Try: Maintain your health your general well-being affects your outlook on life and your ability to cope taking care of yourself is important and involves eating three balanced meals daily food is fuel for your body skipping meals eating poorly or drinking lots of caffeine is not good for you learn to prepare and eat simple nutritious well-balanced meals avoid alcohol above 2-3 ounces daily exercising daily being physically active can provide you with an outlet that is relaxing and makes you feel good stretching walking jogging swimming or bicycling are examples of invigorating exercises consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine your doctor can help design a program that fits your individual needs getting enough sleep rest sleep refreshes and enables you to function throughout the day if your carereceiver is restless at night and disturbs your sleep consult your doctor and fellow caregivers on possible ways to handle the situation you may need to have outside help in the evenings to allow you time to sleep if you are unable to sleep because of tension practice relaxation exercises deep breathing or visualizing pleasant scenes can be helpful allowing yourself leisure time leisure time allows you to feel better and more able to cope with your situation having time to yourself to read a book visit a friend or watch tv can also bring enjoyment and relaxation and break the constant pattern and pressure of caregiving information references "caregiver’s handbook" by the caregiver education and support services seniors counseling and training case management services of the san diego county mental health services no date available at www acsu buffalo edu

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal, Social

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Keywords: Care giving care giver stress burn out well being health coping exercise leisure rest sleep

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: As a caregiver (cg) you may be challenged to strike a balance between taking care of the Care recipient (cr) and taking care of yourself you may continuously juggle multiple conflicting priorities if you don’t take care of yourself your effectivieness as a cg may be diminished however if you focus primarily on meeting your own needs the well being of the cr may be adversely impacted the assessment tool below can be used to measure your level of care for both the cr and yourself after this is completed you may be able to use what you learned to make some adjustments in your overall approach to care giving keep things in perspective and more balanced scale of caregiving low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high the scale is a 1-10 continuum which describes the various styles of caring circle the number or numbers which best describe your level of care abandonment to withdraw protection or support or to actively abuse the cr low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high neglect to allow life-threatening situations to persist or to display consistent coldness or anger low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high detachment aloofness to maintain an air of detachment or being aloof perfunctory in your care no genuine concern only obligation concerned only with physical well-being of the cr low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high general support given freely with a guarded degree of warmth and respect occasional feelings of manipulation concerned with both emotional and physical well-being of the cr low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high expressed empathy the ability to feel what the cr feels a quality relationship where feelings can be freely expressed and caringly received with non-judgmental positive regard low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high sympathy feeling sorry for the cg giving sympathy focusing on the losses experienced by cr low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high occasional over-involvement care characterized by periodic attempts to "do for" rather than "be with " low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high consistent over-involvement cr regarded as object of series of tasks which must be performed low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high heroic over-involvement care characterized by sometimes frantic and desperate attempts to provide for every possible need the cr has; increased dependence cr not allowed independence low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high fusion of personalities between cg and cr the cg cg’s needs no longer have any value or meaning; the gg has abandoned his or herself to needs of the cr low 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 high scoring you can place yourself on the scale of caregiving to determine how you value the cr compared to yourself the low numbers give little or no value honor to the needs of the cr the high numbers 8 9 10 give little or no value to your own needs as an individual and as a cfg the numbers in the middle are where you find a balance between undercare and overcare neither of the two extremes is healthy; they represent positions where you are not helping the cr information references adapted from www acsu buffalo edu – article in co-op networker; caregiver of older persons by judy bradley caregiver’s handbook" by the caregiver education and support services seniors counseling and training case management services of the san diego county mental health services no date

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical, Personal

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Keywords: Care giving caregiver rating scale self help

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: At the end of life period when body systems are shutting down and death is near can last from a matter of days to a couple of weeks how long the Care recipient (cr) will live is often uncertain some crs die quietly while others seem to fight the inevitable reassuring the cr it is okay to die can help the cr through this process decisions about end of life care should be consistent with the cr’s wishes and advanced directives after the cr has passed away some family members and caregivers draw comfort from taking some time to relax and reflect if you feel comfortable take the time to say goodbyes talk or pray before moving on remember as a caregiver taking care of yourself during the cr’s final stages is important it is important to learn how to adjust gain acceptance and move on after caring for the cr information references helpguide org

