July 5th, 2016
As my husband and I plan for the arrival of his mother, I am hyper aware of the challenges to people getting around town and our home in a wheelchair. My mother-in-law is able to walk but, I am told that she moves at a slow pace and gets tired easily. When my husband visited Europe with her last year, he rented a wheelchair to make the most of their trip and, to his surprise, she loved it!
She has never been to Ottawa and there are so many places we would like to share with her. Unfortunately, we are discovering that many older buildings do not have elevators or accessible entrances. As I walk around, I am noticing the many sidewalks that are uneven which would make it difficult for a person wheeling around town as they would constantly tilt over to one side. There are often breaks in the sidewalk. Where is the person supposed to go between the end of one section and the beginning of the other? Then there are streets like ours where sidewalks don't even exist.
We will rent a chair for the shower with a shower head extension as well as a transport wheelchair for her trip. She will sleep in our bedroom because it has its own en-suite in case she needs to use the restroom during the night. That is pretty easy but our bedroom is on the second floor as are both baths and the only shower in the house. This means she will have to get up and down the stairs at least twice daily. There are steps at both entrances to our home. We have been thinking about the easiest stairs for her to get into our home. Then there's the car.
We have two trucks with large wheels. You need to step up to get into them. Our one lower car is being fixed in time for her trip. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will not break down during her visit. It is also one of the few cars with air conditioning. Our trucks have no air conditioning.
The children are very excited about our new pool. We have been wondering how to include their grandma while they are swimming. She loves pools and could spend all day in there but we need to find a way to get her in and out of the pool safely. The pool is 52" deep but we only have a ladder to get in and out of it and it is rather unstable. I have some people coming to build a deck with stairs and hand rails but we need big steps in the pool so she can ease in and out. That is our next mission.
We are very excited for her to arrive and want to make this trip memorable and positive. We hope that being prepared will result in a trip that feels effortless and comfortable. My mother-in-law doesn't use a wheelchair at home and I am sure she will be fine. However, as we delve into the world of mobility aids and accessible buildings, I am more aware of the countless preparations and obstacles faced every day by people who truly depend on their wheelchair to lead independent lives.
I challenge all of you to scan your workplace and assess whether or not it is accessible. Is there an accessible entrance? Are there working elevators to get to offices? Are the aisles wide enough for someone to get through easily? Are the washrooms accessible? When you go out for lunch, notice the set up in the restaurant or cafeteria. If you were in a wheelchair, how easy would it be for you to get in, reach the food (if in a cafeteria), pay for your food, get to your table (space between tables) and, sit at the table (height of the table)? It is a whole new world and examining it with new eyes has made me truly grateful for my mobility as well as raised my awareness about the need for greater accessibility in public places.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advocacy. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Monday, 8 February 2016
Med Mix Up
February 8th, 2016
My husband is British. I have never met any of his relatives because they all live in London. For years he was estranged from his relatives until his brother was very ill and my husband was forced to interact with his mother. They had a chance to say the words they each held in their heart but had never spoken. Since then, my husband has taken his mother on a trip to Paris and, they spoke on the phone, weekly, for over a year.
For the past six months or so, we have started communicating via Skype. It is cheaper than long distance calling and we can get to know each other. The children can see what their Gran looks like and show off their gymnastics tricks. I can talk to my mother-in-law, face to face and get to know her mannerisms. Since these weekly Skype sessions began, we have heard her sing, discovered her sense of humour and heard many personal stories. I am so thrilled we got a chance to connect before it was too late.
She plans to come over for a visit this summer and we couldn't be more excited. We have been discussing these plans with her for months now. However, lately, she hasn't been feeling too well. She said she was feeling tired, run down then sick. Her energy fluctuated as well. Last week, my husband asked her which meds she was on. As she listed her prescriptions, I jotted down the information. My husband and I looked at each other, worried that she was being over-medicated. Later that day, I searched the names of her medications and came to the conclusion that she is taking four doses of medications for hypertension, five doses of medications to treat her diabetes, something for stomach acid that she may have needed at one time but likely hasn't needed for quite some time and, another medication to lower the fat content in her blood. This medicine is NOT safe for people with diabetes and can lead to kidney failure.
