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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
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I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
Continue to offer food and drink. You may have to go to pureed foods if chewing is a problem. You may have to thicken thin liquids if she coughs or chokes when she eats or drinks.
If she is losing weight, and you do not need to get her on a scale for this. Are clothes loose? Does she have more loose skin? If urine becomes darker she may not be getting enough fluids. (some medications can cause darer urine though)...so if it is darker than "normal". Urine tends to be darker first thing in the morning so gauge it mid morning after he has had some fluids.
Keep meals small and lots of them. A full plate of food can overwhelm someone thinking they have to eat it all.
As difficult as it will be resist the urge to have a feeding tube placed. Stopping eating and drinking is normal as we begin to die. She will not feel hunger or thirst like you or I would. there is little activity so there is little need for calories for energy. Enough to keep the heart pumping and the brain functioning.
And if you have not considered bringing in Hospice please do so. You will get all the help and support from them as well as all the supplies and equipment that you need.
Hello Joe I saw in your bio description that you are caring for your wife of 32 years, Doris, who has alzheimers. It's wonderful that you love her so much that you are asking questions. Offer her food and drink and if needed assist her with eating. Sometimes having a meal with a loved one encourages them to eat by watching you eat. Her food preferences may have changed, so you can try different things. CareforMomTN had some very good suggestions. If she is losing weight, she may not be eating enough. There are concerns with aspiration if she is coughing while having liquids or foods. There are medications that stimulate the appetite. But in the later stages of Alzheimers, she may not be very hungry, especially if she is mainly in bed all day. Your wife's doctor can send a referral to home health for speech therapy. Make sure the therapist has a specialization with feeding. The therapist can watch her eat, assess for aspiration potential, and give you wonderful suggestions on foods that could interest your wife and safe ways to prepare them. My husband's speech therapist explained that taste for sweet and cold foods increase with age. She gave me recipes for tasty smoothies. She also gave me suggestions on bite sizes or grinding or puree ingredients foods if needed.
It depends on their condition. Ask their doctor, or ask the doctor for a referral to meet with a dietician, who can give you some more specific guidelines. I did that for my husband 10 years ago, and about once every year, I google nutrition needs for someone like him, and I review his diet, making revisions as needed. Because I tend to get into a habit over time, and forget how much protein, and how many calories are needed daily. I learned from the dietician that medium chain triglycerides are important.
As a general rule, people will eat when they are hungry. Sometimes elders will begin to lose interest in eating and won't drink enough to stay hydrated. Find creative ways to prompt them to get the nutrition and fluids they need. Again, Google is helpful here for ideas. Try jello, or nutrition shakes to supplement.
They may develop difficulty swallowing, and won't know to express that to you. A speech therapist can evaluate safe swallowing ability and guide you on how to modify the diet.
Try keeping a food journal. Write down everything they eat and drink and at what times. That will be helpful in evaluating whether their intake is sufficient.
Don't try and force someone to eat, or turn it into an argument. If they are stubborn, they will dig their heels in even more, and no one likes being told what to do.
If they are confused, or don't seem to be interested in eating, sit down and eat with them. Model the behavior. They may just follow what you do. Especially with dementia, they may not recognize food, or know what to do with it.
I learned this recently from a continuing education course regarding dementia and meals. I need continuing education credits to keep my job as a caregiver.
Weigh them. Write it down. If they lose weight call the doctor and leave a message so you can find out if it is a problem. My mom's doctor said to feed my mom as much and as often as she will eat. And include things she likes like ice cream. He said "eat, eat, eat!" loudly to my mom. She does not drink much so I have discovered she likes iced tea to be very sweet, she drinks milk at every meal, and she will drink a can of coke or sprite poured over ice with a straw. So that's better than not drinking. Most of the time it's just a half a mug of coffee at breakfast and 2 or 3 glasses of milk.
Toddlers very naturally eat only until full and no more. It’s only with some age that people learn to overeat or restrict calories and undereat. Assuming your loved one is a frail senior and seeing you checked dementia, follow their lead, provide food and liquids, don’t force more than they want, and know that declining appetite is reasonable with age
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
You may have to go to pureed foods if chewing is a problem.
You may have to thicken thin liquids if she coughs or chokes when she eats or drinks.
If she is losing weight, and you do not need to get her on a scale for this. Are clothes loose? Does she have more loose skin?
If urine becomes darker she may not be getting enough fluids. (some medications can cause darer urine though)...so if it is darker than "normal". Urine tends to be darker first thing in the morning so gauge it mid morning after he has had some fluids.
Keep meals small and lots of them.
A full plate of food can overwhelm someone thinking they have to eat it all.
As difficult as it will be resist the urge to have a feeding tube placed.
Stopping eating and drinking is normal as we begin to die. She will not feel hunger or thirst like you or I would. there is little activity so there is little need for calories for energy. Enough to keep the heart pumping and the brain functioning.
And if you have not considered bringing in Hospice please do so. You will get all the help and support from them as well as all the supplies and equipment that you need.
I saw in your bio description that you are caring for your wife of 32 years, Doris, who has alzheimers. It's wonderful that you love her so much that you are asking questions.
Offer her food and drink and if needed assist her with eating. Sometimes having a meal with a loved one encourages them to eat by watching you eat. Her food preferences may have changed, so you can try different things. CareforMomTN had some very good suggestions.
If she is losing weight, she may not be eating enough. There are concerns with aspiration if she is coughing while having liquids or foods. There are medications that stimulate the appetite.
But in the later stages of Alzheimers, she may not be very hungry, especially if she is mainly in bed all day.
Your wife's doctor can send a referral to home health for speech therapy. Make sure the therapist has a specialization with feeding. The therapist can watch her eat, assess for aspiration potential, and give you wonderful suggestions on foods that could interest your wife and safe ways to prepare them. My husband's speech therapist explained that taste for sweet and cold foods increase with age. She gave me recipes for tasty smoothies. She also gave me suggestions on bite sizes or grinding or puree ingredients foods if needed.
I did that for my husband 10 years ago, and about once every year, I google nutrition needs for someone like him, and I review his diet, making revisions as needed. Because I tend to get into a habit over time, and forget how much protein, and how many calories are needed daily. I learned from the dietician that medium chain triglycerides are important.
As a general rule, people will eat when they are hungry. Sometimes elders will begin to lose interest in eating and won't drink enough to stay hydrated. Find creative ways to prompt them to get the nutrition and fluids they need. Again, Google is helpful here for ideas. Try jello, or nutrition shakes to supplement.
They may develop difficulty swallowing, and won't know to express that to you.
A speech therapist can evaluate safe swallowing ability and guide you on how to modify the diet.
Try keeping a food journal. Write down everything they eat and drink and at what times. That will be helpful in evaluating whether their intake is sufficient.
Don't try and force someone to eat, or turn it into an argument. If they are stubborn, they will dig their heels in even more, and no one likes being told what to do.
If they are confused, or don't seem to be interested in eating, sit down and eat with them. Model the behavior. They may just follow what you do. Especially with dementia, they may not recognize food, or know what to do with it.
I learned this recently from a continuing education course regarding dementia and meals. I need continuing education credits to keep my job as a caregiver.