Caregiving

Respite can take many forms, but essentially it is anything that helps caregivers get a break from caregiving. Respite care is generally for the care recipient so the caregiver can take a break, or at least it can ease their load. If you're looking for respite care of any kind, the ARCH RESPITE LOCATOR is a great tool. It's provided by the ARCH Respite Network, and you can search for:A state respite coalitionMedicaid in-home waiver programsFamily caregiver support programsOrganizations and agencies that provide respite in your local area (city, zip code etc.)Give it a search! You may be surprised at the resources that are available to you!  Sometimes, when I had respite care for my Dad, I was still at home with him, but it made it all so much easier for me to have an extra pair of hands on deck. Other times, I was able to take a nap, a walk, or leave the house. Respite may also come in the form of someone who helps you with tasks such as shopping, yard care, or cleaning.

  Make sure to be on the lookout for the unusual symptoms of Covid-19.   Is your loved one experiencing any of following?   Covid Toes Diarrhea nausea vomiting severe appetite loss Loss of taste or smell Blood clots Hearing loss      

  Basket on Wheels Reduces Back Strain   There is a simple solution to alleviate the need to lift and move a heavy laundry basket from room to room. Create a shopping cart style tiered cart with wheels to enable care-recipients to easily move their clothes from their room to the laundry room. This helps the caregiver with the laundry, reduces back strain and can provide a sense of independence to the care-recipient. 

  With the future of nursing homes in a very delicate state between revenue, funding and Covid-19 we could be in store for a huge decline in nursing homes being able to remain operational. Going forward it may be best to have a back up plan for you and your loved one if you had planned on nursing homes being an option.

Setting up home-based medical care was incredibly helpful as I cared for both of my parents who lived with me. Truly a lifesaver! Now, with the pandemic, people are even more reticent to take older loved ones out in the community for care. Telehealth is helping, but sometimes your loved ones need to be seen in person, or labs and tests are necessary. Here are some tips for setting up medical care at home:Mobile doctors who make 'house calls' - Check with Medicare or other insurance carrier to find out if care at home is included in coverage and find out what makes a person eligible. Ask if they can refer you to local options. (Or if you find a mobile doctor they can run your insurance to find out if coverage is allowed). To find mobile or home-based doctors, nurse practitioners etc.:If your loved one is a Veteran and enrolled in VA healthcare, find out if he/she qualifies for "VA Home-Based Primary Care". My Dad had this and it was wonderful - nurse practitioner, doctor, nurse, home he

  Get exercise while helping with balance and mobility - Stay mobile with Hiking Sticks   You don’t have to be a hiker to benefit from hiking poles. Walking with a pair of hiking poles can help with balance, mobility and reduce strain on the knees. It is also great exercise in general and can help increase arm tone and strength.    

  An excerpt by Lee Woodruff   Tips for minimizing sibling squabbles   Quit expecting your siblings to be involved in the same way or with the same approach as you. Once you change expectations, you can focus on how you want to engage in the caregiving situation and operate so that you have no regrets when your loved one is gone.

  An excerpt by Lee Woodruff   Tips for minimizing sibling squabbles   Try not to bring your childhood self to the caregiving situation, but DO ask for what you need from your siblings. There is nothing more corrosive than holding in the resentment and continuing to do it yourself.

Here are some tips if you are looking for transportation for an older adult or someone with disabilities: Start by contacting the Eldercare Locator to get contact information for your local area agency on aging. You can also call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Ask the area agency on aging about availability of transportation services available in your area. The area agency on aging contracts with local organizations to provide transportation services. They may include home health agencies that provide personal care as well as transportation, organizations that offer a variety of services for older adults or those with disabilities or they may be organizations that only provide transportation. You can also search in the online Community Resource Finder. Click on "Care at Home" and then "Transportation" and enter your zip code. You'll then get a list of organizations that provide transportation services (some may be home health agencies that also provid

Don't wait until you're completely overwhelmed with caregiving to ask for help. Start talking to other family members and friends about ways that they can share in caregiving, both now and in the future. Also, look into the types of help you might be able to get at home or in local senior centers and adult day cares. While home health care can be expensive, you may find volunteer organizations that provide some relief for free. 

I retired after working for the Government for 35 years to become a caregiver my mother. My mother started to lose her eye sight at 75, then memory and hearing loss soon followed. We both had careers and we were always busy giving our time and support to many charities. It is pertinent that we keep and maintain a daily schedule for our physical and mental health. We have routines that we repeat everyday and it is very important not to deviate from the schedules that you are both use to and set in stone. It can be challenging not to get distracted because things happen that are not preventable. I found that by maintaining a daily schedule and routine we both benefit from it as we did while we were working. Even though this is a job, remember the rewards are much greater.  

