As a caregiver selecting and preparing food for the Care recipient (cr) is a big responsibility be sure to include healthy foods in any cooking you do for the cr if possible

Try: To control cooking for the cr when you prepare and cook meals at home you have better control over the nutritional content of the cr’s foods the following are tips for healthy food preparation materials try create a collection of recipes stock up on heart-healthy cookbooks and recipes for cooking ideas look cookbooks or the internet for ideas get in input from the cr many cr’s will like certain types of healthy food start with the cr’s suggestions use healthier cooking methods just as important as healthy ingredients is how you cook those foods into healthy meals bake or broil instead of deep fry cook in advance if needed when you’re cooking healthful meals make extra food for another meal this can save time and money it also allows for more healthy meals

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Medical Physical

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Diet food healthy cooking

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

As a caregiver selecting and preparing food for the Care recipient (cr) is a big responsibility be sure to include healthy foods especially foods that are heart healthy creating a heart-friendly diet starts with stocking your fridge with healthy and accessible foods prepare a list before you head to the store or farmer’s market and leave a little time after your trip to set yourself up for success during the week

Try: Check food contents while shopping at the grocery store look for foods displaying heart healthy labels make healthy substitutions choose substitutions like 1 milk instead of whole soft margarine for butter and lean meats like chicken and fish in place of ribs or ground meat prepare foods that are easy to eat when you come home from grocery shopping cut up vegetables and fruits and store them in the fridge ready for the next meal or when you are looking for a ready-to-eat snack this works better if the cr has access to foods between meals use your freezer make healthy eating easier by freezing good-for-you foods in portions freeze fruits such as bananas grapes and orange slices to make them more fun to eat for children

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Diet cooking healthy eating

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

As a caregiver selecting and preparing food for the Care recipient (cr) is a big responsibility be sure to include healthy foods especially foods that are heart healthy unhealthy cholesterol levels increase your risk for heart disease so keeping yours low is key to a healthier heart your diet is central to controlling your cholesterol some foods can actually lower your cholesterol while others only make matters worse

Try: Avoid saturated or trans fats foods containing high levels of saturated fats or trans fats can boost cholesterol levels in your body much more significantly than other foods saturated fat and trans fat both increase the levels of bad cholesterol and can even lower levels of good cholesterol choose foods wisely pick foods rich in unsaturated fats fiber and protein fruits vegetables fish beans nuts and seeds are all great cholesterol foods examples of foods known for lowering cholesterol are oatmeal fish and nuts closely read labels don’t let the label fool you just because the package says that food is low in cholesterol doesn’t mean it is those foods might even contain cholesterol that’s heart-risky use fish as a simple staple by adding fish like salmon or herring to your diet twice a week you can significantly lower your cholesterol and thus your risk for heart attack

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Medical Physical, Personal

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Healthy foods cholesterol cooking

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

Pets can be good for many care recipient’s cr however cr’s with weak immune systems are potentially at risk for getting ill from animals the following are tips to reduce the risk of illness

Try: Wash hands thoroughly after contact with animals keep the pet clean and healthy this includes routine care and vaccinations remember some pets will need medication supervise people if necessary while they are interacting with the pet prevent children from kissing the pet or putting their hands in the pet’s mouth promptly clean up after pets this includes not only messes but also pet hair

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Pet clean pet care

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

Care recipient (cr) gets upset and acts out when at the doctor’s office

Try: Make an appointment during tcr tcr’s best time of day and when the office is not very crowded let the office staff know before the visit about cr cr’s behavior problems ask them for help to make the visit go smoothly don’t tell cr about the visit until the day of the visit or even right before it is time to go if visiting the doctor makes cr nervous be positive and matter of fact take something cr likes to eat or drink and any materials or activities cr enjoys have a friend or family member go with the care giver cg so that one person can stay with cr while the other speaks with the doctor take a brief summary listing cr cr’s medical history primary care doctor and current medications

Materials: Snack or beverage cr likes book or other activity cr enjoys brief medical history of cr

Categories: Sage, Topic, Behavior Challenging, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

Keywords: Doctor visits visiting the doctor odd behavior challenging behavior

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

Care recipient (cr) gets upset and acts out when at the emergency room er

Try: Take a list of medicines insurance cards the health care provider provider’s name and phone number and advance directives advance directives are signed documents such as a living will that spell out a patient patient’s wishes for end-of-life care ask a friend or family member to go with the care giver cg or meet cg in the er he or she can stay with cr while someone else answer questions be ready to explain the symptoms and events leading up to the er visit this

Materials: List of medicines insurance cards health care provider provider’s name and phone number advance directives

Categories: Sage, Topic, Behavior Challenging, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: May have to be repeated more than once to different staff members tell er staff that cr has cognitive problems explain how best to talk with cr if cr must stay overnight in the hospital try to have a friend or family member stay with him her

References: caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

Keywords: Emergency room er odd behavior challenging behavior

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

Preparing for alzheimer’s care is important for the care recipient’s cr well being one of the most difficult parts of alzheimer’s disease is watching a cr display behavior you never would have thought possible the following are suggestions for how to handle the cr

Try: Alzheimer’s can cause substantial changes in how the cr acts this includes embarrassing actions such as inappropriate outbursts to hallucinations paranoia and violent behavior also as a caregiver you’ll need to be increasingly watchful for the cr’s safety everyday tasks like eating bathing and dressing can become major challenges painful as some behaviors are it’s critical not to blame yourself or try to handle all the changes in behavior alone it is also important to prepare for the cr’s progression to a worse off state as challenging behavior progresses you may find yourself too embarrassed to go out for example or to seek respite care unfortunately difficult behavior is part and parcel of alzheimer’s disease don’t isolate yourself from others seek help from the physician friends and family for help

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Alzheimer alzheimer’s dementia behavior

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

Care recipient (cr) bites down on glass thermometer and may break it

Try: Don’t use a glass thermometer use a digital thermometer which can be purchased at a grocery or drugstore

Materials: Digital thermometer

Categories: Sage, Topic, Behavior Challenging, Medical Physical, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware

Information: n/a

References: caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

Keywords: Glass thermometer taking temperature fever flu

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

Stress management is an important skill for caregivers caring for a Care recipient (cr) the following are common stress management tips

Try: Reframe problems try to view stressful situations with the cr from a more positive perspective focus on the caregiving task and reframe difficult issues look at the big picture take perspective of the stressful situation many minor problems with the cr will look insignificant down the road think about the overall caregiving situation adjust your standards perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection set standards for your caregiving and keep reasonable expectations focus on the positive when stress is getting you down take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life think about the positives and try to keep everything in perspective

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Caregiver Needs&Support, Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Emotional Psychological

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Stress stress management

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

Stress management is an important skill for caregivers caring for a Care recipient (cr) the following are common stress management tips

Try: Don’t try to control the uncontrollable many things in life are beyond our control, particularly the behavior of the cr focus on the things you can control involving the cr look for the upside when facing major challenges try to look at them as opportunities for growth learn from the situation and correct mistakes share your feelings talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist if possible speaking about the situation can help reduce stress learn to forgive accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes let go of anger and resentments towards the cr do not focus on the negatives

Materials: n/a

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Caregiver Needs&Support, Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Emotional Psychological

Information: n/a

References: Helpguide org

Keywords: Stress management stress

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