Time To Start Planning For The Upcoming Independence Day Celebrations
Pegasus in-home nurses in Azusa and elsewhere can find many opportunities to utilize their clinical assessment and teaching skills. With any upcoming celebration, taking time to make sure your patient is physically and mentally prepared for planned events, will allow them to safely participate and enjoy the holidays with friends and loved ones.
Career home health care nurses know that safety during Independence Day celebrations requires planning and that, based on their patients’ abilities, some considerations should be reviewed.
Using the July 4th holiday next week as an example, one thinks of picnics, children racing across the yard with sparklers, and a grand finale of beautiful fireworks lighting up the night sky.
Skipping The Sparklers May Be Part Of Independence Day Safety
Sparklers are more dangerous than most people realize. They can reach temperatures up to 2,000 degrees, which is hot enough to melt metal.
Your patient or family members may think sparklers are a harmless way to mark the occasion but need to observe stringent safety rules if giving sparklers to youngsters or older members of the group.
As people age, they lose muscle mass and strength. Their hands and wrists may not be strong enough to hold a sparkler until it burns out. If they accidentally drop it, they can be seriously burned.
Advise families to find a safe place for their loved one to stand or, preferably, sit. Many older adults are less mobile than their younger counterparts. They can’t move from danger, such as excited children or pets bumping into them, as quickly as they once could.
Many of the patients receiving in-home nursing assistance are often able to enjoy events without special planning. Families should still observe essential firework safety precautions. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has checklists of safety tips that families can use to keep their loved ones unharmed.
However, additional planning is necessary for some of your patients. Two vulnerable groups are those with PTSD or dementia.
PTSD And The Fourth Of July
Although PTSD is primarily associated with veterans, others who have undergone trauma also experience it. The noises and crowds in public fireworks displays are PTSD triggers for many. Families can try the following tips to help their loved ones through the Fourth of July celebrations:
- Comfort their loved ones with words of assurance that they are in a safe place. They are not in a combat zone or where other trauma occurred.
- Help them lower their body temperature as another reminder they are in a safe place. That might be a cold shower or, if they’re in a public area, splashing cold water on them or giving them ice cubes.
- Plan other activities that they enjoy. Independence Day doesn’t require fireworks to celebrate. A picnic with families in a quieter area can be meaningful.
Experts do not recommend continued avoidance. Families may have to slowly increase celebrations with their loved ones that have PTSD. In some instances, suggest counseling.
Celebrating Independence Day When Loved Ones Have Dementia
Patients in the early stages of dementia may be able to tolerate public displays of fireworks. Usually, however, less crowded celebrations at home are better.
Whether at home or in public, as with PTSD patients, families need to stay close to loved ones with dementia. They should reassure individuals with comforting words and touches. For example, clarify that sounds of explosions or booms won’t harm them.
Many Fourth of July celebrations involve a change in routine. That can be disturbing for individuals with dementia. Families need to be prepared for sundowning to occur at any time of the day.
Some dementia patients won’t be able to tolerate even minimal fireworks events. Tips to minimize stress and agitation for them throughout the day include:
- Choosing red, white, and blue clothing and accessories.
- Creating a “safe” place within the home where the loved one can retreat. The lighting should be adjusted for comfort. Play soft music or white noise.
- Keeping gatherings small and letting guests know the loved one’s impairment.
- Marking the day with decorations in the home. The loved ones may be able to help make or place items.
- Planning alternative activities for them. Family members and friends can be included as tolerated.
- Watching fireworks and festivities on TV and muting the volume if necessary.
Advise families to do their best to keep everything as calm as possible for their loved one.
Join The Company That Values Your Skills
Pegasus expert in-home nurses in Azusa and our other locations strive to improve the well-being of their patients. They teach patients and their families how to maintain good health. Career home health care nurses gently remind families with planning for holidays like Independence Day to improve safety. Pegasus is a licensed Home Care Organization and a Joint Commission Accredited Home Health Care Organization. We are an equal-opportunity employer. We’re hiring licensed professionals who want to work with a company known for quality care.
