Mental Health Wellness Guide created by Sami-Aid
Mental Health Wellness Guide For Your Child
Mental Health Wellness Guide created by Sami-Aid
Planning a family vacation with grandparents? This is a great way to bond and create multi-generational memories. But it might not always be easy. Senior adults tend to get tired much more easily than the grandkids. And if you have a packed schedule without enough downtime, the trip might really take a toll. Follow these tips for making travel easier for Grandma and Grandpa.
Even if you have athletic grandparents who take their workouts seriously, it’s still a good idea to limit the amount of long-distance walking involved in your trip. Don’t plan activities such as hiking and backpacking, because Grandma and Grandpa might be left behind. You can also avoid choosing a destination that will require a long ride in the car to get there.
Proper planning is essential if you’re traveling with the seniors. Schedule everything you’ll need for the journey ahead of time so you won’t have to wait a long time to be served. If you’re flying, book the seats ahead of time so you can choose the most comfortable ones. You can also book an extra room so your grandparents won’t have to cram into rooms with lots of other people. Do your research and come up with appropriate transportation for the seniors, considering their comfort and safety. Having their own room so they can get rested is one way of making travel easier for Grandma and Grandpa
Some seniors may have mobility issues. Consider investing in upright walkers or mobility chairs to make traveling a little easier. These walkers are safe, cost-effective, and highly flexible. Invest in the best walker on the market to ensure flexibility and comfort. Your grandparents may not be able to stand for a long time due to issues such as fatigue and poor balance, but with an upright walker, you won’t be leaving them behind. Click here to see a great example of an appropriate walker that will ease their mobility.
While this applies to travelers of all ages, seniors are more likely to have diet restriction issues because of the many health issues that can be associated with old age. They might need to adhere to a strict diet to remain in good shape. Changing someone’s diet abruptly can have a severe effect on their health. Be mindful of what types of foods you’re going to eat while on your trip and if they’re appropriate for your grandparents. Researching tips for nutrition in senior adults can help you identify the best types of restaurants to pick. And, if one or both of the grandparents are diabetic, make sure to have a snack on hand in case their blood sugar drops too low. Having the right foods helps make traveling easier for grandma and grandpa.
Your grandparents may have health conditions associated with old age that they need to manage with daily medication. When traveling, don’t make the mistake of placing essential medications in the checked baggage. Instead, put them in a small handbag and ensure you have it close wherever you go. You should also bring along a list of medications and their appropriate dosages just in case you need to see a doctor while on the trip.
Traveling with your grandparents can be a blast, and you’re going to make a lot of memories together. So don’t forget to enjoy the moment! Do what you can to make the trip easier for any senior adults along, but then set aside the logistics and focus on creating new memories together.
Learning about money is tough. Teaching your children about financial matters is even harder! Our children have probably had some kind of financial transaction. Whether it’s pocket money for a small task or saving up and buying their own computer game, at some point in their late teens, they are going to get a job and start to feel the joy of an income. It’s at this point we need to get serious when it comes to teaching your kids about money.
Giving your children more involvement in household budgets might feel a little weird at first. The idea isn’t to throw them the bank accounts and ask them to make all the financial decisions! That would be a disaster. Instead, it is about letting them see the reality of adulthood. How much money comes in, and how much goes out, what you put by for savings and the reality of what those savings are spent on!
Run through all your bills and expenditures, and this includes any loans. You may encounter a few difficult questions such as “How do banks get away with charging this much?” or “How do title loans work?” but do your best to answer all questions that crop up. At some point in their lives, they will need to know this, and if you set them into the world with a little financial knowledge, they can make better decisions.
Teaching your children the critical balance of earning, spending and saving is vital. Their experience to this point has been pretty limited. You could set up a budget for them to start saving for a car. Run them through how much owning that car will cost from the purchase price to the running expenses. Then get them to write down their earnings and work out how much they need to put aside each month to buy their car. Then they need to figure out how much they need to set aside each month to pay for the vehicle, the gas, insurance and maintenance. Helping your teen set up his own budget is great for teaching your kids about money.
