Senior Goods That Make Caregiving Easier

As they say in financial journalism today's subject isn't sexy. Still, I want to share a tad of wisdom I've picked up in caring for my senior mamma. It seems to me that 80% of the population are or have been caregivers for elderly family members. I meet them when I'm at the supermarket, hiring vendors, or sometimes sitting in the park, i.e., everywhere I go! I've learned a lot in the nearly 2 years I've stepped into the role. Perhaps in another blog, I'll address a more weighty part of caregiving, thoughts about our county's healthcare system. My mother is lucky, she has excellent coverage, but so many seniors don't! Meanwhile, it's the daily care we must provide so today I'll limit our discussion to --

5 Must-Have Essentials for Seniors to Make Everyday Life Easier for Your Loved One and Yourself (not listed in order of importance):

1) Ensure (as well as Walmart's brand, Equate) Protein Drinks - Although my mother's best meal is breakfast, getting her to eat lunch or dinner is dicey! Every morning she'll have 2 eggs; peanut butter on toasted multigrain bread with a drizzle of honey; a cup of milk; and coffee, which she eats in the late mornings. It's the only real food I can count on her eating. So around 1:30 PM, I give her a vanilla Ensure or Equate protein drink. They are 11 ounces with 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. Usually, she refuses dinner, instead opting only to drink a cup of milk, but with a good dose of protein early in the day, I don't fret too much. Hey, I can only make food available, the rest is on her! Btw, vanilla is her favorite flavor, so it's what I order.

2) Aloe Vesta Body Wash & Shampoo or its equivalent - 8 ounces (I'd prefer 16 ounces). I squirt a dab of it into her bathwater or a basin for handwashing. It cleans and conditions her skin and scalp without drying the skin. We do raise the wash off with water, but you don't have to, if the patient is bedridden. Many hospitals use it. 

3) Assurance Adult Disposable Panties from Walmart - I realize I'm oversharing, but not only is Walmart's house brand the cheapest in price, but it's also my favorite brand of all the disposables on the market. They are strong and fit like cloth panties, not diapers. The maximum and overnight absorbencies are not bulky and fitted in the leg area. They look comfortable and are invisible under trousers, and except for the material they're made of, not like wearing disposables but real panties.

4) Target's brand, Up & Up Fresh and Clean Cloth-Like Baby Wipes - I buy the 3-pack of 100 count for $5.98. Cheap in the Target store! They come in bigger quantities, but if you are not timely in using them, they'll dry up. So how many are too many in a single purchase? I haven't figured it out yet. I love the botanicals in them, but I'd buy the best-priced wipes with safe ingredients I could find.

5) Washable Waterproof Protective Pads for Beds (or Couches) - Hospitals use these thinner polyester absorbent ones, so that's what I buy. Machine wash and dry. They look good blended into the bedding, not senior or nursing home-ist at all. They are just as absorbent as the 3-layer pads but are lighter and cheaper so I think the better choice.

Senior personal care items can be pricey, but these 5 are affordable and very useful. They're worth every penny! One piece of advice ... you can find many identical senior commodities sold in medical supply pharmacies selling for 1/3 less on Amazon. Always compare with Amazon before pulling the trigger.

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