National Physical Therapy Month

Physical Therapists Perform Important Roll in Aging Well

Capability Homecare is proud to recognize the impact that Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist assistants make in restoring and improving motion in people’s lives during National Physical Therapy Month.

Physical Therapist’s Guide to Balance Problems

Balance problems make it difficult for people to maintain stable and upright positions when standing, walking, and even sitting. Older people are at a higher risk of having balance problems; 75% of Americans older than 70 years are diagnosed as having “abnormal” balance. Older women are more likely than older men to develop balance problems, although the difference between the genders is small. Balance problems increase by almost 30% in people aged 80 years or more. Physical therapists develop individualized physical activity plans to help improve the strength, stability, and mobility of people with balance problems.

• Balance problems occur when 1 or more of 4 systems in the body are not working properly:

o    Vision

o    Inner ear

o    Muscular system

o    Awareness of one’s own body position (called “proprioception”)

Poor vision can result from age, eye tracking problems, or eye diseases. Inner ear problems, also called vestibular problems, can develop from trauma, aging, poor nutrition, or disease. Body-position sense can become abnormal as a result of trauma or a disease, such as diabetes. Muscle strength and flexibility can decline due to lack of exercise, a sedentary lifestyle, or disease.

The brain coordinates impulses from the eye, inner ear, and body-position senses, and sends signals to the muscular system to move or make adjustments to maintain balance. If one or more of the senses is not sending correct signals to the brain, or if the muscular system cannot carry out the necessary movements, a person may not be able to maintain or correct their balance.

• How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

Physical therapists offer numerous options for treating balance problems, based on each person’s needs. They are trained to evaluate multiple systems of the body, including the muscles, joints, inner ear, eye tracking ability, skin sensation, and position awareness in the joints (proprioception). Physical therapists are experts in prescribing active movement techniques and physical exercise to improve these systems, including strengthening, stretching, proprioception exercises, visual tracking, and inner ear retraining.

Your physical therapist can help treat your balance problems by identifying their causes, and designing an individual treatment program to address your specific needs, including exercises you can do at home with your caregiver.

                 For more information about our trusted physical therapist partners, please call Capability Homecare.                                    

Additional information about balance is available at the following link:

http://www.moveforwardpt.com/symptomsconditionsdetail.aspx?cid=1bb9c784-a874-43b1-976f-d0de03c19f99#.ViSBKYeFPVI

I Didn’t Even Know This Was Possible!

“I didn’t even know this was possible” our client’s daughter said the other day.

Her mother, Mrs. W, had been hospitalized twice in the last month, first from a fall- then with a pneumonia.

When Mrs. W returned home from the hospital, she needed someone to help her recover. Her daughter lives 45 minutes away (and has a job and a family of her own) and as much as she wants to, she can’t be there everyday to help her mom.

That’s where we came in!

The daughter searched on the internet to see if she could find help for her mom.  In her search she came across Capability Homecare. She immediately called and set up a meeting for us to meet her mom and learn about our services.

One of the areas where Mrs. W needs the most help is with taking care of her beloved dog Gus.

Gus is not only Mrs. W’s constant companion- he is also a lifesaver! When Mrs. W had her fall, she was outside walking the dog. As she laid on the ground, Gus stood by Mrs. W’s side and patiently waited while she got her bearings. After a few minutes, she was able to slowly get up, using Gus to brace herself as she stood. Had the dog not been there, Mrs. W would have had nothing to help her up and could have laid on the cold ground until someone happened by.

After that scary experience, there was no way Mrs. W could leave her dog and move into an assisted living or skilled nursing. Gus had literally saved her life.

However, since Mrs. W is recovering from both the fall and being ill- she can’t take care of the dog on her own. He needs feeding and walks- 3 times a day. Luckily, our caregiver is a dog lover- and is more than willing to give Gus the attention and love he needs.

Mrs. W also needs help with personal care- bathing and getting dressed- as well as help with meals (planning, grocery shopping, preparing, and cleaning up).  Our caregiver, who has been trained in nutrition and food handling, is able to make healthy meals that will help Mrs. W recover.

Another area that Capability Homecare assists Mrs. W with is housekeeping; changing the sheets, doing laundry, running the vacuum… all the daily tasks to help keep her home clean and comfortable.

Most importantly, having the caregiver in the home with Mrs. W means that Mrs. W is safe and not alone. Both the companionship of having someone there to talk to as well as the safety of having ‘eyes on’ in case of another fall provide peace of mind to her family.

The daughter is thrilled with the service and said she can sleep at night knowing her mom is in good hands.

National Fall Prevention Awareness Day

With today being Falls Prevention Awareness day, I thought I would share some important tips of preventing falls.