Some families charge working children a little rent. This might not be something you are comfortable with; however, it is good to get them into the habit of contributing. If you don’t want to use their money for household costs, without telling them, you could put it in a savings account and when they are eventually ready to leave home, let them know what you have been doing. This will give them a little nest egg and highlight how important saving money is while allowing them to feel some financial responsibility.
Kids thrive on real-world experience, and there are multiple ways you can give this to them at home. They might find it boring at first. But, once you get them going on a task, let them feel they have responsibility for something important, most children will enjoy the challenge even if you ask them to run through the family finances and see what could be saved for the family holiday of a lifetime. Make learning about money fun, and they’ll learn it quickly.
Make money fun, but make it matter while teaching your kids about money.
The world may be on pause, but life really doesn’t have a stop button and neither do children. Families are confined in close quarters and there is really no end date in sight, so the idea of coming up with different activities to achieve a work-life balance much less one that will keep every occupied can seem daunting. Here are 6 fun family activities to do while quarantined so families can stay busy and maybe get some work done and shower while they’re at it.
There are live streams at most zoos and aquariums that will give your family the pick-me-up they need. You can pick a daily time to check out whatever animals you want to see for that day and maybe that will peak you or your children’s interest to adopt a zoo animal! You can also make these streams part of your homeschooling and have your kids take notes on the animal’s behaviors and even have them give a report on an animal of their choosing.
Math isn’t always the most fun, for kids or adults. However, dessert is always a good time. Whether it be a family cookie recipe or just one out of the box, have your family pick a recipe and prepare the measurements for either a smaller or bigger serving size so they have to also do some math other than just measuring. It will be some school work and a great end to the night all at once.
Masks are becoming a mandatory accessory for any trips outside the home to help protect people from COVID-19. However, masks are hard to come by or are being sold at ridiculous prices. You also don’t want to take the medical-grade masks away from our nurses and doctors, so the best way to help out is to make your own. All you need is fabric, elastic, and time. If you have a sewing machine you are one step ahead and can find some patterns online for sewing or even hand-making.
You can make or buy a fire pit for the family to sit around and make s’mores and tell campfire stories. It may even give some parents the time to have a relaxing glass of beer or wine. You can even cook some meals over the fire if you want to be adventurous. If your family is having a blast in the backyard, you can keep the good times rolling and have a “drive-in” and even camp in the backyard.
Lego’s are always fun for kids and adults. You can get some more difficult kits for you and your significant other to relive your childhood. If your kids have a Lego bin, you can have a contest on who builds the best community or whatever it is you decide on.
If you leave your home, remember to practice social distancing. Fresh air and exercise are great not only for your physical health and mental health. You can walk around your neighborhood or even go hiking or jogging. However, you should avoid playgrounds, they are all closed during quarantine and not as sanitary as you would think. If you don’t live in a great neighborhood for walks, you can always check out Banff Homes for Sale to see where the best places are. These six family activities to do while quarantined will get your spirits up, and make for a happier family.
No one likes to think of their kids or their grandchildren in danger. As family members, we work hard to keep them out of harm’s way. We’re helping them cross the road or ensuring that they’re wearing a helmet on their bike. But what happens when the danger is in your home? Do you know if your child’s toy has been recalled?
Every year thousands of toys are recalled by department stores and manufacturers due to safety issues, choking hazards, fire safety problems as well as likely cuts and lacerations. It’s a worrying subject – click here if you’re looking for a legal firm – which is why knowing what to do when you’re at home with a dangerous product is essential. Here’s what you should do if your child owns a toy that has been recalled:
If the child has gotten attached to the toy, then this can be a difficult step. However, you have to remember that even if there are tears and upset now, it’s nothing compared to what could happen if the child gets hurt. Their safety is paramount. Remember, it’s for the best. Depending on the child’s age you could explain the situation, you could distract them with another toy, or remove it from their toy box without their knowledge. You never know, they may not notice!
