Tag Archives: totalhomecaresupplies.com

Tips for Dealing with Incontinence During the Winter

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on January 13, 2015 under BladderMatters | Be the First to Comment

Originally posted by the Live Confidently team on LiveConfidently.com

With the winter months quickly approaching, many people who experience urge or stress incontinence may notice an uptick in bladder leakage issues. There was never a clear link between incontinence and cold weather until a 2005 study by Whittington Hospital in London found that cold temperatures were a major factor in increased urinary incontinence. The study showed that this could be for two reasons: one, because our bodies don’t sweat out excess moisture during colder months, and two, because cold weather induces bladder muscle overactivity and causes us to feel the urge to go more often.

Whatever the case, there are a few tips you can follow to make sure that you are prepared and ready to take on incontinence when the temperature drops.

Decrease your intake of caffeinated beverages. Coffee and other hot beverages that contain caffeine, like tea and hot chocolate, can stimulate the bladder and also act as a diuretic. It’s best to stick to water or non-caffeinated beverages such as apple cider or peppermint tea.

Use the bathroom before you leave the house. This will ensure that your bladder is empty and will prevent you from having to remove bulky winter layers to use the restroom.

Keep moving and wear a jacket. This will help to keep your body warm and your bladder muscles from tensing up.

Find the right protection. For a true sense of ease, it’s best to find the right incontinence products for your specific needs. If you’re not sure where to start, our Incontinence Product Selector is a helpful tool that can guide you in the right direction.

Do you have any tips to add? Head over to our living with incontinence forum to discuss this topic with people just like you!

National Radon Action Month

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on January 9, 2015 under Caregiver Corner, Resources | Be the First to Comment

How can you take action on radon? Simple! Purchase a radon testing kit at a hardware/supply store, follow the instructions and send in the results.

But why should you do that? Again – simple! Radon in small amounts that is diluted into the air around us is harmless. But, if your home builds up too much radon, this element is a major cause of lung cancer. And seniors, who spend a lot of time in their homes, and may not air them out as often as others, can be at particular risk.

The best way to keep yourself and others safe is with the simple test. If your results show high levels of radon, it’s not time to panic! It’s recommended to wait another six months before retesting, to lessen the possibility of a false-positive. During that time, you can start airing out the house by opening windows on opposite ends, and purchasing air filters. You can find other recommendations for how to lessen radon exposure here.

There are also a lot of community information sessions offered across the US, especially during this Action month. To find them, search online for your town name and “radon.” During these sessions, experts will show you how to use a testing kit, and some sessions may even give tests away.

It’s important to keep your family safe and eliminate as many carcinogens as possible from your home, or your seniors home. You can learn more about National Radon Action Month at this EPA website.

Great Books to Help Children Learn about Special Needs Children

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on January 7, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

Children are naturally accepting of others, so it may be awhile before you find yourself fielding questions like, “Why is that boy different?” or “Why can’t she talk?” when interacting with special needs children. Even if your child does not have a special needs child or any special needs children in their school or social circle, it’s a good idea to explain to them, in their terms, why some children aren’t like them. When your children do encounter a special needs child, they’ll hopefully have at least some of the information they’ll need to be a good friend.

My Brother Charlie

This book mirrors the life of an actual 12-year-old girl, the daughter of actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose twin brother has autism. Reviews of the book have stated that it not only is authentic in its storytelling, it promotes conversations.

Small Steps

This book is a sequel to the bestselling book Holes, which was later made into a film. While the story doesn’t focus on the character who has cerebral palsy, it does a good job of including her in the story without much fanfare. Definitely a book for older children, as it contains some scary elements towards the end.

The Best Worst Brother

While this book is written from the point of view of a sibling, it can be a helpful story for any child. The sister in the story must learn to communicate with her developmentally disabled younger brother. This book is appropriate for ages four through eight.

What are your favorite books about children with special needs? We’d love to hear recommendations for books that are for children, or those that are for adults.

Ostomy Blog Love

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on January 2, 2015 under Ostomy Care | Be the First to Comment

Happy New Year, everyone! To kick off 2015, a year in which an estimated 134,000 new stomas will be created, we thought we’d take a look at a few of our favorite ostomate blogs.

