Did You Know?

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Thanks for joining me for the second of a 3-part series addressing the important issue of bladder control problems. I hope you had an opportunity to read the first post, but if not, you can check it out here. You’ll find it helpful to review the types of incontinence noted in my previous article before we move on to today’s topics.

As we talk about causes and treatments, I want to stress the importance of consulting your primary medical provider about any bladder control issues. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I assure you that you won’t shock your physician; they see this all the time.

[Read more…] about Straight Talk About Bladder Control: Part 2

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Welcome to my 3-part series about bladder control! Why am I spending so much time on this sensitive subject? Because one of my pet peeves is how easily our society accepts incontinence as a normal part of life.

We rarely turn on the TV without seeing at least one commercial touting the benefits of disposable pads and briefs for bladder leakage. Thank goodness these products are available, but two important steps are missing. What’s causing the loss of bladder control, and what can we do to make it better?

Today I’ll review the types of incontinence and a few steps you can take to help maintain normal bladder control. Next week, I’ll discuss the causes of incontinence and treatment options. Finally, we’ll talk about strategies to address incontinence in the nursing home.

[Read more…] about Straight Talk About Bladder Control

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Every year, several of our long-term residents pass away over the holidays. Have you noticed this happening at your nursing home, too? I wondered why so many elderly people die during the Christmas season, so I did a bit of research.

Several studies indicate that the most common time for adults to die of natural causes is over the 2 weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day. A few theories exist as to the reason, but nobody knows for sure why this happens.

As a volunteer, you may be called upon to spend time with a resident who is in the dying process. If you’ve never before seen a person who is dying, the symptoms can be unsettling. You’ll provide better support for the resident when you understand what’s happening during these normal end-of-life changes.

[Read more…] about Understanding The Dying Process

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Did you know that today’s nursing homes trace their history back to the days of poor houses in the 18th century? We’ve come a long way! I hope you enjoy reading these highlights in the history of U.S. nursing homes.

Before the 1800s

Families generally took responsibility for the care of elderly relatives who could no longer fend for themselves. Wealthy older people with no family help ended up hiring servants to provide care. But elders with no family and no means of support lived in poor houses (also known as almshouses).

[Read more…] about A Brief History of Nursing Homes

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. Thank you for your support.

We usually think of hospice care as something that’s provided in a person’s private home. But did you know that hospice care can also be a very helpful addition to care received in a nursing home?

These are some of the ways I found the addition of hospice services to be very helpful when I worked as an RN in the nursing home:

• A hospice nurse is on-call 24/7. They can immediately initiate standing orders for symptom control. This means the resident often receives treatment more quickly than when a nurse needs to wait for a physician to return a call.

• Hospice staff educates residents, families, and nursing home staff on what they can expect during the dying process.

• The hospice program may provide some medications and supplies at little or no cost to the resident.

[Read more…] about Hospice Care In The Nursing Home