Caregiving Connect

The anxiety and distress that come with Sundowners can be so upsetting—both for our loved ones and for us as their caregivers. I found that I had to get creative to ease Dad’s symptoms, and one of the things that helped both Dad, who had Alzheimer’s, and me, leads me to my next tip:   Try Using Essential Oils   Experiment with types of oils and various ways to use them.  Here are some suggestions: Find an essential oils expert, preferably with lots of experience, and ask for a consultation. Explain your current challenges and ask for recommendations. To find an expert, you might ask a naturopathic physician, ask at a local store that sells essential oils or ask friends if they know anyone who might help. Lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, chamomile, blue tansy, frankincense are among essential oils that can be calming. I kept a diffuser with lavender oil going all night in Dad’s room. If you want to encourage waking up and activity during the day (so your loved ones will sl

I'm a social worker in a primary care clinic, and I've been a caregiver to my parents, my grandmother, and now my wife, who has MS. It had been a while since I helped someone complete their power of attorney for health care, and for finances. She asked me if she should put the completed document in a safe deposit box. I was reminded that the completed wishes of any patient should be shared with whomever is important to that patient. The system that makes the most sense to me is to make out little index cards that say "I have an advance directive that names ____ to make decisions on my behalf if i can't communicate on my own. My doctor, _____ has a copy, and so does this person. The phone number to my health care proxy is ____."   And then make copies for the person you've named, your spouse, your children, your most important doctor(s), your attorney if you have one, your minister if you have one, your best friend, the neighbor who feeds your cat when you travel, and might call th

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   Rereading books loved as a child, like Little Women   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Ca

After a patient is discharged from the hospital, a home healthcare nurse will often come to the patient’s home periodically to check in. This is an excellent opportunity for clinicians to work with caregivers to address any questions, challenges or concerns. Take advantage of this!

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   A phone call with an old (or new) friend.   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   A 15-minute catnap   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #15 Re

Elderly MIL currently using a rollator, but considering switching to a forearm upright walker.  Anyone have any experience with these or advice?

My mother gets super agitated and fidgets with everything she can find. Any ideas that might calm her?

With Sundowners, your loved ones living with dementia may increasingly perseverate on issues, become very anxious, ask the same questions repeatedly, say they need to go somewhere or do something urgently, or become more scared and confused. It can be very hard on us as caregivers as we struggle to comfort them and ease their anxieties. My 5th tip is:   Validate, Address Needs, Divert or Distract   Simply trying to reason with someone or set them straight or trying to convince them of “the truth” in the midst of sundowning probably won’t work. Remember that it’s the disease affecting their thinking, causing confusion and fears. They really can’t help it. You’ll likely just wind up making them more frustrated, angry and confused.   Validate. Instead, try to validate your loved one’s feelings (even if they don’t make sense to you) to let them know you are listening. Meet them where they are – in other words, join them in their world. A few examples: If they are angry, say

We all know that being a caregiver isn't for the faint of heart!  Whether you are a caregiver for your loved one on small scale basis or full time, for your own mental well being it is important for you to take a break every now and again!   In more extreme caregiving cases depression and resentment could set in if you do not find a way to give yourself adequate breaks while taking care of those with Alzheimer's, related dementia, traumatic brain injuries, etc...   For instance, a University of Michigan study found that caring for a partner or spouse with a new diagnosis of Alzheimer's or related dementia is associated with a 30% increase in depressive symptoms, compared to older adults who don't have a spouse with dementia.    So don't be afraid to ask for help or seek out help to free up some me time! Remember, if you aren't taking care of yourself you won't be at your best to take care of others. 

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   A bubble bath while reading a book or magazine   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Caregiving

Sometimes those who are living with dementia or another health condition have, or develop, problems around sleeping. They may not be getting good quality sleep or not enough sleep, and lack of sleep can affect how our brains function. Good sleep is so crucial! If your loved ones have dementia, their brains need a lot of rest so they can do their best to function during the day. They may need an increasing amount of sleep as the disease progresses. In addition, some people seem to get their days and nights mixed up – they are up all night and want to sleep all day, which can make caregiving so difficult! They may develop difficult behaviors in late afternoon or early evening, often called “Sundowners Syndrome” or “Sundowning”.  Dealing with sleep may help, so that’s my fourth tip:   Improve Sleep   There are many things that can inhibit good quality sleep. Here are some things to try which may help improve your loved ones’ sleep:   Adjust the sleep environment. Crea

In some central part of the house, you can put up a big white board, maybe 2 by 3 feet, and a variety of colored washable ink pens. All kinds of reminders can go on this: Today's day of the week, date, any scheduled events, tasks to do, when to take things out of the freezer to thaw. It can be a reminder for the person with cognitive impairment, but also anyone else in the household including paid caregivers.    Monday, April 26, 2021 High temp will be 48, low in the 20s   Lisa comes at 10am, leaves at 3pm.   Lunch and snacks: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grapes, cookies   ( Mary Lou comes home at 3pm.   FED THE DOGS?  (yes)     

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   Dancing your heart out for 15 minutes to a memorable song from your teenage years   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minute

If your home has doors that open to very different rooms but look similar, you can put a sign on the door with a picture of what's behind the door. So, if there is a bathroom behind one door, you can take a photograph on your phone, enlarge it on your computer and print it out, and tape it to the door. When it's closed, you and everyone else will know its the bathroom. (This helps with toddlers, too.) You can color it, make it artful, have fun. See what your care-recipient would like. Or just draw a toilet, or a bathtub. Do the same with the closet: take a picture of it opened, or draw clothes on hangers, and then tape it to the outside of the door. If you want to get fancy, you can buy inexpensive christmas lights and ring the photo with them, so that at night it is especially clear where to go if one has a nocturnal urge to 'drain the engines' as my grandmother used to say.

