A living will is a document that indicates what medical procedures or measures your loved one wants or does not want done to them during the last stages of life. But is it the best way to fulfill that purpose?  Can the Living Will be used in another way?

My wife and I took care of her elderly father for seven years. During that time we had to make medical decisions for him. We were never asked for the living will. The doctors relied on our having the health proxy. At the end of his life my father-in-law was on a respirator. He was obviously in the last 48 to 72 hours of his life yet he was scheduled for dialysis the following day at 11:30 am. Doctors or hospitals are not going to forgo a procedure and risk being sued even if that procedure is useless.

A loss of mobility is associated with an increased risk of falls. Falls in the elderly population frequently result in wrist and hip fractures that may require surgery. There are a few simple measures that have been shown to decrease this risk of falls. One is environmental modification — removing trip hazards such as rugs and adding rails to stairs and bathrooms. Another is the use of a walking aid.

If your loved one wants a living will it might be best to be as vague as possible. You, as the agent should have a good understanding of what you loved one wants. You should be the kind of person who can stand up to doctors and the medical establishment. Putting in words like, ‘if my situation is hopeless’ could leave it to a hospital committee to decide what those words mean. That is exactly what you are trying to avoid. You want to stay in control of the situation.

Simple repetition can be very good for cognition as well. Many tasks that might otherwise seem boring and uninteresting are perfect as an activity for Alzheimer’s because they can contribute a sense of accomplishment. Caregivers should enable the senior to continue in activities that utilize skills they still retain from before the onset of the disease.

According to many research studies, some mild physical activity is most recommended for those suffering cognitive dysfunction because of the increase of oxygen to the brain. This can aide in slowing down the progress of the disease, and it helps elevate a senior’s mood and promotes relaxation. Inactivity can contribute to a senior’s susceptibility to depression because they feel unproductive. They may begin to feel they can’t do something only because they aren’t encouraged to do it. This is where a caregiver must exercise an intuitive sense of what the senior is actually capable of, and should be doing to keep their body and mind occupied.

Simple and repetitive activities, such as folding towels or laundry, sweeping, polishing, mixing, and walks, can help reduce anxiety. The repetitive nature of these activities eliminates the need for memory and judgement and can give the senior a sense of usefulness.

4 wheeled walkers do not turn as easily but offer significantly more support. They also commonly come with a seat to enable the user to rest whenever required. For this reason they are a popular choice.

Both types of walker utilize hand brakes and can include a basket or carrying bag to transport items while letting the user keep two hands on the frame at all times. This is a valuable feature

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