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Caregiver support end of life help

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Late stage care is a difficult process for the Care recipient (cr) and the caregiver while difficult and painful the journey of a disease such as alzheimer’s allows loved one’s to prepare for the cr’s eventual death when death is slower and more gradual many caregivers are able to mentally and emotionally prepare however even with preparation many still find themselves unprepared and surprised when death is near talking with family and friends consulting hospice services and counselors can help you work through these feelings and focus on the cr often hospital and hospice workers are able to assist not only the cr but also caregivers and family members also as a late stage caregiver it is important to be able to work through grief caregiving is a demanding and difficult job and no one is equipped to do it alone during late stage care recognizing grief and its potential for healing can help you through the final stages of care information references helpguide org

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Personal, Social, Spiritual

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Keywords: Late stage care end of life death

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: I have the right #to take care of myself this is not an act of selfishness it will give me the capability of taking better care of my loved one #to seek help from others even though my loved ones may object i recognize the limits of my own endurance and strength #to maintain facets of my own life that do not include the person i care for just as i would if he or she were healthy i know that i do everything that i reasonably can for this person and i have the right to do some things just for myself #to get angry be depressed and express other difficult feelings occasionally #to reject any attempts by my loved one either conscious or unconscious to manipulate me through guilt and or depression #to receive consideration affection forgiveness and acceptance for what i do from my loved ones for as long as i offer these qualities in return #to take pride in what i am accomplishing and to applaud the courage it has sometimes taken to meet the needs of my loved one #to protect my individuality and my right to make a life for myself that will sustain me in the time when my loved one no longer need my full-time help #to expect and demand that as new strides are made in finding resources to aid physically and mentally impaired persons in our country similar strides will be made towards aiding and supporting caregivers information references "a caregiver caregiver’s bill of rights" by jo horne 2011 available at www caregiver com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical, Personal, Social

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Keywords: Care giving care giver care giver bill of rights emotional needs mental health self worth

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The first step in organizing a rational care plan is making a list of needs as family members or friends care for an impaired elderly person several questions present themselves list of needs what are his her needs what kinds of care are needed to allow the elderly impaired person to remain in the community who is going to provide the care when how should the care receiver remain in his her own home live with the children or other relatives or move to other surroundings retirement apartments residential care intermediate care skilled nursing facility or other how can living arrangements be changed to help the person stay in the home or become more independent if outside services are needed does the impaired person have the resources to pay for them how can they be obtained how can care be given to the person in need without denying attention to others spouse or children for whom the caregiver also has responsibility do you as the caregiver feel tired or frustrated from caring for an older person in answering these questions you are developing an important list of needs of the impaired elderly person and bringing into perspective the caregiver caregiver’s needs as well the questions do not have easy answers and the solution may vary in every situation information references "caregiver’s handbook" by the caregiver education and support services seniors counseling and training case management services of the san diego county mental health services no date available at www acsu buffalo edu

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Immobile, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Vision, So-So Vision, Poor Vision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Care plan care receiver needs organization organizing caregiving care giver plan of action planning

