Elder Care Connect

Senior Citizens Bill of Rights

Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by admin.

Sometimes when you and your elderly parent are partnering for their care, it seems like an “us against the world” situation.  But since the senior citizen you are caring for has little fight left in them, it seems it’s up to you to make sure that your elderly mom or dad get all they have coming.  Just because a person becomes a senior citizen, that doesn’t mean their fundamental rights go away.  They deserve and should expect to be treated with respect and for those serving them to live up to expectations.

But just as it was before your parent became a senior citizen, a right must be claimed to be a right.  So while there is no formal “Senior Citizens Bill of Rights”, there are laws on the books about how nursing homes must treat senior citizens.  And even if your mom or dad is in an assisted care facility and not a nursing home, there are some basic expectations that were in that contract and that are fundamentally assumed that the facility will live up to.  And its up to you as the caregiver to make sure they are living up to what is expected of them.

First of all, the facility your senior citizen lives at should be reliable to provide the basics of safety and cleanliness.  Look at the evacuation plan for the facility in the event of a fire or another emergency that would mean getting your parent out of the building.  Is it a plan that is clear and is it workable considering the entire facility is full of elderly people who may not move very quickly?  And what about emergency power?  In the event of an emergency where the power goes off early, is there emergency backup power to operate elevators and automatic doors so everyone can get out?

If the facility offers food service as part of their package of services and if there is a charge for that service, there is a basic expectation that there will be meals made available three times a day, that it will be healthy food and that your parent will never be denied service.  It is also not out of line to expect that the food could be delivered to the senior citizens rooms if your parent is ill or injured.  And your parent should be able to get some variety in their diet.   If they are not doing a good job of making foods that your parents likes to eat, they shouldn’t be making that additional charge for food service.

As we mentioned earlier, your parent didn’t lose his or her rights as an individual when they move into an assisted care facility.  If your parent is paying to use that apartment, they have a right to live as they please in there.  Within certain constraints because they are in a community setting such as keeping noise down after bedtime and the like, your parent should be able to do what he or she wants to do in the privacy of their home without the interference from others in the community or from the staff of the complex.  This includes receiving guests, allowing family or friends to sleep over, how the apartment is decorated and what kind of music your parent enjoys.

A right that really cannot be detailed but can be felt dramatically is your parent’s right to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect.  This is an intangible but how the staff of the facility treat the resident’s means a lot to your parent when they see these people every day.  Its not out of line to expect the staff and management of the facility to know your parents names and greet them warmly when they come down to eat or go to a social event.

If the staff of the facility have to work directly with your parent, it should be done respectfully and pleasantly.  If your parent reports verbal or emotional abuse going on by the staff, that is cause for you to investigate it and hold that facility to accountability for that problem.

Remember the old saying that the squeaking wheel gets the oil.   So if the facility needs to be reminded of their responsibilities, you be that squeaky wheel.  Squeak loud and squeak often so your parent can live in a place where they enjoy their days and feel that this is a place they can genuinely call home.

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Quality of Life for your Senior Citizen

Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by admin.

When you were growing up, your parents were your care givers.  They made sure you were safe, well fed, clothed had medical care and that the money was there for the things you needed.  But being your caregiver for your mom and dad was about more than just giving you the basics of survival and health.

Now your turn has come to be the care giver for your parents.  They need you now as they move into their older years and they are less able to attend to those basic needs of life.  But you can assure they are safe and that they have the right food to eat for their diet. You can make sure their clothes are clean and that their medications are there for them every day.  You also can look after their finances so there is plenty there to take care of the necessities of life and none is wasted or taken from them by scam artists.

But just as growing up in your family, there is another element of being a care giver and that element can be boiled down to the phrase, “quality of life.”  That is a good phrase because if your childhood had times of joy and happiness because you were part of a loving family, that was because your mom and dad went beyond the physical basics and made your life fun, full of love and laughter and good times that you would remember forever.

Perhaps you sit and remember those times with your elderly parents even today.  But as you remember those terrific vacations or all the wonderful, Christmases and the many funny things that happened in your family when you were growing up, two people made sure your life was rich and full that way.  And those two people are these same two people you are now charged to care for – mom and dad.

So how can you do all you can to enhance the quality of life for your parents in their retirement years?  If we can find ways to give them happy times, time of laughter and love, that will be a fitting pay back for the loving household they provided to you all those years.  Here are just a few things you can make happen to make their lives happier…

.   Dinner every week.  If you have a routine time when you either come to your parents home and bring dinner or have them to your place to enjoy some family time, that will become a favorite night of the week for your elderly senior citizen.

.   Lots of family time.  The real value of being in the same town as your parents is they can have lots of time with your family.  So let them be part of many of the family things you do such as church, school activities and fun outings during the spring and summer as well.

.   Make the holidays festive.  What would the holidays be without Grandma?  And if Grandpa makes a good Santa Clause, you are all set.

.   Make their house a home.  As a caregiver, sometimes the chore of cleaning and maintaining your parent’s apartment falls to you.  But don’t just “settle” for a nice clean look.  Dig out those great things that mom used to have on the walls and shelves at home when she had her own place.  Try to give that room at the senior retirement center as much like home as possible so she will feel comfortable and happy among the things that mean this is her place and hers alone.

If you can create the same joy, the same fun and the same sense of “home” for your elderly parent that they were able to create for you and your siblings growing up, then you will have taken one more step toward giving back a little of what was given to you.

But there is a real value to giving your retired parents the same love and good times they gave to you.  Laughter and love and happy times are therapeutic and can do a lot for the health and well being of your retired parent.  So put that extra creativity you have into really giving to your parents the quality of life they gave to you and they will blossom where they are planted, just you and your siblings have in life.

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