  Too much sensory stimulation can cause anxiety and confusion for someone experiencing Sundowners Syndrome, and it can be worsened by changing light and perhaps changes in routine or normal transitions from daytime activities to evening activities. It’s important to keep your loved ones’ environment, in every room, simpler and calmer. That's why my 4th tip is:   Simplify Your Loved Ones’ Surroundings   What may seem perfectly normal and has “always been that way” can become too much for them. It can be difficult for them to see and interpret so many things– it’s just too much sensory input for their brains to manage. When they start to get anxious due to light changes or transitions, the environmental clutter suddenly becomes too much too! The idea is to keep things cognitively manageable. Here are some things to look for and do: Try to minimize physical, visual and auditory clutter in every room. Try fewer items on open shelves, eliminate clutter on the floor, perhaps

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   A quick walk in the safety of a yard, outside of an apartment or jumping up and down indoors   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy i

If you're caring for a loved one who is living with dementia, or another health condition, and they are experiencing Sundowners Syndrome, there are things can do to help manage it and minimize difficult behaviors and disruptions. Remember they are probably experiencing discomfort or a sense that they should be doing something or going somewhere. They may feel like there is something missing or it's time to go home. The key is to help them feel safe, secure, and "on top of things", and minimize triggers. That leads me to my 2nd tip:   Maintain Routines and Structure Activity    There is comfort in routine and security in the familiar. It can help with that feeling that they should be doing something (but maybe they can't quite figure out what it is, so perhaps they fall back on the familiar - it's time to go home, I've got work to do etc.). Here are some tips around building and maintaining routines: You might find some things that work when Sundowners starts to set

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   Breathing exercises!   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #15

With home care turnover being too high there are changes agencies can make to reduce turnover.   Relieve loneliness   Perhaps the biggest step home care agencies can take to reduce turnover is to foster a team environment. This is admittedly more difficult in a home care setting, as there isn’t a centralized breakroom or nursing station where friendships are cultivated. However, if caregivers don’t feel part of a team, leaving an agency is even easier.   Agency leaders can begin to build a team atmosphere and relieve loneliness by:   Scheduling regular team meetings and events. Using technology, like a caregiver app, to strike up conversations and host digital events between caregivers.   Tip credit: Levi Pavlovsky

If your loved ones have dementia (and sometimes other conditions as well), they may experience "sundowners syndrome". You may be seeing changes in their behavior in the late afternoon or early evening (onset of behaviors varies for different people and some of these behaviors may happen throughout the day). There may be sudden emotional, behavioral or cognitive changes. These might include:   mood swings anxiety sadness restlessness energy surges increased confusion hallucinations delusions These may lead in turn to challenging behaviors like wanting to leave or "go home", pacing, rocking, screaming, crying, disorientation, resistance, anger, aggression — or even violence. Many people experiencing sundown syndrome feel the urgent need to go somewhere or do something, but they can’t always explain why. Often that goes back to a deep-seated routine like coming home from work most of their lives.    Here is my first tip to help you manage Sundowners Syndr

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   A few yoga moves or stretching exercises   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #4 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Ca

I've been a caregiver for family and friends my entire adult life. So I know what it is to be burned out! I developed a philosophy of how to care for myself that really worked for me. And it came out of an experience I had...   I went to the gas station one day and my car was running on fumes - I mean it was really empty! I was SO relieved when I arrived as I was afraid it would just stop on the way. I filled the car up with gas and as I pulled out of the station I thought to myself, "It's so interesting that the car actually RUNS better on a FULL tank of gas!"   Well, duh, right?! But that was my "Aha!" moment - I realized that I'd been expecting myself to run on empty ALL the time and be JUST as efficient. Suddenly I understood in a new way - that was NOT realistic! So I embraced the notion that self-care is not selfish, it's just practical. I thought about what fills MY tank so I could run more efficiently and not be afraid of breaking down or completely coming to a s

Lee Woodruff asked caregivers what at home mini-recharge pointers they use or are still using during the pandemic and here is one that was helpful for them:   A quiet moment of prayer or meditation   See below for more tips and stay tuned for more:   Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #1 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #2 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #3 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #5 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #6 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #7 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #8 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #9 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #10 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #11 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #12 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #13 Recharging Your Caregiving Energy in 15 Minutes - #14 Recharging Your Caregiving Ene

This is a tricky one, but if well received the first time by a care recipient, it can be a go-to solution sometimes.   Depending on the person and the mood or behavior, see if you can find a way to soothe your person with touch. Offer to comb or brush the hair (this even works with men who have very little hair). Offer to massage the hands with lotion or baby oil or massage oil, especially some substance that has a nice relaxing aroma. And best of all but trickiest at first, offer to give a foot massage. With permission, take off shoes and socks, place the feet or one foot at a time on a pillow covered with a towel, and rub the feed gently with oil. Massage the top of the foot, carefully between the toes, the heel, the arch and ball of the foot. Massage away the stress. The skin is a marvelous source of pleasure and sensation, and even a brief rubbing can provide a calming, soothing effect