Tag Archives: stroke

Three Products That Have Made Caregiving Easier

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I returned to the world of caregiving (outside of parenting pre-adults) in September, 2024. I’ve written about my previous caregiving experience extensively when my mom and I made the decision to bring her oldest sister home to Pittsburgh and share the responsibility.

In this season of “Beth takes care of an adult human in her home”, my stepmom is the star and has joined the Phillips household and family. Though, she has the resources to pay for the nicest facilities, I’m here to tell you that unless family is there every day to advocate for every basic need, they’re all shit if your loved one needs any shred of assistance, let alone max assist and full care.

In this post, I’m sharing three products that I couldn’t live without as a 24/7 caregiver (though, it took me a little while to find them). Each improved my experience or in some way relieved a stressor.

Get You Some Ears!

Not unlike many seniors, my stepmom’s hearing isn’t the best and she watches a lot of TV to pass the time. Even though she has a private space with a door, the loud TV was a problem day and night for me. I work part-time from home and the blasting TV was disruptive. My stepmom was considering hearing aids but her stroke has left her completely dependent. Doctor visits require renting a van. She is unable to place, care for, charge, clean, or in any way manage hearing aids. Since she would really only need them for TV viewing and not quality of life otherwise, I am hesitant to add that caregiving responsibility.

I started researching personal headphones for TV viewing. Because of her limited strength and mobility of her left hand, she wouldn’t have been able to manage certain models that were over-ear/on her head.

Enter, TV Ears (affiliate link)

This image shows a product called TV ears which is an assistive hearing device for TV viewing

My stepmom can control her own volume and the outer TV volume can be inaudible. If someone wants to watch a show with her, she usually opts not to use the ears just to be sociable because they are noise-cancelling for her but if she had them on, the TV could be at any volume for the person in the room.

I go to bed much earlier than her and this product has saved my sleep and my sanity. The instructions were clear for easy set-up. The ears take 4-6 hours to fully charge and last about the same amount of time. Since she watches TV about 6-7 hours in the day and about 4-6 hours at night with only 2 short shifts in her wheelchair to eat due to her limitations, we ordered a second pair so that she would always have a pair charged.

The standard dock which is hard-wired to the TV has two charging stations. At about $125 for the initial pair and less than $100 for the second pair, this was well worth the money. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Boost Nighttime Dryness!

My stepmom is dependent on adult briefs and is unable to get to or sit safely on a bedside commode without max assistance. The brand that I linked are great but before I thought that there might be a solution for more consistent night-time incontinence protection, I would have to do a full-on clothes and bed change 2-4 times per week usually in the middle of the night. On a couple of occasions, twice in one night for almost 3 months!

I was aware that some active adults wear incontinence pads for accidents day or night and wondered whether something like that would get her through the nights without soaking herself.

Enter adult booster pads!

I am not kidding when I say we both sleep better since I’ve been using these. I was lucky to find this brand out the gate as I’m not sure that if I tried another type or brand and it failed, I would bother to order another.

I turned to Youtube for basic research about this topic and this video was especially informative and directed me to this brand. I started with the 20 pack which lasted 20 days since I only need them at night, currently.

I was sold and have since ordered 3 packs of 20 twice. Literal Life (and sleep) saver.

Treat Yourself!

I had smaller, good quality washable bed pads leftover from caring for my aunt. She regained her continence shortly after moving in with me and rarely soiled the bed but I used them to keep her sheets fresh longer.

I quickly discovered that they were not big enough or absorbent enough for our current situation.

Enter 36″ x 38″ absorbency incontinence bed pads.

These fookin’ things keep the bed clean, absorb everything and would be worth it if there were 10x more expensive.

I watched a couple of the videos on the Amazon site by experienced users/caregivers and I’m so glad I grabbed these early on. I thought I might have to order more but the original 4 pack has held up well (a little over 5 months in), wash beautifully and have held up well to lots of wear and tear.

Bottom Line

For less than $200, I improved my caregiving situation immeasurably with the TV ears and bed pads and less than $30/month (cost of the booster pads for my situation). Please don’t skimp on easy solutions.

Turn to Youtube or Amazon reviews for solutions. I promise there is a solution out there that will solve or minimize your challenges.

Best to all of you caregivers!

31-days-of-ted-talks

When a Neuroscientist Has A Stroke

If you ever had a stroke or know someone who has, don’t miss this talk by Jill Bolte Taylor.

Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist who suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke and lived not only to tell about it but show us how it’s possible to rebuild connections in the brain after a devastating event like that.

I have read her book, “My Stroke of Insight” repeatedly and refer it to people all the time. It’s one that borrowed from my mom but wanted my own copy.

Bolte Taylor does such a good job of explaining the difference between experiencing the world through her right brain for the very first time when the stroke damaged the left hemisphere. She tells how caregivers with high energy and sudden movements overwhelmed her and how her mom was her fiercest advocate and protector during her recovery. (I don’t want to give more than that away but her mom quickly became the hero of the story).

The other part I loved was her explanation of how a negative thought transmits chemicals through the entire body in about 15 seconds and her conscious efforts after the stroke to minimize or eliminate negative thoughts because of that.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

 

Important Information about a Stroke

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A tip for stroke survival

Image credit: Nemo on Pixabay

I have learned a lot since inviting my 78-year old aunt to live with us. Every time I learn something new, I think , I should write about this, I’m sure someone else could benefit from this information.

Although my aunt did not have a stroke, she was fighting a stomach virus that landed her in the hospital. When she was discharged, I learned something that might be life-saving or life-changing for someone who has a stroke.

Did you know that if you suspect that you or someone you know is having a stroke, you should note the time of the onset of symptoms? I never knew that and it turns out that it can make a big difference in protocol for medical intervention. Obviously, it isn’t always possible to know when a stroke is happening (for example if a person is sleeping) but if you’re able to give medical providers a time of onset of symptoms, there’s a window for certain treatment options that can make a difference in survival and recovery.

With all the PSAs and pharmaceutical commercials  publicizing the warning signs of stroke (droopiness of face, numbness or weakness in face, arms or legs, confusion, trouble speaking, trouble seeing out of one or both eyes, severe headache are just a few), I’ve never heard this critical piece of information, so I thought I’d pass it along.


 

Disclaimer: I am not a physicican, this  article is published for information purposes only. If you think you or someone you know may be having a stroke, dial 911.