On the website, you’ll find plenty of information regarding your next steps. They’ll be able to tell you which toys have been recalled and for what reason. It’s a legal requirement for the manufacturer to provide information relating to the recall. Including a full description of the product, where it was sold and over what period and also whether the recall is due to issues manifesting in testing or a consumer complaint.
The manufacturer will inform you what to do with the toy and how to dispose of it or return it. Depending on the nature of the issue, you’ll either get a replacement or a refund.
Of course, your first step is to take them to the emergency room. Even if the injury seems minor its worth noting that some injuries worsen over time, so make sure you have a doctor examine your child. If you choose to pursue a personal injury claim then the medical report will support your case.
I had so many plans for Fabgrandma for 2020. I was excited for the new year to get here, so that I could put those plans into action. The plan was to talk about a different cuisine each month for a year. I received a Greek cookbook last year, and a Tex-Mex cookbook. I wanted to try some Austrian dishes because part of my heritage is Austrian. However, almost before the year began, those plans went down the drain.
On January 1, I was getting ready to cook our traditional black eyed peas, collards, and cornbread to celebrate the new year. As I walked into the kitchen, my phone rang. It was my sister, calling to tell me that my mother, who was in hospice care, was not responding to her caretakers. She had been told to call in the family. I, of course, dropped everything, packed a few things in a bag, and left. Fabgrandpa didn’t go because he didn’t feel well.
It is only a 45 miles drive from my house to the assisted living home, but I did not want to drive all the way home and then back the next day for who knew how long. I made arrangements to stay at my sister’s house. All of my siblings, their children, and some of their children came. We took turns sitting by our mother’s side, talking to her, holding her hand, reminiscing about our times together. Death came for our Mama on January 2, about 11:45 or so. The official time of death, though, was when the hospice nurse arrived and pronounced her dead on January 3 in the wee hours of the morning. She was 92 years old, and had dementia.
We had her funeral on January 6. Afterwards, I went home to Fabgrandpa. We were sitting in the living room, talking about Mama’s funeral. Fabgrandpa looked at me and said “I am ready to go, too.” I thought I misunderstood what he said, and asked him to repeat it. He did, and I just laughed it off. I told him you are not that bad off, honey.
January rocked on. Fabgrandpa had an appointment with his cardiologist on January 9, but he said he didn’t feel like getting ready to go to it, so I cancelled it. He developed a cold, and it just got worse, so I took him to our primary care doctor. She said he had pneumonia, and gave him a shot of antibiotic, a shot of steroid, and a prescription for an antibiotic to take at home. She also said if he wasn’t feeling better in a week to come back.
Fabgrandpa was a smoker. Even though he had COPD, and now pneumonia, he still took himself out on the porch to smoke several times a day. He fell a couple of times during this time. His legs just gave out from under him and he wound up on the floor. I could not pick him up, so I had to call the fire department, who came out each time and helped him up. They offered to call in an ambulance with a paramedic to check him over, but he refused. He said he would be ok in a few minutes.
I took him back to the primary care doctor on January 20. She listened to his lungs and heart, and gave him another round of antibiotics. She said sometimes when you have COPD, it takes a second round of meds to knock out the pneumonia. We went home, he continued to take the meds, and smoke. During this time, he coughed what seemed like all day and all night. He fell more often, and I called the fire department each time. They were always so kind, so helpful, and always told me that is what they are there for when there isn’t a fire.
Instead of getting better, Fabgrandpa just seemed to continue to get worse. He took longer to walk out to the porch each day. I could hear him wheezing when he was in the bedroom and I was in the living room. I tried to get him to go to his lung doctor, but he wouldn’t go. On February 5, he asked me to take him back to the primary care doctor. He said he was ready to get oxygen for at home, and wanted to talk to her about that. When we got there and she examined him, she said “Mr. Jim, you need to be in the hospital.”
The hospital was not what he wanted, so he told her he wasn’t going, and asked her to just prescribe oxygen for him. The doctor and I talked him into going to the hospital, where he was admitted. I stayed until about 11:30 p.m. to see that he was settled in, then went home to sleep. The next morning I gathered up some things like his inhalers, a couple of magazines, and his slippers, and went back to the hospital. As soon as I walked in, he said, I’m glad you’re here, because I’m going home. We argued about that because the doctor didn’t discharge him. However, he had the right to check himself out against doctor’s advice. I had to take him home. The social worker at the hospital told him if he would stay three more hours, she could arrange to have oxygen delivered to our home. He refused to stay.
