A caregiver’s guide to norbert hoffmann

A Caregiver’s Guide to Norbert*
* Personal information has been changed to prevent Spam
Table of Contents
How You Can Help
What home health care tasks you can do.
Where Is It?
Finding stuff at the H.’s house
Activities of Daily Living
What Norbert can and cannot do
Norbert’s Typical Day Schedule
What he does all day…which isn’t much!
Medical Conditions and Brief History
To share with medical professionals if needed
List of Medications
Also to share with medical professionals if needed
Personal & Medical Phone Numbers
Where you can reach me or someone who can help
Caregiver’s Log
Where you can write stuff down.
How you can help:
Check mental and physical status:
• Help him open his lunch meal, if needed.
• Ask how he is doing and if there is anything he needs?
(Note anything unusual in his appearance and speech & call 911 if needed.)
• Help him clean and bandage any injuries (usually to his feet).
(First aid items are in front hall closet.)
• Ask if he has taken his medicine or had any falls.
• Ask if he needs help getting on socks or getting fresh clothes from
(He only wears elastic-waisted pants now and needs button up shirts
pre-buttoned except for the top two buttons, so he can slip them over his head.)
• Ask if he needs his glasses cleaned. (Use Windex & a paper towel.)
Make sure the kitchen and dining areas are more or less safe & clean:
• Empty clean dishes & put dirty dishes into the dishwasher and
turn it on.
(Detergent is under the sink.) or just hand wash if you prefer.
• Wipe off counters & table. (I usually use Windex.)
• Quick clean any spills or broken glass.
3. Help prepare for his next meals – evening & breakfast:
• If it is Tuesday, bring in milk from delivery box on the front porch
& put it in the refrigerator. (Make sure one bottle is open with enough milk for
him to use in cereal and coffee tomorrow.)
• Get coffee ready for tomorrow.
(Empty coffee grounds into trash and rinse filter. Rinse the coffee pot.
Refill the coffee maker with 4 cups of water (based on lines on the pot)
Replace and refill the filter with 5 scoops of coffee (in the freezer)
• Ask if there is anything you can do to help him with supper or
tomorrow’s breakfast:
(for example: cutting some cheese or fruit, opening a can of soup and pouring it into a
bowl to be warmed up later, making a sandwich, getting something out of the freezer.)

(Please be sure to close the freezer drawer tightly!)
Update the caregiver log with a brief note or two to me.

I am thinking this should not take more than 20-30 minutes unless he has broken something or is really
not well, in which case, please call me on my cell phone.
Thanks, Carol

Where is it?

First Aid Supplies
– in front hall closet
Non-latex Gloves
– same as above
Emergency #’s
– same as above
(also in this caregiver guide & green medical info.
Towels & Sheets
– same as above
Extra Toiletry
– same as above
– in washroom, handing left of washing machine

Cleaning supplies
– in washroom, in cabinet above washing machine
(sometimes on kitchen counter or under sink)
– in washroom, in cabinet above dryer
Paper towels
– same as above
Light bulbs
– same as above
Fresh sponges
– same as above

Dish washer soap
– under kitchen sink

Norbert’s meds
– in white cabinet in master bath
(& extras in medicine cabinet near closet)

Norbert’s clothes
– underwear, socks, hankies, sweaters in bedroom
– shirts, pants, dress jackets in closet on the left
– warm coats in entryway closet
- hats & gloves in plastic tub in bottom of front hall
closet
Norbert’s Typical Day Schedule
gets up, eats breakfast (cereal & coffee),
reads, checks email, makes calls
takes meds, goes to toilet, showers & dresses
exercises on bike, uses computer
eats hot lunch, then naps on couch
reads or uses computer, takes visits
eats light supper, watches TV, reads, or uses computer
takes night meds & goes to bed

Medical Conditions & Brief History: (This and medication information should
be shared with a medical professional
when needed.)

Norbert has severe bilateral neuropathy in his legs and hands with
significantly decreased motor control in those areas. He does not sense
touch on his feet, legs or hands. He does sense pain but the sensation is
distorted, so he may have a strong pain reaction to things that most people
would not sense as pain, or he may injure himself (especially feet) without
realizing it. He has a history of severe falls and injury due to his neuropathy
and frequently drops and breaks things.
(Note: if movement problems, weakness, or facial appearance seems to be
asymmetrical – more noticeable on one side than the other, it may indicate a
stroke or head injury. Please be watchful for asymmetrical movement,
appearance, slurred or confusing speech and call 911 if you notice it.)

