Stroke rehab patient safety.... any pointers? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ramonajim · #1 10-13-2013, 11:04 PM

Ed decided that Darling Wife and I were looking busy tonight (doing bills), so he went ahead and starting cooking his dinner without letting us know (he knows he's supposed to let us know if he's cooking).

We're summoned from the office by an unholy splattering sound - bolt to the kitchen to find Ed's frozen burger in a cast iron skillet. Sitting in half an inch of veggie oil. And the burner is on 9.

So - the rest of the evening is being spent hunting for fire suppression systems. Anybody have any experience? Tips?

Skid Row Joe · #2 10-13-2013, 11:45 PM

Stroke victims are going to need constant care and monitoring. No other way around it......

kmaysob · #3 10-14-2013, 03:51 AM

ansul

compress ignite · #4 10-14-2013, 04:31 AM

IF the Cardiologist O.K. s the combo.

On the "Safety" side of the Equation...Your assumption that the patient retains
"Knows he's supposed to" Information is obviously now invalid.
AND the "Constant Supervision" remark by an earlier reply is,
Unfortunately now Y'all's Pleasure/Cross to Bear.

BobK · #5 10-14-2013, 07:56 AM

Well, his heart's in the right place even if some of his reasoning is not. Maybe video system? Usb cameras? All kitchens should have a good (BIG) ABC fire extinguisher. And that reminds me, I forgot to set one up in our kitchen when we moved!

TwitchKitty · #6 10-14-2013, 08:01 AM

Reminds me of a movie Benny and Joon...

Strokes are strictly a roll of the dice and damage is very unpredictable. Whatever is lost has to be relearned by an undamaged part of the brain. It is a compensatory recovery.

Keep your blood pressure down. There is a very good book called The High Blood Pressure Solution. Like any other source you have to filter the information.

Lot of bored old ladies out there. Get him some girlfriends to spend time with him.

cmbdiesel · #7 10-14-2013, 08:56 AM

Maybe throw the breaker for the stove when you are not using it...
Inconvenient, but safe.

ramonajim · #8 10-14-2013, 10:07 AM

Oh lordy, let's not go down the "Ed and the ladies" path right now.... I'll just say that he tried dating several times after we lost Ma but before his last major stroke... for some reason all the BS he'd spin on-line/via phone calls fell apart when the dates actually happened. Never got a call back, let alone a second date. Now, he is fixated on one gal in particular - the one who owns the Tahoe in my "no brake fluid" thread.... who is younger than Darling Wife.... and lesbian.... and swears like a sailor

Every time Ed learns she's heading to our house, he drowns himself in cologne and offers her water, tea, doing anything he can to get her attention.... she's thankfully oblivious, and we haven't told her about Ed's "gonna fix her as soon as I get her attention" comments.

Early research into the world of fire suppression/prevention products has me thinking the combination of two products might be our most practical and quick to implement solution:

This one shuts off power to the stove when the smoke alarm goes off

This one blasts the stove top with baking soda when dangerous temperatures are reached.

barry12345 · #9 10-15-2013, 04:19 PM

Too dependant on the level of damage that is not always the same. Varies from moderate to so severe that would require constant monitoring. Even falling out of bed has to be looked at as a broken pelvis can for all practical purposes be a death sentence as we age.

aklim · #10 10-15-2013, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobK

Well, his heart's in the right place even if some of his reasoning is not. Maybe video system? Usb cameras? All kitchens should have a good (BIG) ABC fire extinguisher. And that reminds me, I forgot to set one up in our kitchen when we moved!

Why? A camera is only good if you are constantly monitoring it AND can respond within the time that matters. So if you are 20 minutes away and you see he collapses (by some odd chance you are viewing at the time), what is your point?

You need to figure out what he wants to do with his life. If he is not interested, let him go. If he wants to and it is feasible, get a company to send a CNA over when you are out. Otherwise you suffer "caregiver burnout".

ramonajim · #11 10-15-2013, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

Too dependant on the level of damage that is not always the same. Varies from moderate to so severe that would require constant monitoring. Even falling out of bed has to be looked at as a broken pelvis can for all practical purposes be a death sentence as we age.

"as we age"

Ed is 63. Not exactly in the "I've fallen and I can't get up!" bucket yet.

He's tried really hard to break his body and his brain. Broken brain is winning at this point.

mgburg · #12 10-17-2013, 11:57 AM

Back in the early 60s, my G-ma toasted the wall in the kitchen, above the stove and under the hood, with what was described by the witness (my mother) as "...the greasefire of all greasefires!!" (Exact words)

The insurance company SUGGESTED that the backwall be treated to a serving of stainless steel backing that went along the width of the stove plus 6" each side, the taper/slope inward, near the top, into the overhead-directly-through-the-wall vent/hood.

That was then.

Now?

Ansul is a good start.

As for monitoring?

Considered a bell around Ed's neck? Not to confuse him with the cats around the place...

hill · #13 10-17-2013, 04:55 PM

I kept the knobs off of the gas range and put them up high for my mother’s safety and mine. The 220 breaker for the stove, luckily was located just off the sunroom and was off when I went to work.