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THE
SUPERVISION STAGE:
It is important to maintain normalcy as much as
possible in the beginning stages of this illness. Their
things are important to them and moving them may challenge their
sense of who they are and their history. However, this may be the
time to begin considering the changes that will come. |
The key is to simplify the environment but at this stage you can
still involve them in the decision making. You don't have to
go into great detail about why changes are being
made. In other words, don't focus your
explanations on their deficits, instead speak in terms of decorating, sprucing
up the room, making life easier for yourself in terms of cleaning, clutter,
etc. The last thing they need is to have their fears of becoming a
burden constantly reinforced.
Basics
to consider:
Clutter
adds to their confusion. Leave
only those items that are necessary for grooming out and clear the tops of
dressers, shelves etc., as much as possible without dramatically altering your
person's sense of how they want their space.
Highly
patterned wall paper may ultimately add to confusion and
disorientation. Consider painting the room a soft soothing color
or re-papering in a more nondescript pattern.
Organize
closets and drawers so that their clothing is easily accessible to them.
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Keep only items that are seasonal in the closet and
drawers.
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Organize
items (shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes etc.,)
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Store other seasonal clothing
elsewhere.
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Keep choices of what to wear to a
minimum.
Put
highly patterned sheets, pillow cases, bedspreads and coverlets away and
replace them with solid colors. As
the illness progresses, floral and geometric shapes, wild color
combinations on sheets and bedspreads tend to add to
confusion. For example, it becomes difficult for them to
distinguish between what is just a print and what is
real. They can mistake that floral print for actual
flowers. Something as simple as that can account for
problems when getting them ready for bed during the mid-stage.
This is a rather innocuous change to make at the early stage.
If
you don't already have 100% cotton sheets and you can afford to buy them do
so now. Get as high a thread count as you can
afford. The higher the thread count the silkier the fabric, the
less wear and tear on the skin. Do not iron after washing during
the late stages of care. This hardens the surface of the
fabric. I recommend 100% Cotton for the following
reasons:
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Cotton
is a natural fiber that allows the skin to breath better than
polyester or polyester blends. Contrary to belief, cotton
doesn't stain any
more than polyester does and for what it is worth, stains are harder to get
out of polyester than cotton. With the advances in finishes you
really don't even have to iron cotton anymore, (not that I ever
did anyway). Considering
the skin problems that develop during the mid and late stages of this
disease, you want to give your person every chance at comfort that is
possible. 100% cotton is more comfortable and softer
on the skin.
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Polyester is plastic.
Using polyester/blends is tantamount to wrapping your person in a
plastic bag as far as I'm concerned.
No matter how the fiber is crimped, wound, woven or treated chemically to
make it more breathable, it is still plastic. It is cold
and clammy on the skin in the winter and it is hot and sticky in humidity and
heat. It can make the skin itch and it can be very abrasive. To put it in its most graphic terms, and being in danger of
offending the entire polyester industry, sleeping in polyester
sheets or bed clothes is like going to bed in a knitted polyester suit. NO
THANK YOU!
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100%
cotton flannel
bedding is best kept for the late stages. The natural warmth of
flannel is important because our people tend to loose body temperature as
they loose weight and because the body's ability to self regulate
temperature becomes impaired. In the early and mid-stages
however, flannel can be another sort of booby-trap and finding solid
colored, unprinted sheets, is a bit of a challenge. However, if you
are planning their use during the late stages of this disease, the print
probably won't be a problem. Also note, pajamas and nightgowns tend to stick to these sheets and your person is liable to become so
entangled they either can't move at all or they can fall out of bed trapped
in their draperies.
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The new cotton jersey knit sheets may be
the way to go and might be preferable even to percale, particularly in the
late stages of care. Where jersey is warm in the winter it has the added appeal of
also being cooler in summer. Much like sleeping in a huge tee
shirt. However, knowing the nature of knit fabric, this also tends to
stick to bed clothes although they are advertised as being silkier than
percale. The beauty of them is that they stretch on to the mattress
and leave a smooth finish without ironing. Where you want your person to be able to slide
out of bed without falling in the mid stages, your want them safe and warm
and snug
in the late stages. These knit sheets may provide both.
I
also recommend that light weight down/fiber filled comforters are preferable to
blankets. If your person is allergic to down there are some
light weight fiber fill alternatives that serve the same
purpose. These fiber fills are a derivative of
polyester, but the loft nature of the padding and the new resiliency now
built into these battings make them just as light and airy and resilient as
down. The plus of synthetic fiber filling is that the loft
allows air to circulate which allows for breathability whereas woven
products made with plastic based yarns do not.
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Buy one size larger than your
mattress. If
you use a double, buy a queen. If you use a queen, buy a
king. The reason for this is that you will want to tuck one side under
the mattress so that your person can slide out of bed without getting
themselves tangled in the covers and fall.
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A top sheet really
isn't necessary in the mid-stages but wear and tear on the comforter can be,
so purchase duvet covers, in 100% cotton. The duvet takes
the place of a sheet which is just another thing to tangle around the
legs. By using a duvet, the comforter
and the duvet/sheet function as one unit. I recommend solid colors
for duvets and sheets for mid-stage use.
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Blankets,
and bedspreads, can be used during the Supervision Stage without problems
but I believe it is a good idea to make as many changes as you can as early
as possible. The layering of blankets etc., adds weight to your
person at night. This may not seem like an important
point, but as their own weight diminishes that weight can be
oppressive. It is important to keep them warm and down/fiber
fill is the best way to accomplish this in my opinion.
Introducing new things at a pace is less invasive that confronting them all
at once after a crises has hit.
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