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One of the biggest priorities of caregivers and family members is keeping our loved ones safe and healthy. When it comes to caregiving aids, Next Day Access understands even the simplest product has a difference in comfort, safety, and independence. Transfer poles are only one of many solutions designed to make life easier for both individuals.

What are transfer poles?

A transfer pole is a floor-to-ceiling grab bar. They provide safe and secure support for sitting, standing, or transferring a loved one to their mobility device. It can reduce slipping or falling in the bathroom, bedroom, or even the living room.

Types of transfer poles

If you have trouble deciding which transfer pole will best accommodate your loved one or patient, our accessibility experts can help you choose. Here are some of the options we offer:

Stander Security Pole and Curve Grab Bar

The Stander Security Pole and Curve Grab Bar is a 2-in-1 safety solution combined with a transfer pole and a rotating grab bar. The grab bar has a 360 degrees rotation with a lock feature in eight different spots every 45 degrees. And no worrying about drilling holes in your ceiling because it is tension mounted. It secures in place by tightening the pole between the floor and ceiling.

HealthCraft SuperPole

We also offer the Healthcraft SuperPole. Designed like the security pole, it helps with standing, transferring, or moving in bed. However, the installation is different. The bottom of the pole has a jackscrew, which turns to create pressure between the ceiling and floor.

HealthCraft SuperPole with SuperBar

HealthCraft also offers the SuperPole with SuperBar. It is the same as the SuperPole but with an attached horizontal bar. It provides more stability and support for those who need more assistance anywhere in the home. Both the pole and bar have foam grips to make it more comfortable and prevent slippages on the hands.

Whichever pole you decide, it will make a difference in your and your patient’s life. The transfer pole creates a safer and more independent lifestyle for both of you. Let Next Day Access help you guide your decision. Contact us for a free in-home safety consultation.

Disability Day is on December 3rd by the International Day of People with Disabilities, dedicated to bringing awareness and compassion for the challenges faced by people with disabilities. The theme for this year is leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID- 19 world. With this goal, they hope to recognize the challenges, barriers, and opportunities for people with a disability.

Since March 2020, when COVID-19 began, many people were affected by drastic changes, such as working and primarily staying at home, being away from our loved ones, and masks. However, those with disabilities had several negative repercussions from COVID-19. Their social isolation was more pronounced, and there was a lack of emergency equipment to help individuals with specific needs.

Why Do We Celebrate Disability Day?

According to the United Nations, the first annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons began in 1992. Since then, the day is celebrated to help create change and bring awareness for people with disabilities.

Themes from Previous Years:

Since 1992, there have been several different celebrated themes. Some include:

2014: Sustainable development – the promise of technology
2012: Removing Barriers, open doors for an inclusive society and development for all
2007: Decent work for people with disabilities.
2002: Independent living and sustainable livelihoods
1998: Arts, culture, and independent living

As seen above, some of the themes are about independent living. And at Next Day Access, we offer products and solutions to help aging loved ones and people with disabilities live independently at home for as long as possible. We offer accessibility and mobility solutions to keep your home safe. Contact us to schedule a free in-home consultation.

At Next Day Access, we work with many families to provide accessibility and mobility equipment to help take care of aging or disabled loved ones at home. We understand how difficult the role of a family caregivers can be. This November, we are honored to celebrate family caregivers.

Why Do We Celebrate Family Caregivers Month?

It’s important to celebrate and recognize the dedication and hard work of family caregivers. By acknowledging November as National Family Caregivers Month, it increases caregiver support, raises awareness of mental health, and respects the lives of caregivers who help ensure safety and happiness of loved ones.

The celebration is ordained and originated by the Caregiver Action Network (CAN). The Caregiver Action Network group is a nonprofit that helps to educate caregivers, supply resources, and support. This year’s theme, “#CaregiverAnd,” encourages family caregivers to celebrate the identities and passions that enrich their lives. Way too often, the role of caregiver can overshadow their identity.

Understanding Family Caregiving Responsibility

Many family members take on caregivers roles when parents become older or disabled. They choose to keep the caregiving responsibilities in the family to ensure their loved one gets the best care. While most would never consider their loved ones a burden, the extra responsibility can become overwhelming.

Studies show that about one in five U.S. adults are caregivers and spend an average of 24 hours a week caring for a loved one on top of their other jobs. Because of that, the caregiving role can cause emotional, physical, and financial stress. Learn more about how you can better support a caregiver.

At Next Day Access, we consider our company a support system for caregivers. Our goal is to provide caregivers with the information and equipment they need to help make their lives easier and keep loved ones safe and comfortable. If you are a caregiver, we urge you to contact us to schedule a free in-home consultation. Let us give you the support you need as you support others in need.

