Grandma Can Take Care of Herself (With a Little Help!)

When you visited Grandma recently, you noticed that her bathroom seems to be unclean and she, too, seems disheveled.  We get asked questions about things like this all the time here at Keeping in Touch Solutions.

We know of some ways you can remedy some of the problems while also making her feel special. While you are out and about doing all the things you need to do for your immediate household, consider the following great gift ideas for Grandma. Add them to your shopping list and take one or two items with you when you visit. Grandma will know you were thinking about her and you’ll feel better about her safety and well-being.

• Invest in a large, no-slip bath mat for the inside of the tub.
• Place hand rails by the tub and the toilet so she can assist herself in entering and exiting the tub as well as easily helping herself to stand after using the bathroom.
• Place no-skid mats on the floor in front of the tub and suggest to Grandma that all other rugs be removed.  Less on the floor means less opportunity for her to slip and fall.
• Go through her medicine cabinet, looking for any expired products and throw them away after pointing out to her that these items could be dangerous if she accidentally uses an expired product. If they are products she wants, tell her you will make a list and replace them with fresh products during your next shopping trip.
• Place a self-cleaning product in the toilet bowl.
• Give Grandma some easy-to-use goodies, such as easy-open powders, new lotions, fancy tissues with aloe that she might not purchase for herself.
• Make sure the bathroom light is bright, so she can see well.
• Add a night light in an easy-to-access, bathroom location so Grandma can turn it on before she goes to bed but easily turn it off in the morning.
• Ask family members to chip in and give Grandma a gift certificate to get her hair washed and set each week.  If she no longer drives, add taxi money.  If she is no longer steady enough on her feet to leave home unassisted, check with area beauty salons.  Often, you will find a hair stylist who will visit Grandma’s home to wash and set her hair.

It takes support to be able to manage your own home, work and life and be a caregiver to an aging loved one. Keeping in Touch Solutions can be part of the team you assemble. Our Care Callers make a daily call to your loved one – to check on their well-being, to chat and to make reminders about meals and medications. One call can make a world of difference in a long, too-quiet day and in how you sleep at night.
A daily check-in call could be the lifeline, the joy you give someone that makes the biggest difference in their perception of what old age is like.

Contact me at 317-480-1038 today. Let’s make a difference together.

I’m Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions. It is my heartfelt desire for every person to live a happy and healthy life in the place they call home, no matter what their age. You can’t put a price on peace of mind for your parents and yourself. It’s priceless . . . and significant.

For that reason, the goal of every Keeping In Touch Solutions program is to provide a caring connection and service that both the elderly and their caregivers can rely on to make living that good life easier.