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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