I went to our local pharmacist to discuss our concerns but he suggested we have her meet with her doctor as she lives in the UK and this pharmacist is in Ontario. I suspected this process would not be a smooth one. You see, I've been here before, with my grandparents and, with the many residents I worked with in long term care. They visit many specialists, each one prescribing a new medication to address the issue the older adult is presenting at the time. Older adults are from a generation that worships doctors and never questions their judgement. If you look at their medication and you ask them, "What's this one for?", they don't know because they don't understand why they are taking their pills. The doctor prescribed them so it must be ok. It doesn't help that the same medication can have multiple names. My grandfather was on the same medication from three different sources because it had a different name. He was behaving very sluggish like he was having a stroke. It was a result of the multiple doses.
I have seen it so many times in long term care where residents are admitted and the nurse and doctor assess their medication. Often, they improve as soon as the amount of pills they take is reduced. Most medications have side effects so the more pills they take the harder it gets to determine whether they have a symptom that requires a new prescription (like heart palpitations or anxiety) or whether they just need a lower dosage of the medication they are already taking. When it's a loved one who is being over-medicated, things can get complicated. They may not go to the doctor's office or, they go and don't ask questions or, they do ask questions but feel intimidated or pressured for time and leave the office more confused than ever. If you phone the doctor on their behalf, they may not be able to answer your questions due to the parent's right to privacy and confidentiality. It gets so complicated.
If you are responsible for your aging parents, keep an eye on their medication. Look up each medication so you know what they are taking and why. Ask your parents if you can come to their medical appointments with them to take notes and ask questions. Use the same pharmacist for each prescription and ask about contraindications with other medication or food. I know, for example, that taking iron pills with orange juice helps my body absorb it but milk cancels it out. This is important information.
It's also a good idea to jot down any changes in them over time. These could be an indication that their medication needs to be changed, increased or decreased. When I worked on the dementia unit, I documented every time one of the residents was particularly aggressive. When I read over the nurse's and physician's notes, I realized there was often a correlation between the resident having a urinary tracy infection and the likelihood that s/he would be more aggressive. Information is key.
Be your own advocate, ask questions and remember that pharmacists are a great resource. Bring all your medication to your pharmacist and ask for help understanding how they all work to keep you healthy.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
My husband is British. I have never met any of his relatives because they all live in London. For years he was estranged from his relatives until his brother was very ill and my husband was forced to interact with his mother. They had a chance to say the words they each held in their heart but had never spoken. Since then, my husband has taken his mother on a trip to Paris and, they spoke on the phone, weekly, for over a year.
For the past six months or so, we have started communicating via Skype. It is cheaper than long distance calling and we can get to know each other. The children can see what their Gran looks like and show off their gymnastics tricks. I can talk to my mother-in-law, face to face and get to know her mannerisms. Since these weekly Skype sessions began, we have heard her sing, discovered her sense of humour and heard many personal stories. I am so thrilled we got a chance to connect before it was too late.
She plans to come over for a visit this summer and we couldn't be more excited. We have been discussing these plans with her for months now. However, lately, she hasn't been feeling too well. She said she was feeling tired, run down then sick. Her energy fluctuated as well. Last week, my husband asked her which meds she was on. As she listed her prescriptions, I jotted down the information. My husband and I looked at each other, worried that she was being over-medicated. Later that day, I searched the names of her medications and came to the conclusion that she is taking four doses of medications for hypertension, five doses of medications to treat her diabetes, something for stomach acid that she may have needed at one time but likely hasn't needed for quite some time and, another medication to lower the fat content in her blood. This medicine is NOT safe for people with diabetes and can lead to kidney failure.