Source: https://mhanational.org/national-family-caregivers-month

Caregivers play a vital role as your loved one ages. They are responsible for the physical and emotional support of someone who can no longer care for themself. But we can often overlook or become too busy to show appreciation to our caregivers. That’s why we’re sharing a few ways to show gratitude to the many individuals that help our loved ones stay comfortable and happy.

1. Surprise of Help

Giving the caregiver the gift of assistance is a wonderful way to demonstrate gratitude. We all wish there were more hours in a day, and getting help for your caregiver shows you notice how much they do every day. You could plan for someone to come in and clean the house or cook a few meals. Whatever it takes to take a few things off your caregiver’s to-do list would be helpful and likely appreciated.

2. Thank You Letter

A thank-you letter can be as simple as writing a few special words on a slip of paper or an elegant card. It is vital for the caregiver to feel their efforts do not go unnoticed. The simple act of writing this letter could have an enduring effect. Letters are always great to keep and look back on.

3. Extra Time-Off

If your financial situation allows it, you can hire an hourly caregiver through an agency with caregivers on call. When you give your caregiver some extra time off to focus on themselves, they can rest and return to the job rejuvenated. Caregivers need to have a break so they can focus on personal responsibilities.

4. A Gift Card

Who doesn’t love a gift card? Gift cards are perfect way of showing appreciation. It’s a simple way of acknowledging their hard work and giving them something with immediate value.

5. Take Them Out to Dinner

To be a caregiver, you are often putting the needs of someone else above your own. This is noble work, and it takes a special person to do it with compassion and patience. Sometimes, the best way to show your appreciation is taking them out for a meal at their favorite restaurant.

Regardless of how you decide to show appreciation to your caregiver, they will be thankful. At Next Day Access, we have a variety of products to assist caregivers. Whether you need help lifting or bathing patients, we offer solutions to help make patient care more efficient. With our free in-home safety evaluations, we can see what areas of your home could use modifications so that your home is safe and secure.

When most people fall, it is common to get a bruise or scrape. However, if an older adult falls, the results are far worse, causing broken bones, head injuries, or worse. It is common for older adults to fall more frequently because of lower body weakness, difficulties with walking and balance, or vision problems. Studies show one out of every four Americans over the age of 65 experiences a fall each year.

There are many ways an older adult could slip and fall, but one of the biggest causes is misstepping. At most senior living facilities, you won’t find stairs, but what if your aging loved one wants to stay at home where stairs are inevitable? Fortunately, there are many ways to make your loved one’s home safe, even if stairs are present.

How to Make Stairs Safer for Seniors Aging in Place:

Invest in a stairlift. At Next Day Access, we offer an assortment of stairlifts. Our stairlifts safely help your loved ones go up and down the stairs. Stairlifts are easy to use and can be installed within hours to a day, depending on your staircase.
Add non-slip strips. These strips can easily be applied with adhesive to the stairs. You could even apply them in areas of the bathroom that could get wet and slippery.  
Try to decrease stair time. Is it possible to reorganize the home where your loved one never needs to go to the second floor? Could their bedroom be on the lower level? You may not be able to cut out stair time entirely, but if you limit the amount of time your loved one spends on stairs, it may reduce the likelihood of falling.
Add hand railings to the stairs. If you do not have a set of sturdy hand railings on the stairs you should invest in them as soon as possible. The CDC even recommends have railings on staircases. Railings help with balance and support, reducing the chances of falling.
Do not use a carpet runner on stairs. Having a leveled floor is one of the best ways to ensure safety in your home. Although a runner is decorative for stairs, it can be a trip hazard for older adults. If you can avoid using rugs, it can help your loved one keep safe from tripping and falling.
Invest in ramps for outdoors stairs or single steps. Ramps come in all sizes and can be installed usually in less than a day. Next Day Access has a variety of ramps to fit your unique needs whether it be an outdoor or indoor ramp.

At Next Day Access, we provide, sell, and install accessibility and mobility solutions to keep your aging loved one safe and comfortable at home. We understand the danger of stairs for seniors and have many different products to help them navigate a home with stairs. Contact us to schedule your free in-home consultation.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html

The month of November recognizes the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who serve their community proudly. These individuals play an essential role in our healthcare system and homes across the nation. To recognize their hard work and show appreciation, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) asked to celebrate November as Home Care and Hospice Month.

“Home care and hospice nurses, therapists, aides, and other providers who choose to use their lives to serve our country’s aged, disabled, and dying. This noble work deserves our recognition and praise, and we celebrate November as Home Care & Hospice Month for that very reason.” – NAHC President William A. Dombi.

