I'm hosting a baby shower for an employee who doesn't have family members that can help her at this time. I will be giving her a card letting her know that the first three days of her coming home with the new baby, I will be providing a home cooked meal for her family. Most people cater to the baby and forget Mom needs nutrition and rest during that time.
It's a good idea to use the wipes provided at your grocery store to clean your cart. People not only forget to wash after the bathroom, they also handle meat or chicken and then touch the cart handle.
Eucalyptus has a penetrating aroma that is good for clearing your breathing passages. You will need a bottle of eucalyptus paste or a jar of mentholated rub, a SCOTT Towels, scissors, a sewing needle, thread, and plastic wrap. Cut the SCOTT Towels into 4 X 5" pieces, cut pieces of plastic wrap to the same size. Using a needle, poke holes in the plastic wrap. Place it on top of the SCOTT Towel and place a teaspoon of paste on the center of the plastic. Fold in half. Sew all sides together. Now you have a eucalyptus scented sachet that you can nearby to help you breathe easier.
When you are having nightly hot flashes, try making your bed with double fitted sheets and double pillow
cases, and keep a fresh nightie hung on the bedpost. If you wake up soaked, simply undo your side of the fitted sheet, exposing the clean, fresh one below. Gently roll the wet one to the center of the bed. Pull off the outer pillow case and change your damp nightgown for the one waiting on the bedpost. It all takes two minute or less! No fumbling thru the linen closet or dresser drawers in the dark.
Now is the time to take inventory of your medicine cabinet. Remove the summer items and restock with cold season supplies, such as a thermometer, isopropyl alcohol, cough medicine and lozenges.
I add a little bleach to my dish soap when washing dishes by hand. It aids in fighting germs and keeps the dish cloth cleaner and smelling clean. Of course, I rinse the dishes well before putting them in the drain tray to dry.
When a parent is seriously ill in the hospital, add their address book to your cell phone, complete with e-mail addresses. Just add a Z and a space before each entry to keep their contacts separate from yours.
When you are a caregiver for an aging parent and must take them to a specialist for the first time, that doctor will most likely need a lengthy medical history filled out. Many elderly people have memory or hearing problems. Ask the receptionist when you call for the appointment if a medical history is needed. If so, offer to pick it up a few days prior to the appointment and fill out in in your parent's home, where there is less stress and your parent can take their time recalling all the facts.