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The care of an impaired older person can create stress that affects the ability of the caregiver to continue giving necessary levels of care the stress experienced may be physical financial environmental and or emotional in nature physical stress providing physical care to an impaired older person can cause physical stress general homemaking and housekeeping activities such as cleaning laundry shopping and meal preparation require energy and can be tiring particularly when added to existing responsibilities in one one’s own home personal care required for the supervision of medications and the maintenance of hygiene can also be stressful particularly in situations of acting-out behaviors incontinence loss of bladder or bowel control colostomies or assistance with bathing lifting and transferring individuals with limited mobility is not only tiring but also can result in injury to the caregiver or the impaired person in some instances there is the additional responsibility of maintenance of equipment such as wheelchairs or hospital beds financial stress the care of an impaired elderly person has many financial dimensions for those services that cannot be provided by family members medical pharmaceutical therapeutic etc decisions will have to be made as to where service will be secured and how they will be paid when money is limited many families assist with the cost of care causing financial burdens on all family members environmental stress the proper home setting has to be chosen if the carereceiver elects to remain in his her own home modifications such as railings and ramps may have to be installed if the person cannot remain in his her own home alternative arrangements must be sought such as moving in with a friend or relative or specialized housing retirement hotels senior apartments residential care homes intermediate care facilities or nursing homes if the carereceiver is to remain in the home some major adjustments in the living arrangements and patterns of daily living will be necessary social stress providing personal care up to 24 hours a day can cause social stress by isolating oneself from friends family and a social life the caregiver may find him herself becoming too tired or unable to have an evening out even once a week or once a month what can result is a build-up of anger and resentment toward the very person receiving the care as the carereceiver is the cause of the lost socialization emotional stress all of these factors often result in tremendous emotional stress compounding these sources of stress are the difficulties in managing one one’s time juggling multiple responsibilities and feeling the pressure of the increased dependency for family members providing care the various forms of stress can result indifferent feelings anger resentment and bitterness about the constant responsibilities deprivation and isolation can result this is also a time when many of the unresolved conflicts from parent-child relationships resurface and can intensify causing anxiety and frustration there might even be the unspoken desire at times to be relieved of the burden through institutionalization or even death of the care receiver this desire is frequently and swiftly followed by feelings of guilt all of these can be felt then denied because they seem unacceptable the person giving care needs to be assured that in fact these feelings are common even though they may not be expressed there are resources that can help caregivers the remainder of this book will address those resources such as joining a caregiver support group using community resources and above all caring for yourself the caregiver types of help available family or friends first make a detailed inventory of any assets individual family members and friends can contribute including the assets of the impaired elderly person needing the care assets include available time skills space equipment the strengths of the person in need care and most important money sit down with all the family members or at least as many as are agreeable and work out a plan for giving help this involves defining and agreeing upon what tasks will be performed by whom on which days and so forth for example aunt martha can cook uncle peter can mow the lawn and mary can check on mom twice a day care giving exchanges some situations may allow for exchanging support services such as the caregiver exchange through the area agency on aging a friend who has similar caregiver responsibilities may care for both impaired individuals one day a week in exchange for your providing the care on another day another exchange situation might include making a spare room available to a college student for his her help with care of the carereceiver in return for free room and board information references "caregiver’s handbook" by the caregiver education and support services seniors counseling and training case management services of the san diego county mental health services no date available at www acsu buffalo edu

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Immobile, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Care giving stress help with care giving respite care family support help from friends care giving exchange area agency on aging support services

