goodness there are places that have "RESPITE CARE". These are rooms that are set up like a bedroom (sometimes private or semi-private) in Registered Nursing Homes. We are in the process of checking out 3 or 4 of these homes and choosing the one that seems to fit all our requirements.
- Making sure that the place of temporary residence has all the required information regarding 1. prescriptions. 2. Family Doctor's phone number. 3. Next of kin in case of a great emergency. 4. All necessary tools to make her stay comfortable (glasses, hearing aids, walkers etc.)
- Labelling all of her clothing.
- Packing her favorite toiletries, creams, lotions and potions.
- Making sure she has shoes as well as her slippers.
Preparedness is key in doing this, Everything needs to be in order and then we can go on our holiday without the panic that might otherwise make a holiday into a nightmare instead.
I am preparing a Mom's Diary, a book with all of her most important information. Lists of Medications, Doctor's phone number, hospital where she has been before, grandchildren's phone numbers, Health Card information, Dentist info (just in case), and any other information that may benefit the caregivers at the home. Allergies and food sensitivities will be noted as well. Favorite foods and least favorites will also be listed.
We are trying to make this a good experience, so that if we travel again, we know exactly what we need to prepare.
Clothing labels for her personal things. We are looking for labels that are easy to attach and yet are not irritating to the person wearing them. As always, Amazon is a great place to find just about anything and they have a whole bunch of "label" possibilities! This is the one that I happen to like:
But there are many other choices as well.
We are hopeful that by taking all these steps, we will make sure that my Mom has the best of care while we are away and that putting all of this into play, we may be able to travel again and have a much easier preparation because some of it has already been done!
I will come back here and let you all know how successful we were and if there were any other things we should have included or not!
Hope this helps anyone who is thinking or living the same journey as we are on!
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