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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
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VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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How does one know if the loved one has constipation? With diarrhea, it is extremely messy but you know about it. But with constipation, not so easy to know.
Worried If you realy don’t know when your LO’s last bm was.... Short answer Get an X-ray The reason I say this. My aunt (91) would report a bm daily. Her bowel sounds were normal according to nurse. Things seemed fine. Then she began to be lethargic. Stayed in bed. Wasn’t losing weight but wasn’t eating. BP was inching up. This went on for awhile. Adjusted her antidepressant meds. No improvement. She was having nausea. One day her aid said aunts breath smelled like poop. I took her to ER. Told them I thought she was constipated. Her bp was so high at this point that they thought she was having a stroke. X-ray showed she was full of poop plus blood work showed she had too much thyroid on board. Next morning HH nurse gave a fleet enema. She was better but by that evening her symptoms were back. I took her to another ER I had more confidence in. Same results. Still full of poop. I was told to take her to a gastroenterolist which I did. They explained the thyroid medication had caused the constipation. Instructed her to have a capful of miralax daily and to hold softeners. Said it might take awhile to clear out. She takes probiotics and miralax daily and after her primary still didn’t want to change her thyroid medication I switched to a geriatric primary. She has been fine since. This was at least a year ago.
I care for my mom, who has dementia. We used to have long daily walks but now she’s so fragile; we barely make it around the block. I’ve found using Benefiber is of great benefit to keep her regular and feeling well. It dissolves quickly in beverages or pudding. Bless your journey of caregiving.❤️
97 y.o. Mom is right. I had to learn that when my father's breath smelled like poop, he was constipated. He took all kinds of things, but not being mobile, constipation and the ensuing diarrhea were a challenge, especially the discomfort to him.
I will probably have opposite problem as I have microscopic colitis, and without Imodium every other day I and my bed would be a mess (movements generally come around 3 a.m. My daughter does know about this, so I presume she would see that I got the Imodium. I haven't told my son as I figure he won't be involved in my care. My daughter is an R.N.
For Mom, we learned to assume that if we do nothing, she will get constipated and, eventually, impacted. So with the doctor’s recommendation, we do a half-capful of Miralax in one of her drinks every other day and she has gotten as regular as clockwork. (We started with a whole capful every day and that was too much for her.) Even if it gets skipped once in awhile, the overall schedule still serves well. It’s tasteless and dissolves well, so no trouble with resistance. AND Mom knows how prone she is to constipation and how uncomfortable/painful it is, so she doesn’t fight it on that basis either. Hope you find a solution that eases your mind and your caregiving duties.
As 97yroldmom stated, there will be signs - bloating is a sign of a possible blockage. Pain is always a sign of something - and blockage will cause pain.
You can "google" signs of constipation and then you will know what the signs are at least.
Sometimes it can appear a person as loose bowels when in fact it is "leakage" and they are in fact constipated with the bowel blocked so only the fluidy faeces is passed. As well as all the above suggestions drinking water is beneficial in so many ways including helping bowel movement.
My 90 y.o. dad complains about being backed up all the time. I have to ask him a few times a day if he's drinking water (he usually isn't because he thinks he should drink when he's thirsty instead of because it helps) and if he's taken the Miralax the doctor prescribed. I've never had so many conversations about poop as I've had since I moved in with him 2 years ago. He thinks I can just give him Phillips Milk of Mag often to "explode him out" and I won't do it unless he's done all the other things and THEN waited at least a day. I don't want him dependent on that when drinking water, taking at least some walks, and drinking Miralax can fix the problem. At least for now!
I did several things when my mom lived with us. She got daily fiber, I kept a calendar with record of BM's. I also disabled the flusher on the toilet when she was independent with going to the bathroom. I did find that one half capful of Miralax was about right when she was constipated. Good luck!
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
If you realy don’t know when your LO’s last bm was....
Short answer
Get an X-ray
The reason I say this.
My aunt (91) would report a bm daily. Her bowel sounds were normal according to nurse. Things seemed fine. Then she began to be lethargic. Stayed in bed. Wasn’t losing weight but wasn’t eating. BP was inching up. This went on for awhile. Adjusted her antidepressant meds. No improvement. She was having nausea. One day her aid said aunts breath smelled like poop.
I took her to ER. Told them I thought she was constipated.
Her bp was so high at this point that they thought she was having a stroke. X-ray showed she was full of poop plus blood work showed she had too much thyroid on board.
Next morning HH nurse gave a fleet enema. She was better but by that evening her symptoms were back. I took her to another ER I had more confidence in. Same results. Still full of poop. I was told to take her to a gastroenterolist which I did.
They explained the thyroid medication had caused the constipation.
Instructed her to have a capful of miralax daily and to hold softeners. Said it might take awhile to clear out.
She takes probiotics and miralax daily and after her primary still didn’t want to change her thyroid medication I switched to a geriatric primary.
She has been fine since. This was at least a year ago.
I fret over this issue because I want to know what is coming down the pike. I want him to be at home with me, but I also want a hygienic home.
We used to have long daily walks but now she’s so fragile; we barely make it around the block.
I’ve found using Benefiber is of great benefit to keep her regular and feeling well. It dissolves quickly in beverages or pudding. Bless your journey of caregiving.❤️
Pain is always a sign of something - and blockage will cause pain.
You can "google" signs of constipation and then you will know what the signs are at least.
See All Answers