Ostomy Outdoors
Heidi’s ostomy surgery is now four years behind her, and her life is so active and “normal” that she completely forgot her “stomaversary” this year, something she used to celebrate. To her, that means she’s now in place she wanted to be almost immediately after getting her surgery, a place where her stoma, Wilbur, isn’t on her mind every day. Heidi’s posts about traveling, hiking and other intense outdoor adventures will inspire everyone to get out there, no matter what!

The Stolen Colon – Living Beautifully with an Ostomy
Stephanie is also very active: she’s a triathlete and runs half-marathons on a regular basis. Her stoma surgery is more recent, at about two and a half years, but she is also very comfortable with the changes it has brought to her life. She gives lots of great advice about life with a stoma, including what to wear, how to troubleshoot ostomy bag problems and more. And she’s always very honest about her feelings about her stoma.

OstomyChic
This blog is written by a professional women who’s ileostomy is a little higher than what most people have. This makes dressing a bit of a challenge – but one that she’s up to! While she doesn’t post very often these days, her clothing advice is timeless.

We’d love to hear about more ostomy blogs that we could highlight in upcoming posts! Please let us know of yours or one you read in the comments below.

Last Sale of the Year!

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 30, 2014 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

Receive some great savings before the end of the year! Today and tomorrow, you can save 5% on all orders over $50. And receive free shipping! Use the code “NYE2015” to save – but hurry! Offer expires 12/31/14.

The Benefits of Adult Diapers

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 29, 2014 under BladderMatters | Be the First to Comment

When it comes to choosing a type of incontinence product, the main question is adult diapers (AKA briefs) or protective underwear (AKA pull-ups or pull-ons). Briefs can have their advantages over protective underwear, depending on the lifestyle of the wearer.

One advantage is: briefs offer the ability to put on and take off the item without the removal of pants or shoes. This is helpful for both caregivers who are the ones helping their care with the briefs, or for individuals who need to be able to change their briefs while out and about. Many of our customers find the First Quality Adult Briefs easy to use, with their Easy Lock Fasteners (ELF), that can be reused to reposition and are not sticky. These are available in cases, or as a sample to find the right size.

Additionally, briefs are available in larger sizes than pull-ups. The Prevail Bariatric Brief is available in two sizes: A is for waist sizes from 62 inches to 73 inches and B is for waist sizes up to 94 inches. Size A is also available as a sample so the user can get the perfect fit.

Briefs can also provide more absorbency than regular protective underwear, which can be great for overnight usage. Tranquilty’s All-Thru-the-Night Brief offers extra absorbency, so the wearer’s skin is not compromised by staying wet for hours.

But, if you’re looking for a product that provides many of the benefits of briefs, with the secure and underwear-like fit of protective underwear, we recommend Prevail’s Adjustable Underwear. They come with reattachable side tabs that open.

We’d love to hear your feedback on any of these products, or others that we offer on TotalHomeCareSupplies.com. Feel free to comment below, or review the products on their individual pages.

More Product Reviews

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 24, 2014 under BladderMatters, Ostomy Care, Very Urological | Be the First to Comment

We took a look at some of our product reviews back in August but as we get new reviews in all the time, we thought the topic worth another visit.

Please keep in mind that all of our products are available to review right on their page. Not only do we love the feedback about the items we carry, reviewing can help your fellow customers know more about a product. We try to create product descriptions that are helpful to all customers, but those of you who are using them have the best knowledge about them!

Review of Prevail Adjustable Underwear:
“My husband needed after Prostate cancer surgery and found this brand best fit and most comfortable for larger size man.”

Review of Hollister Adapt Paste:
“My son was born with gastroschesis, which is a birth defect were the intestines grow out of the body in utero. He had his first surgery an hour after birth and now has a colostomy. He makes in a bag until his reversal surgery. The bag was constantly leaking and pulling away from his skin. I was changing it at least 5 times a day. My surgeon told me about Adapt which keeps the round and bag secure for at least 24 hours. This product changed everything.”

