Whew….some changes since I’ve been able to stop in here. Since I’ve been in a location without Internet service for the past 3 wks, I won’t qualify for this challenge….BUT it’s such a good idea that I’ll jump in now anyway. I haven’t been home because I’ve been taking care of 2 elderly family members…emergency situation. Not sure they are “up to speed” yet but my disease told me that I MUST go home and take a rest. So here I am.
I guess for prepping, the past 3 wks reinforced how VERY harsh it is to have someone injured/ill/old…even during “normal” times. During times of upheaval, our situation might have ended with a death..or at least a very long period of painful convalescence. Since this is my 3rd event of this nature in the past 2 decades, I learned/relearned about useful medical/daily necessary items.
To deal with this situation, we had or needed: chucks pads, adult diapers/pads, lots of tissue boxes, commode/raised toilet seat, need 2nd walker, need 2nd quad-cane, should acquire some bed-to-other-room communication devices—instead of banging cane on the wall to wake someone, a LOT of simple-preparation meals [no one has energy], better thermometer, non-spill water containers with spout/straw for bed use, adult bibs to save laundry, disinfecting wipes, moist hand wipes, lot of hand lotion after repeated hand washing, disposable plates, cups cuz no time for LOTS of dish washing, positioning pillows- for comfort of those in bed too much, night lights- for up-in-nite trips, bed clothes: stretchy-drawstring-comfort, massage lotion/oil, ice/gel packs, pill boxes with compartments for easier daily use, charts to make sure things get done/pills taken on time/etc., ..
Probably a LOT more but my brain is still fuzzy. I lost significant weight during this time..[ahem, which is good] 🙂 …but emphasizes how very physical it is to take care of ill/injured/old person(s).
I keep thinking how dreadfully difficult it would have been in a grid-down or worse situation. To be fetching/boiling water for drinking/sanitation. To be emptying the commode into a hole dug in back yard. To not have medical services coming to the house for therapy. Just knowing which Physical Therapy movements will strengthen/repair the damage….that would be vital information for an injured person’s recovery!
At home here, I have a stock of tasty soups [wish they were homemade/home canned] exactly for when we are tooo sick or wiped out to fix anything else. In this situation, soup/sandwich [PB&J] was sometimes all we could afford to fix with our limited energy! They did not have nearly enough food for this type of ordeal…not really being prepper types. My DH and I went to fetch many things during those wks and just before I came home. Getting out shopping themselves just became much more exhausting/problematic.
A simple thing that happened that points out another big problem. They only had two sleeves of saltine crackers [the sickbed standard] but I managed to upend and spill out one entire sleeve….leaving only one. [2 is 1…1 is none…3 is a “guarantee” ] Well no, I don’t believe in guarantees but we all know the principle. Stock more! In a time of STRESS….accidents happen a LOT more frequently. My fuzzy brain…oye, what a problem! It’s like mentally wading thru mud! You make so many dumb, illogical, potentially dangerous mistakes. And you make them repeatedly! Ack! Thus it takes more time to constantly re-check yourself and ….others.
Keeping one’s temperament sweet, patient, cheerful is another ‘stretching exercise’ I participated in during these weeks. 🙂 It surely does help the patient to heal if the environment is healthy.
That’s what I learned/revisited during the past 3 wks.
–OldMtWoman