He has an atrial flutter in his heart but cannot be treated for it with blood
thinners because of his 2007 subdural hematoma. In 1998, he had a CABG x2
and continues to have coronary artery disease and high blood pressure
controlled with diet and medication. He has diabetes that is completely
controlled through diet, for now. He has asymptomatic gall stones.
He has a very slowly growing form of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer in
the bone marrow and plasma cells that is likely causing his CIDP (chronic,
inflammatory, demylinating, poly-neuropathy, a rare autoimmune disease
similar in some ways to MS and sometimes called paraproteinaemia ). For
this, he gets Rituxan 1x per week for 4 weeks, every 6 months through Dr.
Romero. Between 2005 and 2007, he received 3 days/ month infusions of
IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin). This was discontinued when he began
receiving Rituxan.

Activities of Daily Living: (what Norbert can & cannot do right now)
• OK to transfer himself between wheelchair & bed, toilet, couch.
• OK to prepare his own cereal & pour his coffee, but needs extra spoon
handle to eat.
• Sometimes has difficulty pouring the milk if it is full. He needs help
making coffee.
• OK but slow to answer the door.
• He has difficulty opening Meals-on-Wheels dishes, cans, jars, bottles
even if they were previously open.
• OK to toilet, shower, dress himself, but cannot easily get into closet
and cannot put on socks.
• OK to take his meds, uses scissors to open some.
• Not OK to cook except with a flat dish in microwave.
• Somewhat OK rinsing dishes, but has difficulty carrying from table into
sink or putting into dishwasher.
• Has difficulty reaching top shelves in pantry & refrigerator.
• Has extreme difficulty going up & down stairs but tries anyway be
holding on tightly.
• Not OK to walk without holding on to something stable, nor to walk
more than about 50 feet.
• Not OK to stand without holding on to something stable, nor to stand
for more than a few minutes at a time.
• OK to exit & enter the house using the ramp in garage, but may have
difficulty with the house door and its automatic shut safety feature.

List of Medications

Patient:
June 5, 1932
Flomax .4 mg daily
Fluoxetine
Hydrochlorothiazide
Levothyroxin
Micardis
Vytorin 20/10 (1/2 of 40/20) mg daily
Temazepam
10/07-4/08-10/08-4/09
(suppresses immune system)
Multi-Vitamin/Mineral (equiv. to Centrum Silver) daily
Aspirin 81 mg daily

Personal & Resource #’s
Medical #’s
For help or to report something, first call the numbers below in red.
Medical emergency
9208 Prospect, Fort Collins, CO 80525
888 555 2240
888 555 9010
Dr. Sukhi Khera, M.D.
Primary Care Physican
Ryan K., M.D. & Travis K.
Ft. Collins Office 970 482 3820
(daughter & son-in-law)
2211 Northfield Denver, CO
Dr. Paolo Romero, M.D.
888 555 3600
Oncologist
Ryan’s Cell
888 555 8200
Ft. Collins Office 970 493 6337
Travis’ Cell
888 555 8200
Ryan’s Pager
888-555 8000
Dr. Diana Quan, M.D.
Neurologist Univ. of Colo.
Meals-on-Wheels
Denver Office
720 848 2080
Office 970 484 6325
(Call before 9am to cancel.)
Home Health Care
Jill Detweiler 970 493 1131
Volunteer of America
(Jay & Jeannie)
Sarah Power 888 555 9630
(Program Coordinator)
Rx – Sam’s Club Pharmacy
Karen Miller 888 555 5544
970 204 7817
(Volunteer Companion)
Mobility & More
Larimer Co. Office on Aging
Tab Black, ATS, RTS – Power chair service
Rose Gollan 888 555 6800
Loveland Office 970 461-8400
(Caregiver Support Coord.)

Dial A Ride
For other resources see the Larimer County Of
970 224 6066
Aging: Resource Guide 2007-2008
(Ask for wheelchair accessible van only, no taxi.)
“Answers on Aging”.

Source: http://www.ourbluemarble.us/Norbert/CIDP/Caregiver/A_Caregivers_Guide.pdf