It was now Thursday, February 6. Fabgrandpa was still able to walk out to the porch to smoke, but he was falling down on the way back in. He fell three times from Thursday afternoon until Friday night, and couldn’t get up from a sitting position twice. I told him if he would use my walker it would help him, and he could sit on it if he needed to sit.
Somehow we made it until Monday morning, February 10. We went back to the primary care doctor, and asked for them to prescribe oxygen for him. The doctor examined him, and said, “ok, we can prescribe oxygen for him, but it will come with long term hospice care.” I said, OK, let’s do it. That afternoon, the hospital supply company delivered the oxygen. Fabgrandpa started using it immediately. For the next week, he wore the oxygen 24 hours a day, except for when he walked out on the porch to smoke. He did seem to be a little bit better, but he was still coughing, and still falling. I had to call the fire department almost every day the week of February 16.
On Saturday, February 22, we sat down in our recliners to watch TV at about 6:00. He went to sleep in his chair about 8:00. He never completely woke up. He did not ask me to make him anything to eat, he did not try to get up out of the chair. If I said his name loudly, he would open his eyes and look at me, and answer questions with one word responses. I did not understand that I could call the hospice company at any time of day or night. So, I waited until Monday and called them first thing in the morning.
When the RN from the hospice company examined Fabgrandpa on February 24, she told me he was in transition. She ordered a hospital bed, and prescribed several medications for me to give him to keep him comfortable. After she left, I called our children. The ones who live local to us got here quickly. Our daughter who lives in Colorado arrived the next day.
For the next seven days, we had company every day. Fabgrandpa’s niece and nephews, friends, his brothers, all of my family came to visit to say goodbye. As soon as everyone left for the day, the girls and I would pull our chairs up around Fabgrandpa’s bed. We talked about our memories with him, told him we loved him many, many times, kissed him and hugged as much as we could. I am forever in debt to my step-daughter, Becky, because she took over the job of nurse, giving her Daddy his meds, suctioning his throat, keeping him cool.
On Wednesday, my son asked me if Jim had any of his music on his computer. I told him I didn’t know but he could look. Seth found the bookmarked Frank Zappa videos, and started playing them. As soon as Fabgrandpa heard the music, he got a big grin on his face. He was conducting the orchestra with his right hand, and tapping his foot. It was such a wonderful gift! I am sure he enjoyed. We played music for him every day after that.
The girls and I loved Fabgrandpa to the start of his next journey on March 2, 2020, at 12:02 a.m. He died peacefully, surrounded by people who loved him. He was 70. When we got married, he promised me 25 years. I got 28. I only wish I could have had more.
James Martin Eidson
March 13, 1949-March 2, 2020
When we start to get older, our mobility can start to decrease and moving around the home and doing some simple tasks can really start to become a challenge. Sometimes the local authorities can support the elderly in terms of funding for household changes. On occasion they may sometimes do it on the homeowner’s behalf, depending on what is wrong with the person and their financial position. The things that can help the elderly do not have to be expensive. Simple changes can really help make someones life a whole lot easier.
Installing a Stair Lift Can Help The Elderly
Most people live in homes or apartments that have more than one floor. In the unfortunate event that an elderly person struggles to climb the stairs, it can restrict them to one level. Home elevators can, therefore, be the answer to the problem and can be quite easily installed. You could invest in one of these elevators from the experienced providers at Arrow Lift which come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and speeds. It is a myth that this will cost an arm and a leg as there are many different options in order to suit the type of staircase that there is and what the specific requirements are. This is all done via consultation and you won’t be left alone to just pick an elevator. The experts are on hand to ensure that it is installed properly and there is a level of guarantee in case anything goes wrong with it in the near future.
