Caring for Seniors: Essential Daily Living Support
Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment
- Environmental Hazards: Caregivers should identify and eliminate environmental hazards.
- Orientation: Maintain the patient’s orientation by addressing them by name and frequently stating the day, month, time, and place.
- Consistency: Maintain consistent caregivers and avoid leaving the patient alone with strangers.
- Routine: Establish a daily program of activities.
- Space: Use posters and drawings to help the patient identify their space. Keep the space as unaltered as possible.
- Identification: Recommend the use of an identification bracelet.
- Stimulation: Avoid overstimulation and sensory deprivation.
Hospital or Residential Care
- Offer more flexible visiting hours.
- Encourage family collaboration.
- Request that family members bring photos and familiar objects.
- Encourage the family to reminisce about the past with the patient.
Assistance with Dressing
- Encourage patient participation and respect their preferences.
- Dress them appropriately for the time of day.
- Select appropriate clothing for the season.
- Lay out clothes in the order they should be put on.
- Replace buttons with zippers or Velcro. Use shoes without laces.
- Always respect their privacy.
Hygiene and Skin Care
- Maintain a consistent routine for self-care activities.
- Check the water temperature.
- Gently remind them of the need for hygiene.
- Remove unnecessary items from the area.
- Teach caregivers massage techniques.
Assistance with Elimination
- Accompany them to the bathroom regularly.
- For nocturnal incontinence, limit fluid intake after 6 PM (18:00) to 1.5-2 liters per day.
- Use mattress protectors and bed liners.
- Teach caregivers how to use diapers if necessary.
Mobility Assistance
- Maintain the highest possible level of physical activity.
- Implement a physical activity program appropriate for each individual.
Eating and Drinking
- Ensure an adequate supply of nutrients.
- Monitor weight loss.
- Cut food into small pieces to facilitate chewing and swallowing.
- Remind them to swallow carefully and monitor for choking.
- Use non-slip placemats.
- Use unbreakable dishes and colored utensils that are easy to grip.
- Ensure adequate fluid intake.
- If dysphagia (difficulty swallowing liquids) is present, recommend thickening agents and gelatins.
Rest and Sleep
Factors that Promote Relaxation:
- Feeling in control.
- Feeling accepted and understood.
- Absence of physical or psychological discomfort.
- Receiving needed assistance.
- Engaging in a satisfactory number of specific activities.
Activities to Promote Relaxation:
- Alternate leisure activities and relaxation.
- Avoid excessive stimulation.
- Provide a comprehensive entertainment program with choices.
- Encourage the use of media during rest periods.
- Avoid stimulation at night.
- Recommend short naps.
Physiology of Aging and Sleep
Changes in sleep patterns may be due to:
- Physiological changes
- Health alterations
- Medication effects
- Psychosocial factors
- Changes in time zone
Stages of Sleep Disruption
- Physiological Changes: Can only be quantified in a laboratory.
- Functional Health Alterations: Psychotic changes.
- Medication Effects: Side effects, withdrawal symptoms after chronic stimulant or sleep aid use, or paradoxical reactions.
- Psychosocial Factors: Stressful situations can produce sleep disorders.
- Time Zone Changes: Jet lag can cause sleep disorders. The elderly have more difficulty adjusting to time changes.
Stages of Sleep: Must be considered when intervening in sleep problems.
- Preparation
- Numbness
- Dormition Stage
- Awakening