Seniors Want to Age in Place in their Home

“Ageing in Place” is one of those catchphrases governments love to toss around because they know that survey after survey clearly show that over 90% of seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age. Sadly, most governments spew the ‘Age in Place’ rhetoric but don’t put resources behind their promises, and this applies to all governments, liberal and conservative, federal and provincial.

Governments have knowns since the turn of the millennium that the ‘Grey Tsunami’ was coming as Baby Boomers started to retire. Statistics Canada published that the number of people aged 100 or older increased 50 percent between 1996 and 2006 and is set to triple to more than 14,000 by 2031; each generation also lives longer than the last. Meanwhile, Canadians are having fewer and fewer babies, shifting the historical balance between the young and the old. This made national headlines, you would think governments would do more than form committees to plan for who will take care of our ageing seniors who do not want to be forced into Long Term Care facilities.

5 Reasons Seniors Want to Stay in their Homes:

To Maintain Their Independence – seniors may find it more challenging to do some tasks around the home as they age, but this does not mean they have to give up their home. Having a Home Care Aide visit weekly can help manage some of the heavier tasks like changing bed linens, regular housework, as well as shopping and meal preparation. Of course, Caregivers can also assist with personal care and medication management, if requested.

To Stay with Your Spouse – when couples with different levels of care requirements go into residential care, they are often forced to live in different units, essentially living separately. Sadly, some couples are separated and sent to different facilities making seeing each other regularly a challenge. Home Care Aides visiting a couple at home can provide safe care for the spouse with the heavier care needs, and also support the more independent spouse, if requested. 

To Remain in Your Community - seniors thrive when they stay near friends, family, and favorite stores. This continuity provides emotional comfort as change can be unsettling. It boosts our mental wellbeing when we are able to continue going to the hairdresser and shops we’ve known for many years.

To Keep Your Pets – although some Assisted Living residences will allow you to bring one small pet, many do not and there are restrictions. Being separated from pets can cause irreparable emotional harm and leads to isolation and depression. 

To Eat What You Want, When You Want – food is such an important part of how we enjoy life, and the ability to choose what we eat is integral part of our quality of life. Most of us enjoy traditional recipes familiar to our culture and have individual food preferences. Facilities must accommodate many food intolerances and disease-specific foods, so meals tend to be more bland When you stay in your home, we shop for foods you request and prepare meals using your favourite recipes, and we serve meals when you want to eat.  

Seniors are turning away from residential care, especially after COVID when the risks associated with communal living became more widely known, even in the media. Common safety concerns with residential care facilities include:

Higher Rates of Infection – seniors living in communal living situations such as Assisted Living or Residential Care are exposed to much higher rates of infection compared to those that remain in their own homes. Seniors at home may see one or two Caregivers a day, plus close family members whereas a senior in a hundred bed facility may be exposed to dozens of staff each ay (Care Aides, Kitchen Aides, Cleaners, Maintenance people and Managers) plus dozens of unrelated visitors and delivery people. In your home you control who you are and are not exposed to.

Residential Care Facilities were among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. During the first wave of the pandemic (March through August 2020), residents of nursing and seniors’ homes accounted for more than 80% of all reported COVID-19 deaths. Reports from 2021 indicated that nursing homes continued to account for the greatest proportion of outbreak-related cases and more than 50% of all deaths.

Security Concerns – most facilities have open visitation policies and allow friends and family to visit day and night. While this is good for the resident receiving the visitor, this is an obvious security challenge as people who do not live or work at the facility can easily enter and steal a resident’s valuables, or worse.  

Staffing Challenges - 86% of facilities reported experiencing staffing-related challenges and nursing homes were much more affected by certain staffing challenges such as critical staff shortages, increased overtime, absenteeism, inadequate PPE supplies and increased mental health issues.

Aggression and Altercations Between Residents. When dozens of seniors with varying levels of ability and cognition live together under one roof, altercations are bound the occur.  

 

Excerpts from:

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place-growing-older-home

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2021001/article/00025-eng.htm

https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/seniors-in-transition-report-2017-en.pdf

https://www.insurancechoice.co.uk/blog/2020/02/9-common-nursing-home-hazards

https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/402/agei/rep/agingfinalreport-e.pdf

 

Next blog: Planning Ahead to Age in Place

My Mom has fallen a few times recently. We’re worried about the next time. What if she gets hurt? What should we do?

Falls are more common as we age.  Sometimes it is because of hazards in the home that previously weren’t a problem such as rugs or cords. Other times it is because of a physical issue such as declining eye sight, vertigo, or blood pressure changes such as syncope. What ever the cause, there are ways to make it safer for your Loved One to be safe in their home.

The easiest and first step is to take a walk through the home and do a safety inspection.  Imagine that you are shuffling your feet.  What impedes your progress?  Look at the placement of furniture, is there room to easily maneuver? Are there hazardous electrical cords, extension cords, or wires that can be made safer?  Look to see if there are piles of stuff that can be cleaned up, organized or moved. Once you have fall-proofed the walking areas you can move on to more complex items like supports in the bathroom where falls often occur. A profesionally-installed handrail can make your loved one more secure getting in and out of the shower/tub. A bench for the shower/bath can also help. There are many solutions available to make the home safer for seniors at risk to fall. 

If medical issues or physical conditions aren’t already being addressed, now is the time to talk to the doctor about your concerns. The doctor can follow up on medical causes of unsteadiness. You should also take into cosniuderation if your Loved One has had a stroke, their vision may be impaired on one side so they won't notice obstacles on the affected side.  

