Wear A Name Tag Please

For memory difficulties such as Alzheimers have a package of stick-on name tags handy for visitors and caregivers to wear. The patient can then know who is talking to them. If you make it a routine, it may save embarrassment and confusion for both patient and visitor.

A Must Have

If you are a caregiver for a person with disabilities, buy a wireless doorbell from any hardware or home improvement store to use as a call bell. They are completely portable and you can place both the button and the bell in any spot in the house. It will allow both you and your patient a little privacy and still make you available. They start at about $6.00 and are worth their weight in gold.

Anyone can take a bath

If you have a child who has a hard time in the tub because they are unable to sit, you can line your tub with egg crates or some other type of non-slip foam. This will help your child from slipping in the tub and it will give them a more comfortable time in the bathtub.

Pedal Extenders

Every person has the right to drive, so if being short is holding you back, you might be interested in pedal extenders - rather than buying a specially-equipped car! Choices are available for several different makes of vehicles including forklifts - you can even order extenders to help you reach the pedals of your piano.

http://www.pedalextenders.com/

I Want To Take A Cruise

This weeks tips are brought to you compliments of: TravelPage.com`s Cruising with Special Needs page

Cabins: Probably one of the most important factors in determining which cruise ship you select will be your cabin requirements. Most cruise ships today have a number of "handicapped accessible" cabins designed specifically to meet the needs of people who use wheelchairs or need help moving about.

Getting Around: Another important consideration when selecting a ship is how well you will be able to get around. If you use a wheelchair, you need to know what type of obstacles you might encounter and what you can do to overcome them.

Face Boards

For persons with memory difficulty it may be helpful to create a "face board" with pictures of caregivers or other important people and their names underneath. You might also put a brief explanation such as "one of your nurses who works the day shift". Put the board in an area where the person can see it readily and refer to it.

DISASTER PLANNING

When you dial 9-1-1, tap the space bar to indicate a TDD call.

Store a writing pad and pencils to communicate with others.

Keep a flashlight handy to signal your whereabouts to other people and for illumination to aid in communication.

Remind friends that you cannot completely hear warnings or emergency instructions. Ask them to be your source of emergency information as it comes over the radio. Another option is to use a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature connected to lights. When a watch or warning is issued for your area, the light would alert you to potential danger.

For more great tips like this go to: Person with a severe speech, language, or hearing disability

Get Independent

There are many clever ways you can adapt your clothing so it is easier and more convenient to get on and off:

Sew cuff buttons on with elastic thread; keep them buttoned all the time and simply slide your hand through.

Remove buttons from the cuff or front of a blouse or shirt, and sew the button to the closed buttonhole borders. Sew Velcro on the two sides and press to close.

Attach a ring or loop to the zipper tab so it´s easier to catch with fingers or a dressing aid.

For more great tips like these go to: DRESSING TIPS
Modify clothing you like for convenience

Depression: When to see Your Doctor

1.) When you feel a sad or empty feeling that never seems to go away.

2.) Things that had once made you happy have now lost there joy.

3.) You can´t sleep or you are sleeping too much.

4.) You cannot concentrate or are having trouble making decissions.

5.) You are experiencing crying spells.

6.) You are thinking of suicide.

Use Them

There are so many devices available for disabled people. Things that before I went searching I would have never guessed were available.

Don´t be afraid to use these devices. It is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of courage to go on and succeed on your own.

Wheel Chair Ramps

When parking a van with a drop-down wheelchair ramp, always be careful to check before dropping the ramp by remote. It can really catch passersby off guard. A small child could happen by in a parking lot and be struck by the ramp.

Bed Pads

Bed pads that are attached to an alarm that will go off at a drop of moisture is probably the best way to help stop bed wetting. These are only helpful if the child is ready to stop wetting the bed though.

Exercise the Blues Away

Many times people will exercise the blues away. You will find that a regular exercise program will have an antidepressant effect.

What Should I Use?

Most families and individuals with special needs have purchased, played with, researched and returned a variety of products that claim to dramatically improve the lives of users. So how do you define (and find) unique products? It´s a combination of know-how, gut instinct and learning from the feedback of people who have actually used the product.

Visit Making life easier at Ideal Lives for more great information.

Making Life Easier

My son is in need of special equipment that would have been very difficult to travel with. He needs oxygen and pump feeding equipment. This would have taken up so much room in our van that there would have been room for nothing else.

What we did was to call the people who supplied us with these things at home. They then contacted their affiliates in the area that we were traveling to. When we arrived at our destination, everything we needed was waiting for us.

This makes things so much easier. We just took what we needed to get from our home to our destination, and everything else was taken care of for us.

We again made one simple phone call when we were ready to leave and the affiliate company gave us enough equipment to get home and picked up the rest.

Be Kind

If you drive an automobile with a handicap parking permit, but it does not have a drop-down ramp, try to use the parking spots that don`t have ramp access when available and save the ramp spaces for those with wheelchairs who will need the extra room to get out of their vehicles.

Lighten Your Load

Make a routine out of your sleep/wake cycle. Cut out those afternoon naps. This will make regulating your sleep cycle much easier for you. It will also help you to get more done which will boost your self esteem. Do Not permit your schedule to become too overwhelming.

No one can be in three places at one time!