260-422-9243

How to Set Up a Suitable Environment for Habilitation

More often than not, older seniors will require habilitation services. They need a caregiver to assist them with their daily tasks. Even with medication management, they often require the assistance of other people. With a compassionate caregiver around them, older adults can enjoy a quality standard of living regardless of their limited mobility.

If an older adult requires support service in Indiana, the quality of the caregiver isn’t the only thing you should check. You also have to make sure that the environment the elder is staying in is impeccable as well. Here are the things you can do to set up a suitable environment for an older adult’s habilitation:

  • Lighting and VisualsOlder adults often develop aging-related eye problems. Thus, ensuring that the house where the older adult is living in has proper lighting is a given. You can do the following:
    • Install twice as many lighting fixtures in the home. Pick the lighting fixtures that throw no shadows or glare.
    • The lighting fixtures should be installed in areas that the elder usually walks through. These areas include the path between the bedroom to the bathroom, above and below the stairs, and the kitchen.
    • Pay attention to the apartment doorway and other doors in the house. Paint them in a color that contrasts with the surrounding wall. This way, the older adult can easily find these doors.
    • Use color contrasts on most things around the house. For example, use a dark brown rug over white-colored floors.
  • SoundsTo older adults, what sounds like music to us may be noise to them! To have a suitable environment for home health care, you can do the following:
    • Limit noise coming from the TV, radio, buzzers, and the likes.
    • Have a place in the house where the older adult can rest quietly.
  • Interior DesignAssess the interior design of the home too. The interior design should not cause any problems for the older adult. There should be no clutter or furniture that will cause problems in the senior’s daily life. You can do the following for that:
    • Choose plain carpeting instead of carpets with patterns. Patterned carpeting may cause the elderly to be confused.
    • Always close doors that are not needed or used. For example, closet doors should not be left open when you’ve finished taking clothes out.
    • The walkways or paths should be clear of any distractions.
    • De-clutter. Doing so will allow the senior to see where they are walking clearly.

Where the senior is staying should be the safest place for them. It should be the place they call home. Beloved Shepherd LLC wants an older adult in residential habilitation to be at ease in an environment conducive to their betterment. Moreover, rest assured that we have quality respite services in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We can care for your loved one well.

Vacation Tips with Your Senior or Disabled Loved One

When you are a caregiver, you might think that taking a vacation with your client is out of the question. Fortunately, with a little planning and attention to detail, you can take a memorable trip with your whole family while ensuring that everyone’s needs are met.

Beloved Shepherd LLC, a trusted provider of support services in Indiana, offers the following tips for safe and easy travel with a senior or disabled loved one:

  • Consider realistic options.
    Traveling can be an extra source of stress for both seniors and caregivers. The idea of handling a loved one’s chronic illness or limited mobility while away from home can lead to anxiety rather than excitement. To ensure that everyone feels prepared, discuss your potential travel itinerary with your home health care providers. Acknowledge any concerns that your loved one may have. Consider realistic travel options.
  • Plan for emergencies.
    Make sure to plan for emergencies. Bring a comprehensive emergency checklist in case your loved one experiences a setback while traveling. This should include your loved one’s physician’s contact information, medical history, complete prescriptions list, and any contact details for family and friends. Make sure to pack a basic first-aid kit too.
  • Tailor your travel plans to suit your loved one’s needs and capabilities.
    When planning a vacation with a senior or disabled loved one, attention to detail is highly important. Think about how much luggage and medical equipment you will be traveling with, what accessibility features you require, and special needs that must be met during the trip. Be sure to request accommodations that you will need and inquire about additional accessibility features that the hotel or airline may offer. For instance, you may want to book hotel rooms on the first floor, reserve aisle seats near lavatories, or request specialty meals to meet your loved one’s dietary restrictions.
  • Arrange caretaking shifts.
    Remember, this is your vacation, too! Make sure to arrange caretaking shifts – let your other family members help with caregiving. Plan activities as a family and make sure that each one of you gets a break from caregiving responsibilities. For instance, if your loved one tends to take a nap in the afternoons, alternate caregiving duties with other family members so that everyone has time to relax or explore. If you can, bringing a provider of Support Service in Indiana along during the trip is a great way to ensure that your loved one gets quality care and respite for you and your family.

The Takeaway

With some careful planning and accommodations, your senior or disabled loved one can still participate in family vacations. However, if vacationing is no longer a feasible option for your loved one, we offer respite services in Fort Wayne, Indiana that provides you with the opportunity to get away while having the assurance that your loved one is receiving quality care in your absence.