Review of Dale Foley Tube Catheter Leg Band:
“…This is probably the best product of its kind on the market. I have used it for years and prefer it over anything else. They are washable and can be bleached to disinfect. One will last me at least two months.”

We love these positive reviews, but we are aware that not all products work perfectly for everyone. A recent comment on one of our skin barriers for ostomates told us that while they found the product easy to fit and durable, and called it a good product, that they found it difficult to remove. In that case, we would recommend another skin barrier for that person, as different adhesives can affect various skin types in unexpected ways.

If you have an opinion on one of our products, we ask that you head over to TotalHomeCareSupplies.com and tell us!

Keeping the Holidays Stress-Free for Your Senior (and You)

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 23, 2014 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

The holidays are definitely here! And you may well be visiting your elderly parents, staying with your caree or having seniors visit you. How can you make to and through the new year in the most stress-free way? A little planning and an attitude of “not-sweating-the-small stuff” should help.

Traditions
Traditions are great and part of why many of us look forward to the holidays. But don’t forget that the reasons traditions are there is to keep families and friends together and happy. So if a tradition is no longer making someone happy, maybe it’s time to alter it. For instance, if it’s the tradition to sit down for Christmas dinner at precisely five o’ clock BUT this year, grandma’s Sundowner Syndrome has gotten worse – is it really so bad to have a Christmas lunch instead?

Downtime
Because it’s hard to get everyone together very often, we all tend to squish a lot of activities into a small period of time. But maybe it’s better to just focus on one larger thing per day? A trip to the zoo can just be a morning activity, at least for your senior, followed by a meal and then some downtime or naptime in the afternoon. Having your senior there for all the moments is great, but if they’re not enjoying themselves, the moments mean less.

Follow-up
After the holidays are over, and everyone has packed up and gone home, keep the emotional needs of your senior in mind. As startling as the transition to having lots of family and friends around may have been, the transition back to “normal” could be worse. If you’re near your senior, perhaps try and increase the amount of social time they receive. And if you’re far, try and call and check in a little more for the first few weeks. Maybe send a little gift or a note, make sure they know you’re thinking of them all year long.

What are some tips you have about keeping the holidays more about family and togetherness and less about stress? We here at TotalHomeCareSupplies.com would love to hear it in the comments below!

Great Holiday Senior Activities

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 18, 2014 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

Maybe you’re visiting your parents during the holidays. Maybe you’re a caregiver who wants to bring the holiday spirit into your senior’s home. Whatever the reason, the cold weather, Christmas and New Year’s bring a wealth of ideas with them for how to create and entertain.

Reading
The poem, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” was written in the 1800’s, so chances are that everyone has heard the verses at least once in their life. Don’t be afraid to turn the lights low and grab a blanket and just enjoy reading out loud. And there are always religious texts and passages to read that are specific to this season.

Hot Cocoa Tasting
The next time you’re at the store, grab a few different types hot cocoa. Don’t worry, you’ll use it up before the weather warms up. Brew up a few cups and each and split it between the group. See if people can tell the difference (you can always throw in some Quik or other distinct flavored cocoa). And you never know which flavors may bring back a memory to talk about!

Music
While you may well be tired of Christmas music by this point, the senior (who hasn’t been out and about much) may not. So find some tunes they’ll recognize and you’re not totally exhausted of and put them on. Perhaps you can listen while decorating the house – or even stringing popcorn! The intricate stringing may prove too difficult for an elderly person, but that doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy the site, smells and tastes of you doing it.

Cooking
Speaking of making popcorn … do you know what your senior’s favorite meal is? It may not be easy, it may be unhealthy, but during the holidays, with businesses closed and unhealthy food everywhere already, now might be the perfect time to cook that dish.

What are your favorite holiday activities? Do you have to modify them to adapt to your senior’s lifestyle, or do they fit perfectly? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!

Happy Holiday Savings from Total Home Care Supplies

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 16, 2014 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

From now through the end of December, you can receive $8 off all orders over $100. And everyday, all orders over $40 are shipped for free! Use the code “SNOWFALL” to save big between now and December 31st.