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Five Ways to Appreciate Your Parents During Thanksgiving

By Kerry Knight

No, I’m not going to preach a sermon. We’ll leave that to the priests, bishops, rabbis, deacons and other leaders of worship. But I do want to say a few things about taking action instead of uttering a mere words.

Unfortunately, not all parents deserve to wear the T-shirts that say, “World’s Greatest Dad,” or “World’s Greatest Mom.” There is much variation in the parenting skills among individuals. Some do a great job of instilling good character, strong work ethics, a passion for education, persistence to achieve, and a sense of patriotism and civic-mindedness. On the other hand, many should never have become parents in the first place. Thankfully, this number is in the minority.

Photo Credit: pamelaleefisher.blogspot.com

During the Thanksgiving holiday, let me suggest a few ways you might genuinely show your appreciation to your parents. H. Jackson Brown wrote, “Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed in the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do.” Don't that statement pertain to your relationship with your parents and other loved ones.

As our parents age, giving them our time might be the most precious gift of all. As parents reach their golden years, personal companionship with loved ones and friends becomes vitally important. This is especially true if one parent has lost their mate. Children and grandchildren may be their only family left. Many grown children are content to send their parents’ money, pay for their assisted living home, or pay someone else to spend time with their senior parents. But is this really what they need? Their golden years can be awfully lonely. Instead of calling your parents on the phone to say, “I love you,” why not make a surprise visit, for no reason, except to show them how much you care.

Photo Credit: boomerserrandservice.com

Take your parents to one of their favorite places. Maybe it’s a restaurant offering their favorite menu items, or shopping at the local mall. Yes, it may be inconvenient and difficult. They may have to be helped into the automobile. They might require you to help them with their walker or even their wheelchair. Or maybe there's a favorite activity you can share, such as playing cards, making music, cooking, playing with their grandchildren, etc. Sure, it might be time consuming and a slow ordeal for you, but what is it worth to them? Mark Twain once said, “Action speaks louder than words, but not nearly as often.”

Reminisce with them about the past. Many seniors spend a lot of time thinking about the past. That’s where their world is. The present may be too painful for them to contemplate, and the future uncertain. Memory can be a wonderful thing. If their mind is still sharp, they may surprise you with what they can recall. Strangely enough, even with dementia, many seniors can recall details of the past that will astound you. Why not pull down some old photo albums and recreate some special memories with them. It will take your time, but think about what you are doing for them. “The pleasure of remembering has been taken from me, because there was no one left to remember with,” writes John Green. Don’t let this describe the situation with your parent(s).

Photo Credit: sociologyinfocus.com

Invite them over for the holidays. Nothing is worse than spending the holidays with strangers or worse yet, alone. If your parents don’t live with you, you should invite them to your home for important holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, New Years, etc. Take them shopping to buy gifts during the giving season. The budget is not important, it’s the activity itself. What a great way to say, “I love you,” in deeds not words. Having mom or dad to sit around the fireplace with grown children, kids, grandkids, and other close family members are priceless. They will feel loved. Having somewhere to go is a home away from home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a true blessing.

Photo Credit: crunchyworld.com

If you’re buying a gift for your parents, purchase something that really makes a statement about how much you care about them and their well-being. I’m not talking about a shawl, fruitcake, a pair of pajamas or even a tablet. How about something that will give them a better quality of life? For example, my own mother has fallen many times. Each time makes her weaker and more susceptible to falling again. Statistics show that falls can cause serious head trauma, especially in seniors, and maybe even death.

Two of the greatest innovations to come along in recent years to create a safer environment for seniors, especially in the dangerous bathroom area, are Walk-in Tubs and the Safety Shower Suites. Each system has specific safety and ergonomic features designed for seniors and those who may have mobility issues.

Photo Credit: tubking.com

Importantly, both the Walk-in Tub and Safety Suite Showers allow your beloved senior to bathe without assistance. Each state-of-the-art product is specifically designed for easy access and egress, so your parent can feel secure as they enter and exist their bathing area. Both products are specifically designed for safety by providing grab bars at strategically located areas to facilitate movement inside the bathing environment. Both have special, non-slip surfaces. The Walk-in tub has a non-slip seat and the Safety Suite Shower has a variety of different non-slip seating configurations you can choose from. Our new Safety Suite Showers can accommodate wheelchairs, walkers and makes it easy for those with less mobility to get in and out of the shower.

For additional information about Walk-in Tubs, check out some of our previous blogs, including: “There’s Never Been a Better Time to Buy a Walk-in Tub,” “The Number One Question Asked About Walk-in Tubs,” and others.

For more information about out new Safety Suite Showers, read “What’s New in Showers? Sophistication Today, Safety Tomorrow.”

Photo Credit: corbisimages.com

Tub King’s Walk-in Tubs and Safety Suite Showers both have proven to help seniors in so many ways. Wouldn’t this be a perfect way to show your love and appreciation to your parents? Family is not just about saying, “I love you,” it’s about who is willing to hold someone's hand when they need it the most.

