Looking after seniors generally is a bit like taking care of young and curious children - you need eyes in the back of your head and also the ability to see through walls! If the elderly person that you are taking care of is mentally or physically disabled, your primary concern is their safety. However, unfortunately for you, this is very rarely their primary concern. Individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, for example, do not have a sense of their very own mortality at all. They are mentally incapable of thinking through the dangers of any situation and are neither logical nor reasonable with their thoughts. As a result, you have to be concerned about their safety enough for you and them at all times.
Within the home, you ought to make all the necessary amenities available to the senior within your care without exposing them to any danger. It's comparable to baby proofing an area when you have a toddler walking around. The elderly person that you look after may also be into everything if they are mentally handicapped. People within the latter stages of dementia may wander continuously and refuse point blank to sit down. In case of this occurring, you should remove all tripping hazards including mats and small units they could trip over. You should also avoid having any open heating devices including electrical fires because these could potentially cause more trouble and destruction than they are worth. However, your bathroom really should be available to them at all times, as well as a suitable place to sit just in case they exhaust themselves.
If an individual is physically disabled, then you should allow them to rest in the best suited spot in the room, granting them use of their source of entertainment along with warmth. However, you should not cut them off from any source of communication because if they need you and cannot reach you then they might attempt physical feats that happen to be beyond their abilities. This could cause falls. You must also ensure that they are safe within their chair or bed, having the appropriate rests on either side of them in order to avoid slipping and falls.
If you take your elderly charge on an outing then you ought to have a similar type of measure set up simply because you have to fully concentrate so that you can anticipate danger before it genuinely happens. Take each step slowly and do not hurry a person with a disability. It may cause them to panic and fall, or cause a scene. Be sure they're warmly dressed if it's winter and also have layers on if it is summer and always attempt to comply with their wishes. If a physically disabled senior does not think that he or she can handle the activity that you propose then you'll more than likely be informed of that fact. However, you have to assess the abilities of a mentally impaired individual to be able to make an informed decision about whether your suggestion is appropriate or not.
Regardless of whether you are looking after an elderly person in your home or on an outing, it is best to keep in mind that there is one key to the process of assuring their safety. Communication is that key. If your senior cannot let you know whether they feel safe, you ought to be able to identify any signs of distress or fear effectively. If you can get to the point where you can achieve that, then you definitely should feel confident in your role as guardian and protector of their safety. This is not an excuse to have a lax view of their personal safety because, regardless of how safe that you may think they are, you will usually be proved wrong whenever you begin to let your guard down! Maintaining the safety of an elderly person in your care is a 24-hour job and you ought to always take it seriously.
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