Hospice care professionals are an important role to end-of-life care and individuals who are terminally ill. They focus on helping someone with a terminal illness comfortably and increasing their quality of life. Hospice is usually offered in the home or a long-term care facility.

Some of their services include:

Managing patient’s pain and symptoms
Emotional support
Providing medical equipment like wheelchairs
Teaching caregivers on how to provide the best care
Dietary counseling
Grief and loss counseling for patient and loves ones

Along with providing the best care for patients, a huge part of their job is also supporting families. So, they help with education, emotional and spiritual support, financial issues, and assisting with the patient’s hygiene.

“Within the hospice care setting, the looming reality of a patient’s death can be extremely hard for both patients and family members to accept. During this time, many difficult decisions must be made regarding treatments that will benefit the patient in their last weeks or months, often bringing quality of life concerns into play. Nurses step in at this time to guide patients and families confronting those tough decisions and helping them adapt to painful realities,” says the American Nurses Association.

At Next Day Access, we recognize the noble work done by hospice teams. This November, we are proud to honor the individuals in our healthcare system who help make differences in lives. We are thankful for those who continue to work and study hard to help the community.

Source: https://www.nahc.org/

Inevitably there will come a time when you need a home health aide to take care of your aging loved one or even share the responsibility. Do not look at it like you are giving up, but instead, you are doing them a favor.

For some parents approaching the subject of a caregiver, other than yourself, may cause them to be upset. However difficult the conversation can be, it could be the only way to ensure your aging loved one is receiving top notch care every day. To help you decide if your loved one needs a home health aide, here’s a list of warning signs.

A Lack in Personal Hygiene

A change in personal appearance and behavior are common indicators that your loved one needs some help at home. You may not notice changes in personal hygiene, such as wearing dirty clothes. Notice your family member’s appearance and pay attention to their body odor. These are some signs your aging loved one could be letting their hygiene go. It can become too troublesome for them, or it could be memory loss.

Often, as adults age, their skin becomes thinner and thus more brittle, and a shower could physically hurt them. It could be time for sponge baths.

Weight Loss

This could sneak up on you if you are used to seeing your parent/grandparent often. But if you find that your loved one appears thinner than what you consider their “normal” weight, it may be a sign of trouble for the future. Possible causes could be trouble with meal preparation, depression, memory loss or cognitive decline.

It is common for people suffering from a memory impairment, such as Alzheimer’s to forget how to cook their food or even eat.

Housekeeping is No Longer a Priority

If you notice your parent’s home is full of clutter and messy when it is typically in tip-top shape, this could be a sign that something is wrong. They could be too tired or even depressed to perform daily chores. Depression can cause them to neglect to keep the house clean. The bottom line, a messy home can cause a healthy person to become sick. Their mood will lift in a clean home, and they will relax and breathe easier.

If you notice items appearing in unusual places, for example, the container of coffee creamer tucked into the dishwasher rather than the refrigerator, or shoes placed on the table rather than beneath it, this could also be a sign of early-onset dementia, stroke, or even Alzheimer’s.

When to look for help?

If you find you are exhausted and overwhelmed trying to take care of your relative, it may be time to consider a home health care aide. The change could upset your loved one at first, but it is likely they will grow to appreciate the companionship and help around the house. Encourage and support them as you transition to finding a home health aide.

Next Day Access is in the business of improving the quality of life for seniors. We have a large variety of home modifications, accessibility devices, and mobility equipment to help older loved ones get around easier in their homes and while they are out in town. Contact us today for a free in-home consultation.

Discussing your aging loved one’s driving days coming to an end is not easy; yet, it is a meaningful and necessary conversation. Your loved one might express frustration towards giving up the freedom to drive, but ultimately it is safer for them and others on the road. It is common for older adults to have slow reaction times and hearing or vision problems. Other than health issues, how can you tell you need to take on driving? The best approach is to look for warning signs before the conversation. This way, you will know if you need to insist on talking about it because there are real reasons to be worried, or are you off base, and their driving skills are still going strong? Here are a few signs. 

Their Car Has New Scrapes or Dents

Look over your loved one’s car. Do you see any fresh dents or scrapes? Is there any damage near their garage, garden, or mailbox? Any dents or scrapes on their vehicle indicate they could be misjudging the space around them. You should also try to find out if they recently received a ticket or traffic warning. Did their auto insurance increase for any reason? If so, discuss this with your loved one.

Driving has Become Mentally Difficult

Look for signs that your loved one seems agitated or tired while driving. This could indicate they are having a tough time. Often the cause of their irritation could be because of a hindering physical disability. Here are a few signs that indicate driving might have become stressful for them:

They get lost easily, even in familiar areas.
They struggle turning the car around or backing up.
They have trouble seeing traffic signals or road signs.
They mix up the brake and gas pedals or press both at the same time.
They respond slowly to unexpected situations.
Other drivers honk at your loved one because of their driving.