I went to our local pharmacist to discuss our concerns but he suggested we have her meet with her doctor as she lives in the UK and this pharmacist is in Ontario. I suspected this process would not be a smooth one. You see, I've been here before, with my grandparents and, with the many residents I worked with in long term care. They visit many specialists, each one prescribing a new medication to address the issue the older adult is presenting at the time. Older adults are from a generation that worships doctors and never questions their judgement. If you look at their medication and you ask them, "What's this one for?", they don't know because they don't understand why they are taking their pills. The doctor prescribed them so it must be ok. It doesn't help that the same medication can have multiple names. My grandfather was on the same medication from three different sources because it had a different name. He was behaving very sluggish like he was having a stroke. It was a result of the multiple doses.
I have seen it so many times in long term care where residents are admitted and the nurse and doctor assess their medication. Often, they improve as soon as the amount of pills they take is reduced. Most medications have side effects so the more pills they take the harder it gets to determine whether they have a symptom that requires a new prescription (like heart palpitations or anxiety) or whether they just need a lower dosage of the medication they are already taking. When it's a loved one who is being over-medicated, things can get complicated. They may not go to the doctor's office or, they go and don't ask questions or, they do ask questions but feel intimidated or pressured for time and leave the office more confused than ever. If you phone the doctor on their behalf, they may not be able to answer your questions due to the parent's right to privacy and confidentiality. It gets so complicated.
If you are responsible for your aging parents, keep an eye on their medication. Look up each medication so you know what they are taking and why. Ask your parents if you can come to their medical appointments with them to take notes and ask questions. Use the same pharmacist for each prescription and ask about contraindications with other medication or food. I know, for example, that taking iron pills with orange juice helps my body absorb it but milk cancels it out. This is important information.
It's also a good idea to jot down any changes in them over time. These could be an indication that their medication needs to be changed, increased or decreased. When I worked on the dementia unit, I documented every time one of the residents was particularly aggressive. When I read over the nurse's and physician's notes, I realized there was often a correlation between the resident having a urinary tracy infection and the likelihood that s/he would be more aggressive. Information is key.
Be your own advocate, ask questions and remember that pharmacists are a great resource. Bring all your medication to your pharmacist and ask for help understanding how they all work to keep you healthy.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Monday, 11 January 2016
Mental Health-Dementia
January 11th, 2016
I was driving around today, wondering what to write about. An idea popped into my mind. My last field placement, as I completed the two-year graduate art therapy program, was on a locked dementia unit. I had worked with children, I enjoyed leading group sessions at Women's College Hospital with outpatients and I thought I would bring art therapy to older adults.
I spent time in two different long term care facilities. In one facility, I travelled with an art cart from the floor for active older adults, to the "low mobility" unit, doing art in their rooms. I also offered a few group sessions on the dementia unit's activity room. In the second facility, I mostly spent time going to resident's rooms on the dementia unit.
I wish someone had filmed my first month with patients diagnosed with dementia. I really wanted to connect with them, enrich their lives, bring some joy to the unit itself. However, I knew nothing about working with this population and they frightened me. I quickly learned never to lean over in front of a seemingly frail, confused man. Some instincts are alive and well and my back end was grabbed more times than I can count. Ditto for leaning forward while feeding a resident in a geriatric chair. The residents were all seated in a main area and some were non-verbal, others were too confused and couldn't tell me their name. I would introduce myself and ask their name. No response. I would look at the name on the door closest to where they were sitting. "Are you Mrs Boucher?" They would nod. The nurse who happened to walk by would inform me that Mrs Boucher was at bingo, this was Mrs Finnigan. The resident would respond with indifference, "What she said". I had to learn their names so I could document who I had visited. I made a note next to each name to recognize them next time as well as some warnings such as, bites, spits, yells, grabs etc. so I could keep myself safe.
I doubted my sanity for thinking I could do art therapy with this population. I am ashamed to admit that I pre-judged them. The first thing that caught my attention was the reaction of residents when I came to work. I had only been there a week or so when I walked onto the unit and headed for the nurse's station. I heard people getting up from the glider chairs and walkers being clinked together and wheels gliding on the carpet. The residents who normally sat in the main entrance, bored, an empty look in their eyes were walking over to me. They were asking me: "What are we doing today?" or "Were you looking for me?". Even the non-verbal lady came over, smiling and rubbed my back, waiting. I was moved by this response because it proved that they have an emotional memory. They may not remember my name, most of them called me "Hey, girl" but they recognized my face and remembered that they liked me, or at least, liked what they did with me. The residents have a very different response to staff who show up to bathe them. They hate baths.
