While out shopping with a friend, who was picking up stocking stuffers for her adult children, I was reminded of all the little odd things I had bought over the years to make my parent’s lives or mine easier. After a fall in November of 2011 my Dad could not be alone once he was out of bed, that meant I had to do the grocery shopping when the store opened in the morning, or have groceries delivered. There was no way I could run to specialty stores and medical supplies stores to pick things up. I began to rely heavily on Amazon. I would search the web for a product that might help, it was rare when I found it somewhere else for a better price and faster shipping (if you are not a Prime Member you might find a better price when you include shipping), returns were easier with Amazon too. There are a lot of good reasons to shop local and support small business, but when what you need is obscure, you need it ASAP and you can’t leave the house, you do what works for you.

Making meal times easier with a non-slip silicone placemat. I tried a few different types over the years, and my favorite was the silicone placemats, I could put a mug of hot tea or coffee on it without worry, and they cleaned up so easily. Most of the time I rinsed it off or wiped them down with hot water, but I would also put them in the dishwasher.

Another helpful item was hand grips. They made gripping items like eating utensils, toothbrushes and pens easier to grip and use. I put these in the dishwasher when needed. I got a set of 12 so I would always have a cleaned set ready for use. I liked the shape, below, better then the straight tube, but a straight tube or the egg shape might be better for your needs.

I found a green silicone hand scrubber with a suction cup for washing your hand when you only have one hand to scrub. I’ve just spent an hour looking for it on the web and can’t find it anywhere but you can find nail brushes with suction cups that will work. It was perfect for my Dad, I brought one for each bathroom, it was much used, also an auto soap dispensers so he did not have to struggle with bars of soap or try to pump and catch soap one handed. Speaking of clean up, no-rinse body wash really comes in handy when a bath is not an option, in between shower days or for the bedridden.

Are you doing transfers, or someone you know doing transfers without a Gait Belt, get one with handles. I had both the plan one and one with handles. After I got the one with handles I never used the other one again.

This belt helped me stabilize my Dad when he would stumble, helped me get him into my SUV and helped me transfer him when he was no longer mobile. I am sure, along the way, it saved my back from injury, the gait belt for my Dad and a back support brace for me.

Have someone in your life that uses a hospital bed, use a bike light or a grill light as a night light attached to the rails. This comes in handy especially if they are using urinals during the night. How about problems with aspirating liquids, a specialized feeding cup helps with that, trouble holding a heavy mug, lightweight plastic mugs are available.

Not getting them to eat enough to get the protein they need, find a protein pouch they like. Somedays I could find these at one of the local stores, but it was a coin flip, and I needed them on hand. There is also oatmeal pouches by Munk Pack, and Chia Seed pouches. My Dad loved these and I kept a supply for him while he was in rehab after a hospital stay. He did not always like the food and these do not need to be refrigerated. Later, near the end of his life I wanted something I could grab if he said he was hungry, even a short trip downstairs to get him something could result in him saying he was no longer hungry when I returned with food. With these pouches I could open one and stick it in his mouth before he finished telling me he was hungry.

I am just running through my order history and picking out things that would fit in a christmas stocking, there is more, but I will leave them for another post. I will end with this one, because I think it is important to have a fingertip pulse oximeter. Every caregiver should have one, checking their oxygen level through different situations helps you gauge when you should schedule activities, such as No PT/OT and a shower within the same two hour time frame.

Hope this helps if you are looking for practical gifts for a caregiver or a loved one receiving care.

AFTER - Stuck

Somedays I feel stuck, that I am not moving forward, not taking steps backwards but standing still. I think it is because of the approaching holiday. This time last year I was numb and I let the holidays just roll by without any participating. This year I am putting my toe in, testing the waters with mixed results.

I had been doing well sleeping, but the last few weeks I am back to waking up in the middle of the night or not being able to fall asleep. One of the things that I struggled with last year was hearing my Dad call for me in my sleep, waking up and starting to go to his room only to realize he’s not there. I’ve not had that happen in a long time, but it is popping up again. This time around it just wakes me, I don’t get out of bed and head to his room, I know he is not there, but I’m losing sleep. When I start the day exhausted it usually goes down hill from there.

I am glad I will be with my Sister at Christmas this year, I don’t know how I am going to feel, and I will not have to fake happy around her. By the time we get together we will both have seen STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Yes it should be in all caps) but I am sure we will see it again together (hint to my Sister to get tickets) that will make me happy.

Going to try facing the crowds tomorrow, we shall see if I don’t chicken out this time.

Denise