Re: Making the house safer

[Guest guest]

One way that I know of is when a patient is referred to home health (doctor

refers, Medicare covers). Through home health you will have access to a

Physical Therapist AND an Occupational Therapist and even a Social Worker to

make sure your folks are aware of any help that's available to them. The OT

is the one who you need most to come into the home and determine what's

needed - bars, rails etc. When it's a professional, like a doctor or nurse,

that has been the only way I've found of getting my mil to accept many

things like that. He might be more accepting to this if a professional

advises it at the direction of his doctor (although he will probably

complain about it when doctor or OT aren't around).

Often Medical Equipment supply stores will have someone that can go into a

home and make recommendations but they are not OTs. An OT has extensive

education and training behind them and are good at problem solving.

As far as the physical part of making changes yes I would take him out of

the house for some activity one day and install whatever needs to be

installed. When he comes back its done, nothing to be anxious over but he

might want to discuss it.

Good luck!

Dorothy

From: LBDcaregivers [mailto:LBDcaregivers ]

On Behalf Of volvochick

Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 2:03 PM

To: LBDcaregivers

Subject: Making the house safer

My dad, who has Parkinson's and LBD, has recently began declining pretty

quickly. My mom and I were talking about adding some extra handrails to the

stairs. Dad overheard this and was adamant that this was not needed. (Mom

even said she wanted it for her as a way to calm him down). Anyway, she just

called and said we need to hold off because he became very agitated and

focused on this handrail and just couldn't let it go. So my question is, how

do we make safety changes to the house without him becoming agitated? Should

we have her take him somewhere and us go in and do it while they're gone? Or

would that really freak him out to come home to something new?

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[Guest guest]

I, also, had the problem of adding handrails to the stairs. My husband

was very negative about the suggestion. One day I came into the room, all

upset that I had just almost fallen down the stairs....that I...I...needed

handrails to help me....never mentioning HIM, and HIS need for such a thing.

He did not question the need again, since it was I who needed the help.

Cheers,

Marcia

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Hello,

Everyone reacts differently to different solutions, but I agree that

getting a professional to " blame " , worked well for us. Our family

doctor actually told us, when we started the journey, to always refer to

these decisions as being her orders and it worked for my mom. She may

not have liked them but she did learn to live with them. And it allowed

us to commiserate with her and be on 'her side' rather than being the

bad guy who is making all these changes and taking away their

independence.

Even now when she is in the nursing home and I am trying to get her to

eat or drink, I always say, " The Doctor wants you to drink a lot. " It

's ingrained in me.

Good luck in whatever decision you make. It's a very difficult road

because you will always be second guessing your decisions. It is also

more difficult when our loved one wants to make their own decisions.

Take care.

Doris in Canada

Daughter of Ramona (82 yrs old)- dx'd in 2005- now living in NH in

Mississauga Canada; meds: Reminyl, Seroquel (25mg/day); Fosovance;

Tylenol; Iron.

>

> My dad, who has Parkinson's and LBD, has recently began declining

pretty quickly. My mom and I were talking about adding some extra

handrails to the stairs. Dad overheard this and was adamant that this

was not needed. (Mom even said she wanted it for her as a way to calm

him down). Anyway, she just called and said we need to hold off because

he became very agitated and focused on this handrail and just couldn't

let it go. So my question is, how do we make safety changes to the house

without him becoming agitated? Should we have her take him somewhere

and us go in and do it while they're gone? Or would that really freak

him out to come home to something new?

>