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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
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Are you receiving input from a therapist trained in swallowing issues?
Have either of your LOs been seen by a trained swallowing specialist recently?
Have you requested that they receive professional swallowing evaluation?
Do you have access to help with this? Swallowing problems can be pretty complicated. Hoping you will be able to access information from trained medical personnel.
The only "natural" way to thicken fluids would be to not offer water at all and stick to thicker mixtures like veggie or fruit juice smoothies, dairy options such as kefir and including things like soup in the daily diet. The thickeners can be expensive and the texture seems off putting, particularly those that use xanthan gum, but they give consistent results and time saving convenience. I think that many of us look for ways to cut back on the use of expensive necessities, but when it comes to things like like incontinence products, gloves, and thickeners the alternatives generally mean more work for already overburdened caregivers.
After having aspiration pneumonia in Nov. 2018, my husband had to remain on thickened liquids until his death this past Sept. I used the product Thick It in all his drinks, including water. It worked great, and you get 3 different consistencies to choose from. I used the honey consistency for my husband. While it probably is a bit more expensive(usually around $18 for the 36 oz.)often when you buy in bulk, it tends to be less than that. To me it was well worth the price, as I never had to worry about my husband choking on his drinks, and he never complained about the taste. Now I know it's not the "natural" remedy you were asking about, but it sure made my life a whole lot easier, not having to worry that my husband's drinks were going into his lungs instead of his stomach.
If the speech pathologist suggests honey or nectar thick, buy nectar juices - pear, peach, etc. - at the grocery store. SimplyThick and Thick-It are commercial products that you can put in thin liquids such as water, coffee, tea, etc. Also, with people with dysphagia they may need a reminder to take small sips and swallow twice.
The advantage of using the products like Thick It and some of the others is that they are flavorless and colorless so they can be used in anything. You can also adjust the thickness that you want or need by adding as much or as little as you need. (I went from making liquids "nectar thick" to a "pudding thick" using Thick It) Other thickening agents may need to be heated first like flour, cornstarch, arrowroot and tapioca. Puddings, and I would not really call packaged pudding "natural", have flavorings and sweeteners. Gelatin and or Jello type products begin to melt down at body temperature so they go down as a liquid and can cause aspiration. For foods it can be easier thicken with mashed potatoes or other veggies. Hot foods you can use the regular products you would use to thicken a gravy. (I also use oatmeal that I processed to a flour, I used cream of wheat. Cornmeal is a bit coarse) Blending or pureeing foods just add as much liquid to get the consistency you need. Water or juices work depending on what it is you are making.
We used Thick It for years but switched to the more expensive Simply Thick a couple of years ago. It is expensive but SO much easier to use. I order it from Amazon. Not "natural", per se, but makes my life and Mom's so much easier that we decided it was worth it. The doc indicates that we might be able to get insurance to cover it if I pursued it, but I haven't had time yet. Still work about 60 hrs a week as well as taking care of Mom!
There are plenty of products out there. Have your parents had swallowing evaluations performed? The therapist will let you know exactly what thickness their fluids needs to be thickened to - and can recommend the products available in your area.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Commercially available products like Thick-it contain cornstarch and maltodextrin.
Have either of your LOs been seen by a trained swallowing specialist recently?
Have you requested that they receive professional swallowing evaluation?
Do you have access to help with this? Swallowing problems can be pretty complicated. Hoping you will be able to access information from trained medical personnel.
You can also adjust the thickness that you want or need by adding as much or as little as you need. (I went from making liquids "nectar thick" to a "pudding thick" using Thick It)
Other thickening agents may need to be heated first like flour, cornstarch, arrowroot and tapioca.
Puddings, and I would not really call packaged pudding "natural", have flavorings and sweeteners.
Gelatin and or Jello type products begin to melt down at body temperature so they go down as a liquid and can cause aspiration.
For foods it can be easier thicken with mashed potatoes or other veggies. Hot foods you can use the regular products you would use to thicken a gravy. (I also use oatmeal that I processed to a flour, I used cream of wheat. Cornmeal is a bit coarse)
Blending or pureeing foods just add as much liquid to get the consistency you need. Water or juices work depending on what it is you are making.