I loved working with this population, once I learned how to communicate with them. They lose their inhibitions so you are less likely to hear them say: "Oh no, I'm not an artist". They have a great sense of humour and are very spontaneous. They love to be with other people and many of them crave colour. They love to party, to dance, sing and create. I took photos of them enjoying their life and posted them at the door to the dining room. That way, they had something to look at while they waited to get into the dining room and their loved ones could see these photos as well. They don't remember the fun they had but when they see themselves, they are excited, "Hey that's me" they'll say and laugh.
I engaged families to help us connect with their loved one. They shared loved stories about their parents for Valentine's Day. I posted each story next to the resident's door along with a photograph of them as a younger adult. This served as a reminder to anyone who entered the room that this person wasn't always this way. They were each individuals with a story, worthy of dignity. For non-verbal residents in geriatric chairs, creating placemats of photos with subtitles for their table-top provided a glimpse for staff into the resident's life, values, traditions. Instead of walking past them, they might stop and read the information and comment on what a lovely family they have. It also helped the residents feel less isolated because they could see photos of their loved ones.
I discovered a creative streak in one of the residents I visited weekly. She became non-verbal and I wondered if she was still interested in participating in our sessions. I used collage with her. She had been telling me about her life, she had suffered a great deal. As her language skills diminished, I brought magazines and clipped out images she could choose. I would then place them on piece of paper and ask her to move them to where she wanted them. Once they were all organized, I would glue them and she would paint colours around them, giving them a background. One day, she picked out a deer. She wrote: "Poor Dear" and filled the background with blue. The paint was dripping, it looked like tears. It was absolutely appropriate considering all she had been through. I know there was meaning to her art, it wasn't just a coincidence.
When I was hired to continue my work on this unit, I quickly became an advocate for my 40 residents. I was determined to take them to the art gallery for art workshops. I had volunteers and the art gallery was willing to work with my group but the facility would not let us use the bus. They feared that someone would get lost, residents might fall and injure themselves and they wouldn't remember it anyways. I was so angry. I contacted a local funeral parlour and they agreed to take 8 residents in their limousine. We signed a contract and the residents were able to take a sculpting class, a painting class, a drawing class and a photography class. Once we had attended these workshops, my contract with that company ended. I had made my point, they deserved to get out and enjoy life too.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, the best thing you can do is spend time with them, talk to them even if they don't respond, list all the things they once loved and plan something fun each time you see them: watch an old movie, listen to music, go for a walk, plant some herbs, eat a yummy treat, hold hands, share photographs, read poetry or a book they might like to your loved one, bring grandchildren and pets, carry on traditions, don't exclude them. What they taught me is no matter what they are saying or doing, they see you, they hear you and all they want is for you to hear and see them and, of course, love them.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
I was driving around today, wondering what to write about. An idea popped into my mind. My last field placement, as I completed the two-year graduate art therapy program, was on a locked dementia unit. I had worked with children, I enjoyed leading group sessions at Women's College Hospital with outpatients and I thought I would bring art therapy to older adults.
I spent time in two different long term care facilities. In one facility, I travelled with an art cart from the floor for active older adults, to the "low mobility" unit, doing art in their rooms. I also offered a few group sessions on the dementia unit's activity room. In the second facility, I mostly spent time going to resident's rooms on the dementia unit.