Etiquette Tips: Interacting with People with Disabilities

Appropriate etiquette when interacting with people with disabilities is primarily based on courtesy and respect.

Beloved Shepherd LLC, a provider of habilitation services for individuals with disabilities, lists a few tips to help you communicate effectively:

  • If you believe that a person with a disability requires assistance, go ahead and offer your help. However, make sure that they accept your offer first before you try to help.
  • When talking to a person with a disability, talk directly to them – not their companion or caregiver. This applies whether the person has a speech impairment, a developmental disability, mobility impairment, or is deaf and using an interpreter.
  • Use the same tone with everyone you converse with. Talk to the person with a disability the same way that you talk to someone without a disability. As a provider of respite services in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we have seen this principle work as we extend care to our clients.
  • If at all possible, put yourself at the person’s eye level when you are talking to someone who uses a wheelchair. Never touch or learn on a person’s wheelchair or any other assistive device. Their wheelchair and assistive device is part of their personal space – respect their boundaries and don’t invade their personal space.
  • If you encounter a person with a service animal (i.e. a service dog), please do not distract or touch the animal. Service animals are working. It breaks their training and concentration to interact with others when they are “on duty”.
  • Adults with disabilities are adults – they deserve to be spoken to and treated as adults. As a provider of Support Service in Indiana, we discourage you from using “baby talk” or telling them what to do. Respect their decisions.
  • If you are talking to someone with communication difficulties, be patient and wait for them to finish rather than correcting or speaking for them. If necessary, ask close-ended questions that require short answers. If you don’t understand what they said, ask them to repeat their answer – don’t just pretend to understand them.
  • If you are interviewing a prospective employee with a disability, listen to what they have to offer. Do not make assumptions about what they can or cannot do because of their disability.
  • If you are not sure what to do in a situation regarding a person with a disability (i.e. if you are worried that you are not communicating well), just ask.

The Bottom Line

Treat the individual with the same courtesy and respect that you would extend to other people. Focus on the individual (especially on how you can address their home health care needs) and not on their disability.

Help Your Child With Their Transition to Adulthood

By the time children with disabilities reach the age of 14, they should already be preparing for their transition to adulthood. Regardless of their disabilities, it’s a parent’s responsibility to prepare their child for what’s ahead.

Some of the things you can do, aside from looking for post-secondary school and prospective employment, is to help develop your child’s sense of self. To find success in the world, having a strong sense of self is important. It helps them find their interests, strengths, skills, and abilities. It also gives them awareness about how people may react to their disabilities. It’s also important in helping them form their own decisions and in overcoming challenges.

You should also help in providing opportunities for your child to socialize. Social connections are essential in the mental and emotional development of your child. These ties can also provide avenues for support and employment or volunteering opportunities.

In addition to these, it’s also good to look for habilitation services that are designed to support your child’s independence. These services should also enhance the skills necessary for their development as an adult.

Doing all of these isn’t easy, but fortunately, support service in Indiana is available. There are plenty of organizations and companies that are geared towards helping disabled people remain independent as they transition to adulthood.

Beloved Shepherd LLC for example, provides residential habilitation for people who are 18 years or older. We also provide respite services in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For more information, talk to us.

The Need for Transition Planning and Habilitation

For many, adulthood presents a whole new slew of challenges that they think they can never be prepared for. More so for children with disabilities. Without planning for their transition to adulthood, they will have a much harder time coping with their adult responsibilities.

Transition planning eases children with disabilities into adulthood by equipping them with various knowledge and skills. It focuses on improving their academic and functional abilities and makes it easier for them to acquire necessary daily living skills. Given these, it’s also important to consider habilitation services when planning.

Usually, children with disabilities have limited opportunities to socialize. They mostly interact with just their caretakers and family members. But through habilitation and support service in Indiana, they have higher chances to experience community immersion and inclusion. This opportunity not only allows them to connect with different people, but it also gives them the chance to establish a support system within the community. It also enhances their ability to deal with all sorts of situations.

In Beloved Shepherd LLC, the habilitation program is designed to help disabled individuals be self-sufficient through our wide range of activities and workshops. We have a dedicated staff who will provide comprehensive support plans that are customized to help each of our clients live with independence and confidence. With our help, their disability won’t be a hindrance to them living their lives to the fullest.

For more information about our habilitation programs and respite services in Fort Wayne, Indiana, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.