|
|
|
Departments |
 |
|
|
|
|
Elder CareTips:
Mastering The Eldercare Maze™
April 1, 2006
How To Delay A
Hospital Discharge
When It's Too Soon
|
Your mother (or the
nurse, or the social worker) just called you from the
hospital to say she is being discharged from the
hospital and you should come pick her up. She can
barely walk, she's too weak to go home alone, and you
have no way to care for her. You're in a panic.
Maybe the discharge is planned for tomorrow...a little
better, but not much.
The first thing to do is don't panic. The second thing
(not) to do is go pick her up.
Here's what you should do instead:
| The secret
of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of
getting started is breaking your complex,
overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and
then starting on the first one.
|
|
Elder CareTip:
Sometimes An Inch Might
As Well Be A Yard
|
| The
Americans With Disabilities Act doesn't apply to
private residences. And most of our homes
certainly aren't particularly wheelchair-friendly.
The biggest problem my wheelchair-using mother had
when she visited my house was rolling over
thresholds. It's an old house, and we hadn't
renovated everything yet (we're still working on
it). |
 |
|
Mother was an
independent sort and she hated to have to ask
anyone to push her chair. So, we shopped around
for mini ramps we could put out when she visited
and then take up. Prices and quality were all over
the map. The
EZ-Access Threshold Wheelchair Ramp was what
we ultimately ended up using, with great success.
These little ramps are a good
compromise when your elder lives in an apartment
where you can't make structural changes. Front
door entries into apartments are usually pretty
high for a wheelchair, especially those
lightweight chairs many people use when they go
out.
|
|
Free Eye
Care for
Eligible Seniors |
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of
vision loss among adults in the United States. Early
detection, treatment and follow-up care can
significantly reduce the risk of blindness, even for
people who already have significant diabetic
retinopathy.
EyeCare America, the public service arm of the American
Academy of Ophthalmology, offers eye exams and up to one
year of treatment at no out-of-pocket cost to qualified
patients.
For information about eligibility to receive a referral
for an eye exam and care from a volunteer
ophthalmologist, call 1-800-272-EYES (3937), 24 hours,
seven days a week, year round.
People eligible for a referral through the Seniors or
Diabetes programs receive a comprehensive, medical eye
exam and up to one year of treatment for any disease
diagnosed during the initial exam at no out-of-pocket
cost. Volunteer ophthalmologists accept Medicare
and/or other insurance reimbursement as payment in full;
patients without insurance receive care at no cost.
Source:
Eye Care America
|
|
|
|
|
