The Hospital Bar Rx

We all want to live a long life and age gracefully. As caregivers, many of us live the consequences of our aging care recipients’ decisions. And whatever decisions we make about ourselves will affect our future caregivers.

We cannot predict what our particular circumstances will be, but chances are good that if we live long enough, mobility will decrease, we may acquire disabilities, and we will need increasing amounts of medical and nursing care.

It is an uncomfortable truth: the best time to plan is long before we need help. This is the first in a series of tips on how to plan for an uncertain future.

Planning to age in place? Look for these factors in choosing or remaining in a community:

1️⃣ Ability to get around after you stop driving.

2️⃣ Home and the places you visit frequently are accessible or could be made accessible.

3️⃣ Access to caregivers: a large pool that can take public transportation to reach you.

4️⃣ High quality medical care: a range of specialists at well-funded hospitals plus emergency medical response 24 hours a day.

5️⃣ Social, health, and wellness opportunities for aging seniors.

Next time: Anybody know what a NORC is?

Between kids, aging parents, work and life, many of us are in the caregiving sandwich. If you are too, then you know the kinds of “pickles'' you can get into. One problem among many? Managing caregiving duties for loved ones who are far away.

Eliene cared for her son at home. Her mother had a chronic and progressive lung disease; her father cared for her mother at home till the end. Her parents lived 3 hours away by car. Her siblings live 3,000 miles away, but the entire family pitched in to make every major decision. Eliene provided weekend respite care to her mother when her father had to travel to take care of his sister overseas.

Adding to the overwhelming every day struggles were unexpected illnesses: for her parents, kids, siblings, or even herself. Life felt like a house of cards. Work sometimes had to take a back seat. Eliene ate many meals in the car because the minute she arrived anywhere, she had to start working on the tasks of that place. Work, home, parents, and kid, in an endless cycle.

At , we caregivers are not alone. Are you in the sandwich generation, too? Leave a comment with your story.

It’s hot out there, so you may need more fluids than usual. Are you (and those for whom you are responsible) getting enough?

A healthy human body is 55% to 65% water. All that water is used to digest food, eliminate waste, lubricate joints, maintain body temperature, and perform all normal functions.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that average healthy adult men need 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) and women need 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids per day to stay hydrated.

Here are some tips:

1️⃣ Check the color of your urine. If you are properly hydrated, it should be light yellow or clear.

2️⃣ Make it a habit to drink a beverage when you wake up, eat meals, between meals, after exercise, and every time you go to the bathroom.

3️⃣ Eat foods that are water-rich, like fruits and vegetables. Fluids in foods count, too!

You lose fluids every day through normal activities, including just breathing. You should consult your doctor and or dietician to figure out what water intake is right for you.

The Hospital Bar reminds you to drink up!

Life can get pretty lonely for homebound people. It can also be lonely for caregivers, who often shuttle between work and caregiving with little time in between.

If you know other caregivers, drop them a quick text just to let them know you are thinking of them. They may not have time to hang out, but everyone loves to be remembered.