Stairs inside home are safe End of stairs is clearly marked (top and bottom) Handrails on both sides of stairs Hallways and doorways wide and obstruction free Fire extinguisher available Smoke detectors present Adequate lighting Throw rugs absent Area rugs secure and safe Adequate heat Adequate cooling Space heaters safe
this is a neat interactive tool that you can use with senior (or any age) clients to help educate them about what safety hazards to watch out for and avoid in their home. It is a fun, visual way to show and tell the client about what to look for in the different rooms (living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom) in order to reduce the risk of falling. Something different besides a checklist.
Be approachable, open-minded and non-judgmental. This is a great checklist to read over before talking with your clients about sex. Included is how to provide an environment that the client feels safe speaking of sex, key areas that should be covered, some barriers that are faced by minority populations, and many reminders to be open minded, non-judgmental, and to keep your personal beliefs out of the discussion.
Maribel, 42, shares how she implements this concept: "Having MS and three children has been overwhelming. My kids are only starting to understand what is happening to me. When the kids would arrive home from school, I would just be overwhelmed. Now I break the evening up into units. The kids arrive at 2:30. I am
Chronic conditions require tremendous mental and physical effort to manage daily tasks, symptoms and ongoing functional challenges; in essence, managing a chronic condition is chronically stressful.
What do I need help with in my daily routine?
What kinds of situations lead to needing to be energized, relaxed or soothed?
If I need to release stress, what is the best way to do it, in what intervals, and how often?
First, identify the sources of stress on two levels. One level is "outside-in" (functional stress management), referring to social supports, living situation and work environment.
"Inside-out" (personal stress management) refers to an individual's specific ability to cope with unexpected emotions or situations. For example, it can be helpful to include questions identifying specific individual triggers that impede a patient's ability to carry out exercises.
chronic disabilities can continuously cycle through chronic pain or acute relapses, but even when a person is not in acute distress, he or she still faces the stress of managing the daily challenges of any medical condition.
brain-storming with patients about the level of energy, both practical and emotional, required to implement the strategy by categorizing the activity as requiring low, moderate or high levels of energy.
I instructed her to categorize these strategies by level of exertion, providing her with a range of options to use on low-energy days versus high-energy days.
Breaking up the day into units can help alleviate anxiety and stress.
Maribel, 42, shares how she implements this concept: "Having MS and three children has been overwhelming. My kids are only starting to understand what is happening to me. When the kids would arrive home from school, I would just be overwhelmed. Now I break the evening up into units. The kids arrive at 2:30. I am
Finally, it is critical that practitioners commit to developing their own stress management capacities. It is important for OTs to experiment with as many strategies as possible, so they have first-hand knowledge of the gains, limits and time demands of each technique. Stress management is an interdependent learning process; patients can be put at ease when we can be good role models of successful stress management.
Print out our checklist to use with your patients to help them develop individual stress management strategies. Click here to print now! Stress is a commonly under-recognized, untreated dimension of recovery, rehabilitation and medical intervention. While all patients seeking medical care experience stress, for individuals with disabilities the dynamics are not the same.
I think we can all relate to this topic. Stress is a commonly under-recognized, untreated dimension of recovery, rehabilitation and medical intervention. While all patients seeking medical care experience stress, for individuals with disabilities the dynamics are not the same.
Great article about how to help our patients with chronic conditions manage stress that impacts their daily activities. Personal stories of stress management coping skills and how to help our clients identify their personal triggers. This article has some great questions for patients to ask themselves when identifying their personal stress management techniques.
Here is a room-by-room checklist of steps you can take if someone in your family is impacted by a lasting injury, disability or age-related physical challenges. Many of these improvements will also make your home safer and more comfortable for able-bodied residents and guests alike, as well as potentially increase its value.
This article provides a checklist for making a home accessible. It begins with simple solutions for ensuring safety and also recommends contacting someone that has a Certified Aging in Place Specialization (CAPS) that can help design the home to meet visibility and universal design. I think it will be important for us to be skilled in assessing a clients home to help enable them to age in place.
The National Association of Home Builders offers information on creating a safe, accessible home for those people wishing to age in place. As people get older many find it important to be in familiar surroundings. Included are questions the home owner should ask like what things are needed in the home in order to age safely. There is a checklist provided on how to choose a remodeler. Additional questions are included that the homeowner should consider asking in order to get exactly what they need. There are Certified Aging-in-Place specialists that are trained in this specific area.