According to the National Council on Aging, there are 5 things one can do to prevent falls:

1. Talk to your doctor and get an assessment of your risk of falling

2. Review your medication with your doctor, sometimes side effects may be causing falls

3. Find a good balance and exercise program

4. Get your vision and hearing checked every year

5. Ask your family for help and support

This last one really hits home with me because my grandfather had a couple of falls and in hindsight we should have seen it coming.

Shortly after my grandmother passed away we started noticing changes in my grandfather. Not anything significant, but we did recognize that he moved a bit slower and lacked the energy we were used to seeing. Since he had just lost his wife, we figured this was just part of the grieving and aging process and thought nothing of it, until my mom started getting phone calls in the middle of the night. “Judy, can you come over here?’ he would ask- and in a panic my mom would drive over to his apartment to help him out.

It was usually something small he needed help with- sometimes he was waking from a dream and was frightened, other times he had been incontinent and needed help. My mom would settle him down, get him cleaned up and back into bed safe and sound. This was mildly inconvenient for my mom, but not a huge deal since the phone calls were fairly infrequent. Until the night when the phone call was more serious, he had broken his hip and this changed everything.

Looking back, we should have recognized those early phone calls for what they were- a cry for help. He was a prideful man, and fiercely independent- and we wanted to honor that in him by allowing him to live independently- but at the same time, here was a person who was clearly in need of some assistance.

Because of the lack of support, he had a fall. Luckily, he was able to call 911 and was taken to the emergency room. He had broken his hip and would need surgery. This meant that his life was going to change dramatically. He could no longer live in his apartment- instead he was moved to a skilled nursing facility where he could have more supervision and medical care to recover from his surgery.

Unfortunately, being the strong willed person that he was, he still kept trying to get out of bed on his own- and about 2 months after the first fall- ended up falling for a second time and breaking his hip on the other side. This meant another surgery- and even more recovery.

At this point my family decided to hire private care through Capability Homecare to supplement the staff at the skilled nursing. He needed more supervision than the SNF could provide.

Having someone by his side to help with getting ready and into bed was important. And once he was asleep, knowing someone was right there in case he got up un the middle of the night allowed him (and my mom) to sleep soundly knowing help was nearby. He could get up and use the restroom when he wanted, knowing the aide would assist him in getting there and help with cleaning up any accidents. In the morning when we woke up, someone was right there to assist him in getting out of bed and dressed for the day. This brought peace of mind to the entire family and is a decision I only wish we had made earlier.

If you have a loved one who you think might have had a fall (or two), or be at risk for a fall, consider hiring a caregiver to give them the support they need. Many falls can be prevented- and a caregiver can be on hand to ensure that your loved one is safe.

Capability Homecare can help with bathing (most falls occur in the bathroom), or help with preparing and eating meals, they can help with ambulation (getting in and out of bed and chairs) and can help getting up or down stairs. They can assist your loved one with the ADL’s that may no longer be easy to do all alone.

Let Capability Homecare help keep your loved one safe.

Activities of Daily Living

At Capability Homecare we provide our clients assistance with Activities of Daily Living -meaning helping seniors with anything that is part of their daily lives that they can no longer do on their own. Usually this means help with bathing, getting dressed, personal care or even making meals.

I’ve recently discovered the importance of my own activities of daily living and these have nothing to do with getting dressed or having a bath.

I’m talking about activities to take care of yourself. Activties to nurture your soul. This is especially relevant at this time of year when things start to get crazy with the holidays!

One of my daily activities is to have a mantra. I use ‘Inner Peace, Outer Joy’.

When things start to seem too crazy or stresfull, I slow down, breathe deep and think this thought over and over again. Somehow, it calms my spirit and reminds me of what’s important.

I was reading on Agingcare.com and a caregiver posed the question on how to handle stress of caring for her parents. Many people responded with great suggestions, including taking daily walks,  hiring outside help, praying, practicing yoga, journaling, starting a garden, meditation…

It’s important to remember to take care of yourself before anything else. I know that seems crazy, but anything you can do that helps you remain calm, happy and peaceful will make you a better caregiver, a better friend, a better parent.

Like they say on the airplane ‘put your own oxygen mask on first!’.

If you are a caregiver and in the Seattle area, consider joining a local support group. Overlake Hospital offers one. See below or click here.

Family caregivers need support and information as they navigate the twists, turns, and responsibilities of providing care for another. Open to anyone caring for an older adult. No registration required. Free

Caregiver of Older Adults Support Group – Bellevue

• Second and fourth Thursdays of the month, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Overlake Senior Health Center, 1750 112th Avenue NE, Suite A101, Bellevue.
• For more information, call Regina Bennett, MSW 425-688-5807

Family Caregiver Support Group – Mercer Island 

• Second Tues. of the month, 3 to 4 p.m. Overlake Senior Health Center, 7707 SE 27th Street, Suite 110, Mercer Island.
• Call Karin Miller, MSW 425-688-5637 for more information.

Capability Homecare is a boutique homecare agency with the highest caregiver standards in the industry.