Bath / Shower Support
Whether a household has a bath or shower there are many different appliances available to support elderly people that are struggling with this. In the shower, there are simple things like shower chairs that enable the person to sit down when they are in the shower. In addition to this, there are easy access showers that will allow people to get in and out a lot more effectively. In terms of the bath, there are specific lifts and lifting aids available for this also that will support. Again, similar to the elevators for the home, these are not expensive and a good investment that will allow the affected person to feel empowered to use the washing facilities as they please, independently.
Installing Ramps
If the elderly person is struggling to get in and out of the home due to some stairs (it may even be that the person is confined to a wheelchair) then you could get rid of these stairs and create a ramp. Alternatively, there are appliances that can be purchased that go over the stairs and change this to a ramp (as long as there are not too many stairs as this would then make this excessively steep).
Times can be difficult when people get old and it is important that they are not left feeling that they need to rely on people all the time in order to move around. These appliances and equipment are some of the simple suggestions of things that could help the elderly.
It’s a tricky question that every parent and grandparent will have to face at some point. Ultimately, we all know that letting your kids watch TV can be detrimental to their health if you can’t control what they’re watching – and how much of it. Unfortunately, there is only so much control you can have over your child’s interaction with the screen. The real question is not whether you should allow your children watch the news or not. Ultimately, there are so many scenarios in which they would gain knowledge of what is happening in the world, that it becomes a pointless quest. What parents and grandparents need to focus on is how to handle the many questions that children might have after their first news encounter.
If your children or grandchildren caught up with the news in recent days, it’s fair to say they would have heard about the wildfires in Australia. The terrifying images of the flames engulfing trees and bushes without signs of stopping is something that can trigger nightmares in the little ones. Unfortunately, you can’t erase what they’ve just seen. But you can help them to make sense of it and process it. So where do you start? The first and most obvious point is to explain the Australian climate. Wildfires are happening right now because it’s the peak of summer in Australia, and as such, the weather is dry and hot. Natural causes such as lightning strikes are all it takes for blazes to start and spread. You can also use this article about wildfire health risk by the University of Southern California about wildfire health risk that can help young ones to understand why firefighters are struggling. You can end on a lighter note, by telling your kids just how they can help the people and animals in Australia by helping with donations. Nothing beats a lemonade stands in the neighborhood.
While you know about racial bias in everyday life because you’ve probably witnessed it at work, in the street, or even at school when you were younger, you have to realize that it is a new concept for children. As parents – and grandparents – it is your role to answer questions that might arise as a result of watching the news. It’s always a challenging topic to discuss races, especially because we would much prefer for our kids not to notice any difference. The truth is that your child has always known there were African-American, Chinese, Latino, etc. people. Your job is not to pretend otherwise, but to explain honestly what discrimination means and why it is a bad thing. Making a positive lesson out of stressful topics is a reason why your children should watch the news.
Can anybody turn on the news without hearing about climate change, climate activists and environmental measures? If you can’t, chances are your kids can’t either. But while you understand what the environmental crisis entails, they are still unsure of how it can affect the planet in the future. It’s crucial to explain not only what is causing the change of climate – you’ll find a helpful overview for kids by DW – and why it matters. Understanding the threats to the survival of wildlife is one thing, but you need to focus on what your child can do to improve the situation. Ending on a positive note that gives them the power to change things for the better is vital, both for them and us!
Watching the news can be a stressful experience. Indeed, we rarely get to hear about the positive things that happen around the world! As such, you might find it tricky to soothe your child’s anxiety. While sports and meditation might help adults, they are not an effective coping mechanism for stress at a young age. What children need is the promise that not all the news is terrible. You can direct them to the Good News Network, which is entirely dedicated to sharing positive stories around the world.
The world is a dangerous place. Every parent has once wondered how to protect their child from everything that happens in the world. The truth is, you can’t. Your child will, one day or another, switch to the news channel and hear about negative or alarming events in the US and abroad. But you have a choice to make. You can help them to understand what those events mean and how to process them – and sometimes even find a solution –, or you can choose to ignore the opportunity for a fantastic life lesson. What will you choose? Should children watch the news?