As soon as you can, connect with other caregivers. Support groups for caregivers are a great way to exchange tips and advice. Support groups also offer a way for you to express your concerns and get backup for some of the hard decisions you'll have to make along the way. Ask at the doctor's office or at a hospital about community support groups. Or get in touch with a caregiving organization.   Another great resource might be here: https://aarpcommunityconnections.org/

If one can dedicate their time to their loved one to handle caregiving responsibilities, but can't dedicate the time that is fully needed. What resources are available that could help?

    Have everything in one place to hand to the doctor   To help get everything organized for a doctor’s appointment, color code important documents and then place them in an envelope in order to have everything organized in one place to hand to the doctor. You can also create a notebook for your loved one to take to the doctor’s appointment when you are not present so the doctor can note any important facts you should know. 

    When you become a caregiver, you suddenly have a million questions. How are you supposed to take care of another adult? What should he be eating? Can she still drive? Get some answers.   Check into local resources for caregivers. Some organizations -- like the Red Cross, the National Family Caregivers Association, or the local Area Agency on Aging -- may offer classes in caregiving that could be invaluable.   You could also find a geriatric caseworker or geriatric care manager who can help identify your problems and resolve them.

Many communities in the United States have a "village", which is a network of volunteers who are available to help anyone 60 and over to do a great variety of tasks. These villages are also based on an small area, a neighborhood, a small town, or a community as defined by the volunteers. The people are generous, trained, vetted, and have had a background check for honesty.  Here is the national web site and the page that lets you look up whether there is village you can be a part of: https://www.vtvnetwork.org/content.aspx?page_id=1905&club_id=691012 Janein a rural county in Oregon that is starting a new Village

  Use Layers for quick bed sheet change!   The layering of bed linen is a great hack for someone taking care of an incontinent adult. When making the bed, create layers starting with a waterproof mattress pad then a fitted sheet, and create the next layer with a waterproof mattress pad and a fitted sheet, then a third layer of the same. Keep two additional top sheets and blankets folded near the bed with spare night clothes. If the incontinent individual leaks urine in the bed (especially during the night when both of you are tired), you can get the person up, cleaned off and into fresh night clothes at arm’s reach. Then quickly and easily pull off the soiled top sheet and mattress pad, get the person back into a fresh bed immediately and cover them up with a clean top sheet and blanket without having to struggle with fully making a bed. 

  Ideally, you should talk to your loved ones about their care long before they really need it. For instance, adult children might want to start talking to their parents about caregiving when they reach age 70, even if they're healthy.   Find out what they would like to happen if they got sick. Would they want home health care? To move in with you? To live on their own in a senior center or assisted living community? It may not be an easy conversation. It's tempting to put it off. But it's better to start talking about these issues now instead of waiting until there's a crisis

  Folks, I got one of these long ago and this little gizmo is really handy for getting out of a car seat. As you can see there's a wide range of prices. Pay as much or little as you want to, but get one. Helps even the able bodied get up out of a passenger or driver's seat. I used it when i had abdominal surgery. Give it a try   Jane, who still drives a car while everyone else in my country town has a pickup truck...

Regardless of your specific caregiving situation, there will be numerous conversations you'll need to have with loved ones - those you care for, siblings etc. And some of them are difficult, like talking about the future, legal issues, estate planning, future care plans, treatment plans, financial matters, housing, stopping driving and more. Here are some of my tips to help make these conversations easier: 1. Talk early and often. Early because it's just easier to talk about things when they are seen as being in 'the future' (not now or not looming overhead). Also because one never knows when there will be a sudden health change, an accident, a sudden financial change...it's better to be prepared. And often because things change. Years ago, you may have talked about your parents' wishes for where they want to live as they age, but as the years roll by they may change their minds, or their financial situation changes, or their health needs changed, and you need to be aware of their

  Hook hangers for an easier reach from a wheelchair   Lower the bar, so to speak, in a closet by hooking clothes hangers to the end of other clothes hangers. The clothes hang lower by one clothes hanger length and are easier to reach for someone in a wheelchair. 

  Convert doorknobs for ease of use - Foam tubing and a cable tie to improve hard to grasp knobs.   Use foam tubing and a cable tie to improve the usability of a doorknob. Cut the foam tubing to fit around the doorknob with excess at the ends to tie off. 

  What are some of the ways you have social distanced but have made sure to not isolate yourself? Any tips or tricks for others?    

I am moving my mother from New Hampshire to Florida to live with me. I would like advice on how to cover all the details related with the move; Social Security, Medicare, finding a new doctor, In home care services, assisted living facilities, etc. I would love to speak to someone who has personally done this themselves so I can best prepare on what I am getting myself into. Any advice would be helpful.Thank you. 

  Bring a cooler to knock out two trips in one   When you’re grocery shopping for a loved one, bring a cooler or insulated bag with you so you can purchase your own groceries and store them for hours, if necessary. Two trips knocked out in one! You can even stay for a visit after shopping knowing your own food won’t spoil.