In this article, I mentioned several different ways you can show your aging parents how much you care and appreciate them, including the gift of a safe bathroom and bathing experience. Ensuring they’re safe and can still maintain dignity and privacy while bathing themselves is one way to do it. Walk-in Tubs and Safety Shower Suites are the perfect gifts to show your parent(s) they’re foremost in your heart.

If you found this article useful, please share it with your family, friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the Comment section of this blog. Thanks again for visiting with us.

Walk-in Tub Door Sizes & Designs

If you’d like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here. Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I’ll personally get back to you.

It’s been my pleasure sharing this information with you.

On behalf of all of us at Tub King, here’s wishing you, your parents, and all your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Check Out Our End-of-Year Sale on Walk-in Tubs. Click Here.

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” four years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to Alan@tubking.com.

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Serious Things Our Seniors Need to Know About Falling

By Kerry Knight

X-ray image of my own hip, with top of femur broken (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is a frightening reality that every senior needs to be aware of because it can easily happen to anyone over age 65. More importantly, there's an easy way to prevent this from happening. If you're 65 or older, this information is of vital importance to you. It’s not necessarily a pretty picture, but a subject that needs to be examined and taken to heart.

Among older adults, falling is the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries. A serious look at the issue of falling could very well save your life, or at least extend the quality of your life. Consider the following:

Each year, one in three adults, age 65 or older, falls. The resulting injury resulting from that fall can be moderate to severe. Injuries range from bruises; cuts; and fractures of the hip, forearm, spine, neck, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, hand or even more serious results such as head trauma. Any of these can increase the risk of early death. In 2010, 21,700 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.

Courtesy of spie.org

In 2010, 2.3 million non-fatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in the emergency rooms and more than 662,000 of the patients were hospitalized. Reports from that same year estimated that direct medical costs from falls were $30 billion.

Men are more likely than women to die from a fall. The fall rate is 40% higher for men than women. People age 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely than those age 65-74 to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.

In 2000, 46% of fatal falls among older adults were due to traumatic brain injuries.

Many people who fall, even if they're not seriously injured, subsequently develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to limit their activities, which could reduce their range of mobility and create loss of physical fitness, thus again increasing their actual risk of falling.

To make matters worse, it's easy to get sick when you're in the hospital. I've heard countless stories where people were admitted to the hospital for a broken bone, only to die from an infection they contracted in the hospital!

Fortunately, there are certain guidelines seniors can follow to reduce the dangers of falling:

Residents of the Century Village Retirement
Community Gather Around Pool for Daily
Exercise Session. (Photo credit: The U.S. National Archives)

Have your doctor review your medications and over-the-counter drugs. Especially look for side effects that could cause dizziness or loss of balance.
Develop a regular exercise program, especially one designed to make your legs stronger.
Have your eyes checked regularly by a professional.
Eat balanced meals and take supplements with your medical provider's supervision.

Make your home safer.

This last step is something that seniors can do for themselves. The most common location for falls in the home is the bathroom. The reasons are many.

Because the room is small and the walls are closer, it creates the illusion of being safer. However, the problem is there are many obstructions in the bathroom, such as the sink, the toilet, door knobs, rugs, shower curtains and especially the bathtub or shower.

The floor in the bathroom can become slippery, especially if it’s tiled. Stepping into or out of the tub is where most falls occur. Older adults often assume they have the same flexibility they once had and end up missing the mark.

Poor eyesight may also cause a misstep. A brief loss of balance can be fatal … literally. The surfaces in the bathroom are normally “rock hard.” Porcelain and cast iron are the most commonly used, and they don’t give upon contact.

The senior Walk-In Tub is a tremendous benefit for seniors for two major reasons:

It allows them to be independent in bathing themselves.
It provides many safety features to keep them from falling.

The seat and floor of the Walk-In Tub are slip-resistant. There is a handy grab bar inside the tub and other grab bars that can be placed around the tub. There is a water-tight door, with a very low step-in threshold. The senior can close the door, lock it, and sit down while bathing. There is a hand-held shower sprayer for rinsing and easy-to-reach controls. Other options could include air jetted hydrotherapy for treating many medical conditions. There’s also a water jetted whirlpool capable of massaging away aches, pains, and soothing tired muscles. The inline heater allows one to stay in the tub without the water getting cold.

Tub King Walk In tub Testimonial

Falls are serious, but there are steps seniors can take to make them far less likely. Create a list of things to make your environment a safer place, and you’ll live a longer and more independent life. Especially in the bathroom, investing in a Walk-In tub can be a real life saver.

In this article, I discussed several serious statistics about seniors falling and how these mishaps adversely affect one in three seniors over age 65 each year. I provided a list of preventative measures, which include installing a Walk-in Tub. I also discussed the various safety features and benefits seniors derive from having Walk-in Tub. I also talked about the advantages of a Walk-in Tub, including the various safety features and benefits that seniors benefit from having a Walk-in Tub.

