We live in an electronic age with more and more older adults using their cell phones for texting and tweeting there seems to be a…

Try: We live in an electronic age with more and more older adults using their cell phones for texting and tweeting there seems to be a growing need for abbreviations that caregivers and care recipients can use with their cell phones examples of abbreviations that could be used in texting a tweeting are listed below the individuals who need to communicate with each other could also make up a customized list based on individual needs and circumstances once the list of abbreviations has been developed it could be shared with everyone to enhance the communication process atd at the doctor btw bring the wheelchair cbm covered by medicare fyi found your insulin ggpbl gotta go; pacemaker battery low gha got heartburn again hgbm had good bowel movement imho is my hearing-aid on lmdo laughing my dentures out omsg oh my sorry gas rofl cgu rolling on floor laughing can’t get up ttyl talk to you louder waitt who am i talking to wtfa wet the furniture again gglki gotta go; laxative kicking in information references

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Communication, Social, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

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Keywords: Communication cell phone twitter text message communication

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

Many caregivers cgs experience negative emotions on a regular basis this can lead to depression or increased depression if it is already exists depression is…

Try: Many caregivers cgs experience negative emotions on a regular basis this can lead to depression or increased depression if it is already exists depression is toxic and can affect the cg cg’s general state of health and emotional well-being one way for the cg to cope with this is to turn negative emotions into positive outcomes and actions ten negative emotions that are typically associated with caregiving anger at the Care recipient (cr) at yourself at other family members at healthcare professionals denial of the disease itself of your need to provide assistance of the loss of the family as it "used to be" fear that you will contract the disease as you get older of your own mortality of the future for yourself and for the Care recipient (cr) guilt for past mistakes for your inability to separate yourself from caregiving in order to enjoy some parts of your life as you used to for anger towards other family members who aren’t helping as you think they should over your inability to provide the care you think the cr needs indecision about financial issues and or end of life matters and planning about medical care about living arrangements overwhelmed with the unfair turn of events your life has taken over the constant care the cr needs by other demands on your time by other family members or your career regret over things that have been said or done in the past that the condition of the cr cannot be mended over things that you wished you had said or done that cannot not be fulfilled over the quality of life that the cr now has helplessness with your inability to make things better for your cr with your inability to please all of the people all of the time regarding your caregiving role in general embarrassment over challenging behaviors exhibited by the cr when out in public over having to cancel personal plans at the last minute due to the condition of the cr over the general condition of the cr now compared to what the cr was previously the cg is no longer able to accomplish and enjoy the same things as before anxiety over balancing cargiving with other responsibilities such as your career family church service organization and so on over the next step in caregiving over the uncertainty of the future over finances over living arrangements over your ability to handle the increased caregiving duties as time goes by cgs may experience these negative emotions at one time or another each of these emotions if dealt with effectively can also bring about a positive outcome the secret lies in learning how to deal with each emotion in a positive way steps that caregivers can take to turn negative emotions into positive outcomes identify your negative emotion and place it into one of the categories above what is this feeling telling you admit to yourself that you have this negative emotion even though doing this may be unpleasant try to identify the meaning or message behind the emotion try to determine if the emotion is real or perceived for example are you feeling guilty for an act that you committed or for an act that you didn’t do or could have done differently what triggered the emotion were you tired or overworked at the time was the cr tired at the time what emotion could you have used to replace the negative one for example could you have changed anger into compassion talk about your feelings openly or write them down expressing your emotions in writing may take some of the sting out of them create a game plan for how you will better deal with these negative emotions in the future what could you differently when you feel this emotion coming on and consuming you consider stepping back and focusing on another activity for a while this may put some distance between you and your emotions and allow you to look at things from a different perspective try to keep things in balance give yourself permission to vent to another individual especially one who is familiar with the cr and the challenges that you are facing however do so in a positive rather than a negative way talking things out with another caregiver or individual can be helpful and therapeutic for you you may just need to blow off some steam first before you can move forward and deal with the problem sometimes you just need to get things off of your chest it is sometimes helpful to know that other individuals have experienced the same emotions in caregiving and have dealt with them in a positive way brainstorming ideas with others may provide you with some good ideas on how you can do the same do not let the cr’s negative emotions be reflected in you while you may not be able to change a negative emotion in the cr you don’t have to assume it as your own avoid toxic people if at all possible these individuals have a negative outlook about everything and life in general in addition many of these individuals continuously tell everyone about what what’s wrong with everything and how miserable they are it is best to avoid them or get away from them as often as possible be comfortable with your limits and your capabilities doing the best you can do is all that anyone especially yourself can expect you are probably doing a job that many other people refuse to do or incapable of doing if you are doing a good job of caregiving give yourself credit for it an emotionally healthy perspective on caregiving may be to do the best job you can with the things that you have control over you need to let go of all of the negative emotions associated with things that you have no control of no amount of negative emotion is going to make a positive difference anyway just let go of it information references adapted from www caregiversupport org emotions and caregiving overcoming negative emotions by a brandt phd