I wish someone had filmed my first month with patients diagnosed with dementia. I really wanted to connect with them, enrich their lives, bring some joy to the unit itself. However, I knew nothing about working with this population and they frightened me. I quickly learned never to lean over in front of a seemingly frail, confused man. Some instincts are alive and well and my back end was grabbed more times than I can count. Ditto for leaning forward while feeding a resident in a geriatric chair. The residents were all seated in a main area and some were non-verbal, others were too confused and couldn't tell me their name. I would introduce myself and ask their name. No response. I would look at the name on the door closest to where they were sitting. "Are you Mrs Boucher?" They would nod. The nurse who happened to walk by would inform me that Mrs Boucher was at bingo, this was Mrs Finnigan. The resident would respond with indifference, "What she said". I had to learn their names so I could document who I had visited. I made a note next to each name to recognize them next time as well as some warnings such as, bites, spits, yells, grabs etc. so I could keep myself safe.
I doubted my sanity for thinking I could do art therapy with this population. I am ashamed to admit that I pre-judged them. The first thing that caught my attention was the reaction of residents when I came to work. I had only been there a week or so when I walked onto the unit and headed for the nurse's station. I heard people getting up from the glider chairs and walkers being clinked together and wheels gliding on the carpet. The residents who normally sat in the main entrance, bored, an empty look in their eyes were walking over to me. They were asking me: "What are we doing today?" or "Were you looking for me?". Even the non-verbal lady came over, smiling and rubbed my back, waiting. I was moved by this response because it proved that they have an emotional memory. They may not remember my name, most of them called me "Hey, girl" but they recognized my face and remembered that they liked me, or at least, liked what they did with me. The residents have a very different response to staff who show up to bathe them. They hate baths.
I loved working with this population, once I learned how to communicate with them. They lose their inhibitions so you are less likely to hear them say: "Oh no, I'm not an artist". They have a great sense of humour and are very spontaneous. They love to be with other people and many of them crave colour. They love to party, to dance, sing and create. I took photos of them enjoying their life and posted them at the door to the dining room. That way, they had something to look at while they waited to get into the dining room and their loved ones could see these photos as well. They don't remember the fun they had but when they see themselves, they are excited, "Hey that's me" they'll say and laugh.
I engaged families to help us connect with their loved one. They shared loved stories about their parents for Valentine's Day. I posted each story next to the resident's door along with a photograph of them as a younger adult. This served as a reminder to anyone who entered the room that this person wasn't always this way. They were each individuals with a story, worthy of dignity. For non-verbal residents in geriatric chairs, creating placemats of photos with subtitles for their table-top provided a glimpse for staff into the resident's life, values, traditions. Instead of walking past them, they might stop and read the information and comment on what a lovely family they have. It also helped the residents feel less isolated because they could see photos of their loved ones.
I discovered a creative streak in one of the residents I visited weekly. She became non-verbal and I wondered if she was still interested in participating in our sessions. I used collage with her. She had been telling me about her life, she had suffered a great deal. As her language skills diminished, I brought magazines and clipped out images she could choose. I would then place them on piece of paper and ask her to move them to where she wanted them. Once they were all organized, I would glue them and she would paint colours around them, giving them a background. One day, she picked out a deer. She wrote: "Poor Dear" and filled the background with blue. The paint was dripping, it looked like tears. It was absolutely appropriate considering all she had been through. I know there was meaning to her art, it wasn't just a coincidence.
When I was hired to continue my work on this unit, I quickly became an advocate for my 40 residents. I was determined to take them to the art gallery for art workshops. I had volunteers and the art gallery was willing to work with my group but the facility would not let us use the bus. They feared that someone would get lost, residents might fall and injure themselves and they wouldn't remember it anyways. I was so angry. I contacted a local funeral parlour and they agreed to take 8 residents in their limousine. We signed a contract and the residents were able to take a sculpting class, a painting class, a drawing class and a photography class. Once we had attended these workshops, my contract with that company ended. I had made my point, they deserved to get out and enjoy life too.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, the best thing you can do is spend time with them, talk to them even if they don't respond, list all the things they once loved and plan something fun each time you see them: watch an old movie, listen to music, go for a walk, plant some herbs, eat a yummy treat, hold hands, share photographs, read poetry or a book they might like to your loved one, bring grandchildren and pets, carry on traditions, don't exclude them. What they taught me is no matter what they are saying or doing, they see you, they hear you and all they want is for you to hear and see them and, of course, love them.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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