At Shylo, our Geriatric Nurse Specialists are very experienced with assessing safety in the home. When setting up care, we come to the home to assess the client’s needs and can suggest ways in which the home can be made safer. With over 40 years of experience, we have lots of great ideas.  Also, once we are providing services, our Registered Nurses make complimentary monthly visits to ensure the client is doing well and if additional changes should be made.

Help Seniors Stay Hydrated in This Heat

The weatherman says the temperatures are going to get into the 40’s this week so we all need to drink plenty of fluids so we don’t get dehydrated. The Lower Mainland is blessed with gorgeous sunny days this month, but as the temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius, we can easily become dehydrated. For many people, especially seniors, hot weather can be very dangerous and even deadly.  Hot weather can lead to body water loss, dehydration and heat stroke and more than 300 people die each year from heat-related illnesses. Studies show that most people, particularly seniors, do not drink enough fluids. They also may be taking medications such as diuretics for high blood pressure which cause additional fluid loss. A recent study of healthy retirees found 8% had moderate dehydration and 33% had chronic, mild dehydration.

Here’s a few pointers to stay safe in this unusually warm weather:

Keep Hydrated: The most important thing for seniors to do during hot weather is to keep hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids such as water but avoid diet sodas, coffee, tea and alcohol as they dehydrate the body even more.

Water is the best fluid replacer. Drink cool water because it’s absorbed faster and we’ll usually drink more of it because it’s more refreshing and tastes better. Try drinking fruit juice diluted with plain water or sparkling water for a refreshing lift. Drinks with electrolytes are an excellent option to keep our bodies strong and hydrated.

Eating water-rich foods such as watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes also supply valuable extra fluids.  Homemade fruit slushies are also good for hydration (but avoid the sugar-filled, commercially-prepared slushies like the ones you can find at 7-11). Try to eat as normally as you can, but eat more cold foods like salads and fruits. *Seniors who are on fluid restrictions or have epilepsy, heart, kidney or liver disease, or have problems with fluid retention should consult their physician before increasing their fluid intake.

Slow Down: Limit your strenuous activities and reschedule them to when the weather will be cooler.  If you must do strenuous activities, do them early in the morning before 8:00 am.  To prevent dehydration during prolonged physical activity when it is hot, consume fluids regularly during the activity and drink several glasses of water after the physical activity.

 

Stay Cool:  Cooling showers and baths can help keep your temperature down but avoid taking a cool shower immediately after coming in from the hot weather as it can result in hypothermia, especially for older adults. Splash your face and the back of your neck with cool water several times a day. Wear a loose, damp cotton cloth or scarf on the back of your neck and keep refreshing it in cold water throughout the day. 

 

Be aware of the symptoms of heat-related illness:

Heat Stroke (aka ‘sun stroke’) is an extremely serious, life-threatening situation. Symptoms to watch for include hot body temperature, dry or hot red skin, changes in consciousness, and vomiting. If you or someone you are caring for is suffering from Heat Stroke, you must immediately cool the body. Immerse the over-heated person in a cool bath (water should be cool to the touch, not freezing cold), or wrap wet sheets around the body and fan it.  Watch for signs of breathing difficulties. Keep the person lying down and continue to cool the body any way you can.  If the victim refuses water or is vomiting or there are changes in the level of consciousness, do not give anything to eat or drink and CALL 9-1-1 immediately.

Heat Exhaustion is caused by doing strenuous exercise or physical labour in the hot weather.  The person's face will be pale or flushed with heavy sweating and possibly nausea and dizziness. If someone you know is exhausted, has a headache or is exhibiting these signs, move them to a cool place and call 9-1-1.   Apply cool, wet cloths, fan the person and give them small amounts of cool water to drink slowly.

Heat Cramps are muscular cramps in the legs or abdomen that signal the body has lost electrolytes and fluids due to exposure to high heat and humidity.  Drink an electrolyte-enhanced drink like Gatorade or Powerade, or you can make your own.  Mix together in a tall glass: 2 squeezed Lemon halves, 2 squeezed Orange halves, a squirt of Honey, 4 shakes of Salt, and then fill the rest of the glass with cool water and enjoy. Other recipes can be found at http://tinyurl.com/8yqxehx 

PLEASE ALSO REMEMBER OUR PETS NEED TO STAY COOL AND HYDRATED TOO

  

Every year dogs suffer and die when their guardians make the mistake of leaving them in a parked car, even ‘just for a minute’.  On a 25° C (78° F) day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 38-48° C (100-120° F) degrees in just 5 minutes, and on a 30° C (90° F) degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 70° C (160° F) degrees in less than 10 minutes.

Parked Cars Are Deathtraps for Dogs!  Animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke in just 15 minutes.  Beating the heat is extra tough for dogs because they can only cool themselves down by panting and by sweating through their paw pads.

Watch for heatstroke symptoms such as: 

Restlessness, excessive thirst, thick saliva, heavy panting, lethargy, lack of appetite, dark tongue, rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and lack of coordination.  If a dog shows any of these symptoms, get him or her out of the heat, preferably into an air-conditioned vehicle, and then to a veterinarian immediately. 

If you are unable to transport the dog yourself, take him or her into an air-conditioned building if possible and call the BC SPCA Call Centre: 1-855-6BC-SPCA (1-855-622-7722); Tell them it is an emergency!

We hope this brief review of the benefits of hydration and risks associated with dehydration have been helpful. Be prepared, drink plenty of fluids and enjoy a safe and healthy summer.