Caring For Elders Requires Attention and Willingness ~ A Product Review

Life brings us all opportunities to learn something new everyday!  I'm learning about caring for a Senior that I happen to love dearly, but, is having difficulty with day to day activities.

Caring for Elders requires that you be willing to do things that you thought were impossible and yet you know you have to do those things anyways.  There is a willingness to go beyond what we thought we would be doing and learning to do those things that might be distasteful and generally keep us moving away from the responsibility.  

But there are things that make all the distasteful things a little easier to complete and one of these are pre-moistened and good sized  Adult Wipes.  We happen to have found the one we like called Inspire Premium Washcloths!

Back in late January, my elderly mother had taken ill.  She was in hospital for almost a whole month recuperating from pneumonia and the flu.  These illnesses can be quite debilitating for the elderly.  While in hospital, the signs of early dementia, turned into true brain fog, with doctors hoping that once she was home, that fog would clear up.

Such has not been the case.  She is now bed-ridden and the leg muscles so weak that she can no longer hold herself up.  So, we are learning to cope with our new reality.

Incontinence has become the major "problem".  While we have all had our share of diapering babies, we never think of the possibility that we will be diapering our parents.  With a little humour we can get through this stage of our lives.  

What's that old joke about diapers and the elderly?  Why don't they call diapers for adults Huggies and Pampers?  Because it Depends on who is in the will!  Just kidding of course.

Caring for adult skin in the nether regions is important especially when they are elderly, bed-ridden and have other health complications.  Bed sores are nothing to be scoffed at and can become infected causing even more problems.

With caring for the skin in those intimate areas, dependable quality wipes are a must.  Tiny wipes used for babies just don't quite cut it when it comes to adults.  You need something that will hold up and yet be soft, strong, gentle and do the job!  

We found that the Inspire brand Wet Wipes for Adults, was just what we needed.  They are large enough (8 inches x 12 inches).  they are moist without dripping all over the place. Latex and alcohol free,  they are Ph balanced and have Aloe Vera and Vitamin E for skin health included in each sheet.  The only down side is that they are NOT Flushable!  But when you are dealing with disposable diapers, that is not a game changer at all, they just go into the garbage with the diapers.  Quick and easy, clean and neat all in one package.

For anyone who has a need for a quick, easy and strong washcloth, these disposable ones are the greatest.  I love that they are not overly scented, yet they have a nice soft feel to them and one or two do the work and hold up through whatever mess you are facing.  These can be used to clean a face, hands or a butt......so many different places that you will find them useful. 

I'm signing off for now, but I'm sure I'll have more to share with caring for the Elderly in another Product Review right here on Reviewthisreviews.com.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Problems with Aging Parents and How to Cope ~ A Product Review

Having a parent move in with you sounds like the ideal way for an elder person to spend their remaining years.  

I'm here to tell you that it is indeed one way to manage the care and physical needs of someone who can no longer do these things for themselves.  Entering into a long term care facility was not an option in our case, and I'm kind of glad that it isn't.  But I'll be the first one to tell you that it is not the easiest thing to do.

Aging is a process we will all go through if we are healthy.  As the years go by though, those aging processes become much more intense and possibly detrimental to a good relationship that you may have had years earlier.

I will tell you our story as it is unfolding.  My mother will soon be 92 years old.  When she first moved in with us, she was still fairly mobile and able to do many things for herself.  She just needed us to make sure she was taking her meds and eating well balanced meals. Getting her to doctor's appointments and such.  We were happy to be able to help her do all those things.

At almost 92 though, things seem to change a lot quicker in a very short period of time.  

 shoelessRVA_photography/pixabay

Mobility has become a major issue.  She just isn't able to get up as quickly as she did a few months ago.

Incontinence has become a major issue!  She still is able to use the facilities, but sometime she's not able to get to the facilities as quickly as she should.  So what happens next is the problem.

Just the other night she was sitting in her favorite chair watching Jeopardy!  So far so good, but then she thought she should get ready to go to sleep.  When she got up, I think she realized that she had had an accident.  There was a towel on the chair.  

Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, I got the towel and realized indeed it was very wet and the chair was as well.

Google was a big help in finding a solution to the odor accompanying the accident on the chair.  I found this article to be very helpful and you could use it as well for accidents with pets!  Removing Unpleasant Odors from Couches and Chairs

So after treating the chair with this solution we decided to go one step further in case there are any more accidents just waiting to happen.

A waterproof chair pad was ordered from good and trusty Amazon.  The chair pad has a cloth surface but is lined with a waterproof plastic underneath.  It has an anti-slip and waterproof backing to keep the pad in place on the chair.  If my mother has another accident, it will just be a matter of removing the chair pad and replacing it with a clean one.  It's big enough and yet small enough that you can had launder it in the kitchen or bathroom sink.  Hang it out to dry and it'll be ready for another use in no time at all. Or most of them can be laundered in the washing machines as well.  It is not bulky or odd looking on the chair so I'm sure this will be a good solution to this new problem that we are encountering.  These come in a TWO Pack and in three different colors.

Waterproof Incontinence Chair Pads 2 Pack Non Slip Absorbent Pads, 22" x 21" Wheelchair Reusable Seat Pads Cover, Washable Nursery Pee Pad Seat Protector - Navy

 Choose the color that you like the best or that matches your furniture the best!

I really like that the size is a good fit and that it doesn't move around because of those little grippers on the backside.  This was an easy fix.

We also have incontinenece pads for her to use on a daily basis and there are several different brands and absorbency levels available.  We are using the maximum absorbency for her now and she really likes that they keep her dry and fresh even when little leaks might occur.

Aging is not an easy process and our bodies need all the help they can sometimes get.  Thank goodness there are products available just for this purpose.

Our hope is that we can continue to keep my mother here with us and with the help of these products it should be fairly easy.  

Now we have to work on the memory issues as they too are becoming more frequent.  But more on that at a later date.  

For now this is me signing off and wishing every elder parent finds something here to help them live their best lives everyday!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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