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: When family or other volunteer help is not available or cannot meet your needs caregivers or care receivers may wish to seek help from agencies a wide range of help may be available some may be covered by private insurance medicare and or a supplemental program of your state all of it can be purchased sometime the service costs may be based on the income of the carereceiver each agency has its own fee structure; you may want to ask about their arrangements before ordering the service services available for seniors who need support adult day health care this is for people who are physically and or mentally frail it offers a range of therapeutic rehabilitative and support activities including nursing rehabilitation assistance with life activities social work services meals and possible transportation provided in a protected setting for a portion of the day one to five days a week usually during weekdays chore workers handypersons services includes heavy-duty housecleaning minor home repairs yard work installing safety devices and winterizing homes companionship services companions visit isolated and homebound individuals for conversation reading letter writing and general light errands escort services for the elderly these services provide personalized accompaniment to service providers as well as personal assistance geriatric assessment units and special-care units specialized geriatric units both inpatient and outpatient exist in some hospitals and medical centers; e g socare api they provide coordinated multi-disciplinary diagnostic services to older patients home delivered meals some nutritional programs as well as well as specialized meals-on-wheels programs offer home delivered meals to the frail homebound aged subsidized programs ask for voluntary contributions while others may require full payment cost for delivery of a hot well balanced lunch and sometimes cold evening meal home health aides provide personal care to individuals at home these services may be covered by health insurance if ordered by a physician aides assist with eating dressing oral hygiene bathing colostomies administering medications etc as well as light household tasks home health care organized programs of nursing social work occupational therapy physical therapy and other rehabilitation services to individuals in the home homemaker services provided by non-medical personnel services include shopping laundry light cleaning dressing preparation of meals and escort services on medical visits homemakers can be of great help in supplementing help provided by family members or providing relief when family caregivers need a break homemakers can be secured through in-home health care agencies the area agency on aging the department of social services and religious groups and organizations some agencies provide bonding and training for their homemakers while others provide only a registry of homemakers names and phone numbers in which case you must thoroughly check references and draw up a contract for the required services hospital and surgical supply services supply houses rent or sell medical supplies and equipment like hospital beds canes walkers bath chairs oxygen and other equipment consult your yellow pages housekeeping services these usually include cleaning shopping laundry and meal preparation housing assistance housing assistance programs exist to help in the search for senior housing shared housing and finding emergency shelters such as heartland human relations and area agency on aging nutritional programs congregate meal programs feed many older adults as a group in a senior center community center or school a noonday meal is provided containing one-third of the recommended usda dietary allowance usually for a voluntary contribution additionally some centers provide recreational and educational activities occupational therapy occupational therapy or ot is restorative to enhance or restore skills necessary for daily living it should be provided by a qualified occupational therapist who is referred by your doctor physical therapy physical therapy or pt is rehabilitative therapy to maximize mobility it should be provide by a qualified physical therapist usually recommended by your doctor or hospital respite care services respite care programs provide temporary and in some instances up to twenty-four hour care to give relief to primary caregivers the care may be provided in the person person’s home at an adult day care center or other facility senior service teams regional county mental health teams working together to provide mental health screening needs assessments and short-term counseling services to seniors skilled nursing services these specialized services are provided for specific medical problems by trained professionals through local home care agencies your doctor must prescribe nursing services speech therapy speech therapy is provided by a qualified speech therapist to overcome certain speech and communication problems the doctor usually recommends this social day care provide supportive but not rehabilitative services in a protected setting for a portion of the day one to five days a week services may include recreational activities social work services a hot meal transportation and occasionally health services telephone reassurance friendly telephone calls are provided by agencies or volunteers offering reassurance contact and socialization telephone reassurance can be a lifeline for older people who must be left at home alone during the day transportation transportation services provide travel by automobile or specialized vans to and from medical care community agencies and service providers such as dial-a-ride red cross wheels cancer society and lifeline are but a few information references "caregiver’s handbook" by the caregiver education and support services seniors counseling and training case management services of the san diego county mental health services no date available at www acsu buffalo edu

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Immobile, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Community resources respite care adult day care speech therapy occupational therapy meals on wheels transportation services housekeeping housing assistance physical therapy help at home home health care home health aide staying in own home

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Caregiving for older care recipient’s cr often involves end of life care as the cr deteriorates the cr’s as well as the caregivers needs change the following are common patient and caregiver needs in late stage care practical care and assistance at some point the cr may no longer talk sit walk eat or make sense of the world routine activities including bathing feeding or toileting may require total support from the caregiver the cr will go from normal caregiving to needing care assistants a hospice team or physician-ordered nursing services relief and dignity even if the cr’s memory functions are reduced her capacity to feel emotions may remain regardless of location the most helpful interventions are those which ease discomfort and provide meaningful connections to family respite care as the duties of the caregiver increase breaks will be needed respite care can give you and your family a break from the intensity of end-of-life caregiving counseling support anticipating the cr’s death can cause reactions from relief to sadness to feeling numb consulting counselors or clergy before the cr’s death can help you and your family prepare for the coming loss information references helpguide org

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Spiritual

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Keywords: Late stage care end of life care near death grief counseling

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Due to the demanding nature of caregiving caregivers often will need a break from the Care recipient (cr) the following are common respite care options to give the caregiver a break in-home respite care options informal family support and relief online caregiver communities and video workshops volunteer or paid companionship personal care or skilled health assistance out-of-home respite care options adult day programs residential respite care caregiver support groups information references helpguide org

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Financial

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Keywords: Respite care caregiving help

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed