Personal Care at Home: Life doesn’t stop just because the weather gets cold or snowy.
If you’re a family caregiver for a senior loved one you know that your senior loved one still needs to get safely to doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, exercise classes, and other obligations even when the weather is less than ideal. You and your personal care at home services provider can use these tips to make it easier to get your senior loved ones where they need to be during even the worst winter weather:
Leave Extra Time
The most important thing to do when you’re taking a senior loved one out in the winter is to make sure that you leave lots of extra time to get to the destination. Most medical appointments require that the patient be there at least 15 minutes before the appointment time. You will need to spend extra time helping your senior loved one get their boots, coat, gloves, hat, and other cold-weather gear on to go outside. And it will take your senior loved one extra time to get to and from the car in bad weather.
As a general rule of thumb, you should add on, at least half an hour to the time that you usually need to get your senior parent ready for an appointment. A personal care at home provider can help you if you are on a tight schedule by getting your senior loved one ready to go. That way you just need to pick them up and get them to their appointment.
Pack A Bad Weather Bag
A bad weather bag should go on every appointment or a car trip with you in cold weather. It can be just a tote bag or backpack that has essentials that your senior loved one might need like:
- Dry socks
- Dry shoes
- An extra sweater or sweatshirt
- Extra pair of gloves
- Extra hat
- Extra scarf
- A bottle of water
- Snacks
- Extra face masks
- Hand sanitizer
- Baby wipes
- Extra incontinence pads if your senior loved one wears them
- A warm blanket
- Hand and foot warmers
This may seem like a lot of stuff to pack for a trip to the doctor’s office but it’s essential to keep your senior loved one from getting wet or cold during the trip so that they don’t get sick. And it’s always a good idea to keep snacks and water close by when you’re taking a senior loved one someplace. Ask your senior parent’s personal care at home provider if there is anything else that your parent needs to have in an emergency bag.
Check Parking Before You Go
Walking is good for seniors, but not in cold or wet weather. If your senior loved one doesn’t have a handicapped parking pass make sure that you check out the parking situation at the appointment location before you go. You may need to use valet parking or find a way to drop your senior loved one off in front of the building while you find a parking space. If you know what the parking situation is ahead of time you can plan on bringing extra money for valet parking or leaving extra time in case you need to park far away and walk.
