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My father is infested and does not seem to care....he came for Easter dinner and had bugs on his clothes....He didn't care a bit that he was bringing them to someone else's home. He is covered in bites. I'm taking him to the doctor today.

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My mother's house is badly infested with bed bugs. There is no more furniture beds. She is 83 years old and on a fixed income she cannot afford a exterminator. Is there a program for seniors that have grants for this kind of situation?
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Bedbugs are the LAST thing I'd want an infestation of...but you know...and this is a fact...unless you are allergic to them (and we had a friend who was...and his face really swelled up like Martin Short in that movie!) the only real threat they pose is one of irritation from the bites and possible allergic reaction developing. They do not spread disease and are not venomous or poisonous and in fact take away blood instead of leave poison or pathogens.

Still...I would NOT want to have them and it would be terrible to have them on my elderly parent...coming to visit and the bedbugs visit, too...and some will invariably move in. You must research the signs and indications of bedbugs and then meticulously assess your home environment and act from there.

Cap's right, there is a lot of misinformation. I don't know anything about getting rid of them from an exterminator's perspective, but I studied up on the signs and how to prevent them from coming home to my house...the signs to look for in motels and your suitcases, and etc.

Just don't be afraid of them for the wrong reason...don't be afraid of them at all. They are actually pretty benign, relatively speaking, in relation to the insect world.

Yet, still...I'd freak to have them here.

I would think if you were really diligent in checking your home environment out frequently for signs, and taking care of any areas right away or even throwing stuff out if feasible if signs are found on furniture, etc., you could keep your home free of bedbugs without chemicals. But it might be near to impossible to totally rid your dad's place of ALL bedbugs.

You just have to choose your battles.
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lot of misinformation on this thread. whole house heat treatment isnt panning out. it drives the bugs right thru the walls and into the yard. matress cover and diotomecious earth inside the covers, under the beds, between matresses, around baseboards, etc will kill them but it takes a couple of months. its a waiting game. the bugs only live within 8 feet of the human host so theyre not that hard to locate and kill. bedlam spray helps keep furniture free of bugs. matress covers, dust and bedlam can all be bought from pestmall online at a fraction of normal retail cost. couches and overstuffed chairs may have to be burned as they are too hard to monitor and treat. if anyone wants more specific instructions google up cdc / bedbugs or write to me. an exterminator does not have to be your first option but even if you resort to that the treatment is not several thousand dollars as youd expect. think 1200 dollars instead..
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I am a social worker and the only help I have found for people on fixed incomes is contacting Adult Protective Services. They will spray and even put the person in a motel while it is being done.
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I saw on the show "infested" that people have to treat and retreat to get rid of these bed bugs and then if the spraying and cleaning doesn't work there is a procedure that heats up the house and kills all the bugs...maybe just go with the heating treatment to begin with since it is so bad...it will cost about $1,500 but if you consider all the cleaning and poison that has to be done the traditional way, it may be worth it. Maybe one day they will come up with a will for humans to take, much like our pets' flea meds, that will keep the bugs off of us! You are in for a big battle...maybe having to throw out furniture and beds etc.
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a vaccum cleaner doesnt work well on bed bugs. they hide in crevices where the vaccum wont reach. take a simple playing card. any crack in wall trim, baseboard, bed frames that the playing card will slide into needs caulked. i cant stress enough, the heat treatment is the most costly tx and doesnt work. dust kills the adults, wintergreen alcohol kills hatchlings and adults on contact. dont throw your bed out, buy good covers from pestmall. you dont want wal marts crap that will rip in 3 months. i wish i had a dollar from every person who told me id never eliminate them on my own.
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I agree with dgrey63, they are extremely hard to get rid of, so you need to call someone NOW! If he comes into your home with them, you will also have them. I don't know your father's mental condition, but many elderly do get that way. My mom was always concerned about her appearance, but near the end of her life, she just didn't care anymore. I think she felt so bad, she didn't want to deal with it anymore. Good luck.
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The only true way to get rid of bed bugs is with a whole house heat treatment. It is costly but VERY effective. Call any exterminator and they will help you with this. Unfortunately if your father-in-law does not care - chances are they will be back eventually.
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This generation is growing at a faster rate than the total population in almost all regions of the world. In senior settings bed bugs often go unnoticed for longer periods of time because of several reasons:
• Failing eye sight
• Dementia/mental decline
• Depression
• Physical handicaps
Bed bugs can build up to infestation numbers when quarterly inspections are not done leading to the senior being used as constant blood meals by the bed bugs.
Anemia is a common condition. It occurs in all age, racial, and ethnic groups. Both men and women can have anemia. However, in senior settings bed bugs can cause more than anemia and can lead to more physical problems including strokes and heart problems.
Elderly communities need to have their dwellings checked often for bed bugs for more than just keeping up against infestations.
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The entire proceedure to rid bedbugs is a lot of work. You will have to call an exteriminator. Everything has to be washed in hot h20. Mattress has to have a special cover, picture frames have to taken a part and washed, all his clothing will need to be washed as well.
My father-in-law is really nasty, but no bed bugs. When my husband and I moved in with him, his home was infested with cock roaches. I mean they were literally crawling on the walls. I even found a decompossing mouse under his fridge. I do not know why some seniors become so unsanitary. Maybe some type of mental decline.
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