Some solutions for caregivers

KJLee
KJLee Member Posts: 3
edited February 2018 in Caregivers #1

I work full time and am taking care of my 78 year old mother w/stage 4  cancer.  I feel like a tornado has picked me up, spun me around and slammed me into building after building.  It's very difficult and I'm trying to make the best of things.  I just wanted to share a few short cuts that made my life easier thus far:

 

Google Assistant/Amazon Show and smart plugs:  Used these to connect the lights in my mom's bedroom.  Now I don't have to go in there all the time to turn on lights, turn off lights; turn on heater, turn off heater.  I don't have to answer the same question over and over again "what's the weather today, what's today?" etc etc.  With the Amazon Show, I can drop in on her any time from work, talk to her without needing any action on her end (non tech senior) and have peace of mind seeing her whenever I want.

 

Washlet:  It's impossible to bathe my mom every day (it takes 45 minutes).  I installed a washlet, which washes the genitals with warm water and soap every day.  It's a great short cut.  Baths now happen twice a week, which is way more manageable.

 

Nestcam:  Now I can see my mom to make sure she's ok from my phone or anywhere.  Use in conjunction with Amazon Show.

 

The biggest challenge were the doctor/lab/chemo appointments.  They were regular, never ran on time and immensely draining.  I'm a full time working adult (and sole caregiver) and don't have enough vacation days to cover them all.  I live in Brooklyn and the commute to MSK is an hour each way in traffic.  I now use a service called Joanne Cares LLC (www.joannecares.com).  Joanne picks up my mother, drives her to appointments, stays with her the entire time and takes her home and settles her in.  It's an amazing service and made a big difference in deciding whether to keep my job or stay home and care for my mother.

 

Organization:  Too many medications, medical supplies and care items in the room.  I couldn't keep track of them all and it was getting messy.  I ended up buying a 5 drawer dresser and using that to store everything.  

 

temperature sensitivity:  heated mattress pad (should not be used during chemo)

 

I hope this is helpful for anyone else going through the same things.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  • cmb
    cmb Member Posts: 1,001 Member
    #2
    Caregiver Aid Suggestions

    Thanks for posting these suggestions. I'm the one with cancer, although currently in remission, and I live alone. While I have family and friends close by who provided a lot of support when I went through treatment last year, I 'm concerned that my cancer (an aggressive type) will return and that I'll need more help than I did the first time. So I've been thinking about ways to make it easier on my family and friends. I'm already in a condo with a walk-in shower, but I'm going to look into the Google Assistant/Amazon Show and smart plugs, Nestcam, etc. I've been a caregiver in the past and those things certainly would have helped.

  • KJLee
    KJLee Member Posts: 3
    #3
    cmb said:

    Caregiver Aid Suggestions

    Thanks for posting these suggestions. I'm the one with cancer, although currently in remission, and I live alone. While I have family and friends close by who provided a lot of support when I went through treatment last year, I 'm concerned that my cancer (an aggressive type) will return and that I'll need more help than I did the first time. So I've been thinking about ways to make it easier on my family and friends. I'm already in a condo with a walk-in shower, but I'm going to look into the Google Assistant/Amazon Show and smart plugs, Nestcam, etc. I've been a caregiver in the past and those things certainly would have helped.

    Caregiving

    Hi

    I'm glad you're in remission.  One thing that I'm also looking into is getting a video doorbell so I can see who's at the door and open it remotely.  Even though I'm now on family leave to take care of my mother, I can't always be home and I want to be able to remotely unlock the doors for people in case of an emergency.  

    Also, even if you have a walk-in shower, sometimes you'll need a quick cleanup.  A washlet is priceless in those circumstances.  

  • tuscangal
    tuscangal Member Posts: 3
    #4
    Thank you so much for sharing

    Thank you so much for sharing these ideas! I love them. I'm pretty tech savvy and I did not know about Amazon Show so I'm off to check that out. Also the idea about the washlet. Hang in there and know that you helped me today :)

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