If you found this article useful, please share it with your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. If you’d like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here. Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I’ll personally get back to you. It’s been my pleasure sharing this information with you. We hope to be helping you in the near future.

Until next time.

Intro to Walk In Tub Buyers Guide

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to alan@tubking.com.

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Don’t Look a Gift Tub in The Mouth!

By Kerry Knight

Gift Horse (Photo credit: failing_angel)

Have you ever heard the phrase, "never look a gift-horse in the mouth"? Well, my

article today is about a man whose pride got in the way of receiving his gift.

I recently heard the story of a senior gentleman who refused the offer for a walk in tub, and then paid dearly for his reluctance. Several months previously, when his children discovered that their father had fallen, not once, but numerous times, they began to discuss among themselves how to help Dad maintain his mobility, but be safe as well. He had fallen once in the kitchen, slipping on a rug, while suffering a mere bruise. However, he had fallen three times while trying to get into and out of the bathtub. They decided to get rid of any loose rugs in the apartment, but were more concerned about what to do in the bathroom. With ceramic tile floors and walls, a fall there, could create a much greater risk of injury.

Research Can Help if You Let it

After doing some research, they discovered the WalkIn Tub. It was the newest innovation in bathroom safety. A person could walk into the tub through a watertight door, close the door and fill the tub, and actually sit down using a handy interior grab bar. The tubs were tall enough that you could fill the tub with warm water and cover almost to the shoulders. They could then lean back and soak, bathe, and relax. There was even a hand held shower for rinsing, which would retract back into the tub when not being used. The controls for water supply and drain were within easy reach, and they could even add hydrotherapy jets for a soothing massage.

Client Testimonial

"This is it," the daughter said to her brothers. "Dad, can continue to bathe himself and not run the risk of falling again." The cost of the tub was obviously a little more than a conventional tub, but well worth it. One brother said, "Okay, how do we pay for it?" "Well Dad certainly has the money. Let's start there," the daughter remarked.

When they approached their father about the idea, even showing beautiful, full color pictures of the different models, he was immediately dead-set against it. "I don't need that!" The daughter explained all the features and how it could help. "Who's going to pay for it?" When she went over the pricing with him he laughed out loud. "No way! As long as I can get around, I'll just use my old tub. It's worked just fine." They knew he could be stubborn, so decided to lose the current battle in hopes of winning the war in the end. They left.

The Kids Where Ready to Pitch in

Out in the parking lot, they all agreed to pitch in and pay for the tub themselves. It was a strain on their budgets, but they knew it was a small price to pay in the end if they could keep Dad safe and sound.

They went back into the apartment building, knocked

on his door and waited. He was surprised to see them back so soon. "No, I haven't changed my mind, " he said. "No, Dad, we want to get the walk in tub for you ourselves. We'll pay for it."

"No way I'm going to let you do that. I told you I'm not interested. I don't care if it's free. I don't need it. And that's the end of it."

They said goodbye for the last time and slowly walked away.

Then the Worst Happened

A few days later, at 6:00 am in the morning, the daughter gets a call from the apartment building. It was management. They explained that someone had heard calls for help coming from inside her Dad's apartment. Management went in and found him immobile on the bathroom floor. An ambulance had just arrived and after examining him said they thought he had broken his hip. He was being rushed to the hospital.

By the time the daughter and one of the sons had arrived at the medical center, the doctor came out and confirmed the earlier diagnosis. We need to get him into surgery right away. The doctor had explained how it would require a lengthy convalescence. He would be in therapy for months, and would need around the clock care. Even with Medicare the costs were going to be extremely expensive. It would also require constant care and attention from the children.

After seeing their father and visiting for a while, the brother and sister left the hospital. After returning to the apartment they learned that their Dad had slipped while trying to get out of the tub, then grabbed the shower curtain as he fell hard on his left hip. Their worst fear had happened. And they knew something else. Even after all the surgery, therapy, and rehab, when he finally came home, it could happen again. And this time it would be far worse.

They also knew that if they had talked him into the

Walk In Tub option, all this could have been avoided. The daughter immediately went online, made the call and ordered a Walk In Tub. "He's going to have this tub, "she said. "We'll deal with his stubbornness later."

The Senior Walk In Bathtub is a life saver, and in the end it's worth every penny. What is a Mom and a Dad worth? Can't put a price tag on that.

In this article, I have shared with you the story of a man whose pride got in the way of common sense. It got in the way of his children's wishes to provide him with greater safety, independence and freedom. Being grateful would have removed the danger of falling in the bathroom. His children would be able to sleep better knowing he was safe. If you found this article useful or enjoyable, please pass it on to your friends and neighbors. If you have a comment, leave it in the comment section below, If you have a question, feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article.

Alan & Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products they are also award winners, winning the best of Jacksonville Chamber Award three years running. If you would like to contact them call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231 or email them at alan@tubking.com.

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