Senior Care in West Windsor NJ

Safety should be one of the most important focuses of your senior care journey with your elderly loved one. Making sure that she stays safe helps her to live a more enjoyable, active, and engaged lifestyle as she ages in place. Though there are many measures that you can take to help keep your parent safer, one of the simplest and most effective is a first aid kit. Packing a thorough and effective first aid kit ensures that you have the supplies that you need to handle issues as they arise. This can make a situation much less frightening and uncomfortable, and let your parent either return to the activity or handle the situation until she can get the medical care that she needs.

Though there are some basic items that you should keep in a first aid kit for any situation, there are some ways that your kit should change to accommodate the different issues of the seasons. Each season poses its own potential hazards and risks and being prepared for those potential issues will allow you to get out and enjoy more quality time with your parent enjoying everything that those seasons have to offer. Now that spring is finally officially here, it is time to revamp your first aid kit to include items designed to address potential springtime issues such as allergies and insect bites. Making sure that your kit is properly prepared is the first step in letting you and your aging parent shake off the chill of winter and start enjoying time out in nature again.

Use these tips to help you prepare your springtime first aid kit:

• Clean it out. Start by evaluating the first aid kit that you already have. Examine each of the items that are in it to check for damage and expiration. Get rid of anything that is not in good condition or that has expired. Be sure to make a list of the things that you have gotten rid of so that you can replace them.
• Pain relievers. A simple headache or joint pain can quickly ruin your springtime outing. Prepare with basic over-the-counter pain relievers in individual packets. Be sure to talk to your parent’s doctor about any restrictions that she might have regarding the type of pain reliever that she can take.
• Wound care. Getting outside to be more active means the possibility for small cuts, scrapes, and blisters. Prepare with alcohol swabs, hydrogen peroxide, sterile gauze, surgical tape, butterfly bandages, and adhesive bandages.
• Allergy relief. For millions of people throughout the country, springtime means allergies. Relieve the discomfort by having a few basic allergy-relief items in your first aid kit. Non-drowsy antihistamines and sinus relief medication can ease many of the respiratory symptoms. Saline can be a lifesaver for itchy eyes and hydrocortisone cream can provide immediate relief for itchy skin. If your parent has severe allergies such as to bees, make sure that you also bring along an emergency allergy device as prescribed by her doctor.
• Insect issues. If you spend time outside during the warmer weather you are likely to encounter some bug bites, stings, and other pest issues. Have alcohol, tweezers, and adhesive bandages on hand to deal with more serious issues. Itch relief gel or cream and bug spray can help to ease the discomfort of more minor pests.
• Burn gel. The springtime temperatures tend not to soar like summer temperatures but that does not mean that your parent is not at risk of burns. The sun is just as damaging at this time of year, and surfaces such as metal handrails can get very hot very quickly. Aloe Vera gel can help draw out the heat and provide soothing relief for these burns.

Be sure that your parent’s senior health care services provider knows where to find the first aid kit so that she can be prepared as well when she plans outings with your parent.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior care in West Windsor, NJ or the surrounding areas, please call Independence Home Care today at 609-208-1111 for more information.