They Have Too Many Close Calls

A sure sign your parent/grandparents’ driving skills are declining is they have had too many narrowly missed accidents. Sometimes, this happens due to misjudging gaps in traffic, misreading traffic signals or road signs, or underestimating the speed of oncoming cars.

Driving can be risky business. It is best to be proactive when assessing your parent’s driving. They may worry losing their ability to drive can make them a burden or make them feel less independent. Encourage and support them by talking to them about their alternate transportation options. There are many options for getting around town, such as the help of family members, riding services, or public transportation.

If you notice your loved one having a tough time getting around the house or neighborhood, visit our website. At Next Day Access, we specialize in accessibility devices, home modifications, mobility equipment, and more. Our goal is to help keep your loved ones safe and comfortable at home and on the go. Contact us for a free in-home safety consultation.

Source: Dailycaring.com

Travel regulations eased since the onset of the Covid Pandemic. Now, many people are taking advantage of the cheaper flights to Europe. Europe is a beautiful place to vacation with great history. Given the older architecture, not every place in Europe is equipped with accessibility laws in place. Which can present difficulties with navigating a wheelchair or other mobility devices. Successful traveling with a mobility device to Europe requires a lot of research and planning, but it’s worth it. Here are a few tips to consider so you can travel safely abroad.

Accessibility laws

The United Kingdom and Germany’s accessibility laws are similar to America with their requirements for buildings and transportation. Yet, many countries do not have these same laws. Before traveling to Europe, research which countries have requirements that help citizens with a disability.

Book hotels in advance

Many hotels have very few accessible hotel rooms, so booking hotels far in advance is ideal. When finding a hotel, try to stay in the most accessible parts of town. Look for towns that are not surrounded by hills or stairs. A good way to get an idea of the lay of the town is using Google Maps Street View.

Booking transportation online

In Europe, every training system has different boarding and booking procedures for mobility device users. Most times, you can book wheelchair spots online in advance. However, be aware that each line requires prior notification for a wheelchair reserved spot due to the low availability.

Accessible tour companies

You can also find accessible tour companies. It is a great idea to book with a tour company, especially one that knows the ins and outs of traveling with mobility equipment. A company that specializes in accessibility tours will take you to the most convenient, smoothest, and shortest routes. It will alleviate a lot of stress when you know your accessibility needs are better met and understood.

Lastly, enjoy your trip! You’ve done as much planning as you can, and now that’s left is exploring the European history, culture, and beautiful architecture. If you’re in need of a power chair, scooter, or other accessibility and mobility products to help you navigate through Europe, contact your local Next Day Access business.

When you think of an elevator in a home, you may think of The Jetsons or another futuristic show. But believe it or not, having an elevator in the house is not as uncommon as you might think. When an aging loved one experiences limited mobility, going up and downstairs is no longer safe and easy.

That’s why you may consider a home elevator to can help you or your loved ones stay in their home when the stairs become a challenge.

When do home elevators qualify for your solution?

Aging in place has become a large trend in the older population. Studies have found that most homeowners want to stay in their existing homes as they age. For some, selling a two-story or even three-story home and moving into a one-level home can become expensive and stressful.

Fortunately, home elevators have become a less expensive solution for people with limited mobility and looking to age comfortably in their home.

Benefits of Home Elevators

Convenience

It’s easy to overlook the many daily activities that could be challenging for people aging in place. Whether it’s tidying up each week from room to room or putting away laundry, there are many times that require going up and down the stairs. With a home elevator, it makes routine activities easier and more pleasant.

Comfort

The activity of climbing and descending stairs can put a strain on your muscles, ligaments, and cardiovascular system. Stairs are often risky for older adults. As our loved ages, chronic pain, inflexibility, or vision issues can lead to trouble with stairs.

To help avoid falling or serious injuries, a home elevator can give you peace of mind and make a comfortable and relaxing experience as your glide up and down the levels of your home.

Independence

Another and an essential reason to add a residential elevator is to maintain independence. As you or your loved one continues to age, limited mobility and medical issues will arise. A trip or a fall up or down the stairs can cause you or your loved one’s independence to decrease.

A home elevator can help you restore your independence and allow you to travel freely up and down the levels of your home.

At Next Day Access, our home elevators are safe, quiet, and customizable to your home. Whether you prefer a lavish look with mahogany and silver handrails or a hideaway elevator, the choice is up to you.

We have a large variety made by some of the best brands in the business, including Stiltz, Wessex, and Waupaca. Contact us today for a free in-home consultation.