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological

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

More than 43 million americans serve as unpaid caregivers for adults who are 50 years of age or older the impact of care giving is…

Try: More than 43 million americans serve as unpaid caregivers for adults who are 50 years of age or older the impact of care giving is far reaching caregivers often need to make significant changes in personal lifestyles work schedules and professional lives the caregivers physical and emotional well being can suffer along with finances and social lives if the care recipient’s medical condition and cognitive functioning become very poor caregivers sometime need to drop everything in their personal lives and become "consumed" by care giving responsibilities for extended periods of time the statistics are staggering and show that in the not too distant future there will be an ever increasing need for caregivers senior services medical services senior housing senior ministry and other supports for both care recipients and caregivers the need for caregivers is growing rapidly because as of january 1 2011 baby boomers were turning 65 at the rate of 10 000 per day for the next 17 years sixty-five million caregivers who account for 29 of the total u s adult population provide care to someone who is ill disabled or aged caregivers of adults are now older on average than caregivers in 2004 the average age is now 49 2 years compared to 46 4 in 2004 more women than men are caregivers with an estimated 66 of caregivers being female with an average age of 48 unpaid caregivers spend an average of twenty to forty hours a week caring for a family member with one-third of those providing care for five years or more forty-three percent of americans anticipate that in the next five years they will have to either provide care for themselves or help find care for a family member or friend the national median hourly rate for a licensed home health aide in the united states based on a forty-four hour work week is 19 per hour or 43 472 per year seventy-three percent of family members serving as primary caregivers to loved ones reported a reduction in their savings because of care giving responsibilities eighty-three percent of caregivers contribute financially to the care of a family member two-thirds of people over the age of 65 will need long term care in their lifetime of the more than 43 million americans who serve as unpaid caregivers one in four say they have a difficult time coordinating care four million u s households have three generations living in them fifty-six percent of caregivers don’t identify themselves as "caregivers" because they are just doing what is expected of them as a daughter a spouse etc the close relationship between the caregiver and care recipient is a shared relationship with involved emotions experiences and memories this can place a caregiver at a higher risk for psychological and physical illness eighty-six percent of caregivers care for a relative with 36 caring for a parent sixty-four percent of caregivers are employed as well as caring for a relative or friend seventy percent of working caregivers suffer work-related difficulties due to their care giving roles seventy percent of working caregivers make some job changes to accommodate their care giving role twelve percent of caregivers reduced work hours or took a less demanding job while 9 give up work entirely losing job related benefits care giving has shown to reduce work productivity by 18 5 and increase the likelihood of leaving the workplace the majority of caregivers 72 live within twenty minutes of the care recipient and 13 live within an hour of the care recipient twenty-three percent of family caregivers who have been providing care for five years or more report their health is fair or poor forty-nine percent of caregivers use at least one of three specific types of help on behalf of their care recipient the most commonly used is outside transportation services 29 followed by financial assistance 28 twelve percent use respite services caregivers under the age of 50 are more likely than older caregivers to use the benefits of care giving technology the most important benefits are saving time 77 care giving made easier logistically 76 making the care recipient feel safer 75 increasing the caregiver’s feelings of being effective 74 and reducing stress 74 information references adapted from family caregiver alliance genworth aarp

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Care giving psychological and physical illness transportation social aspects

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

One of your most important responsibilities as a caregiver is to take care of yourself if you neglect your own health and well-being both you…

Try: One of your most important responsibilities as a caregiver is to take care of yourself if you neglect your own health and well-being both you and the Care recipient (cr) will suffer some recommendations for your self-care are shown below implementation of these recommendations may help you be a more effective caregiver perform a self assessment to identify how you really feel are you trying too hard to prove that you are worthy do you feel selfish putting your own needs first do you feel inadequate if you ask for help do you feel that you are the only one that can do the job and do it well do you concentrate more on the tasks that you don’t do well rather than congratulate yourself on the ones that you excel in problem solving goal setting and planning be honest with yourself in defining the specific issues that you are facing as a caregiver look for realistic solutions that are workable set realistic goals that are measurable develop care giving action plans that will be effective and beneficial to the cr plan ahead it is better to anticipate a potential problem rather than wait for a crisis to occur making important care giving decision while in the crisis mode can be very stressful and may not provide the best results write down your list of care giver problems possible solutions goals action plan and so on this will help you keep track of everything organize your thoughts and document your progress manage stress look for warning signs such as irritability sleep problems depression and forgetfulness ask yourself what causes your own personal stress it could be too much responsibility or too much work family dynamics or trying to be a caregiver while balancing other family responsibilities such as a spouse and children target the areas over which you have control you may not be able to change everything but may be able to change enough so that you can cope better small changes can make a big difference let go of the things that you have no control over step back and away from the situation and carve out time for yourself whether it is in the form of exercise relaxation or venting your frustrations to a friend conquer depression before it conquers you depression left alone may turn inward and result in anger that adversely impacts both you and the cr other suggestions for caregiver self-care if there is an area of care giving that is particularly troublesome and difficult for you such as bathing; make arrangements for someone else to take over this chore schedule a regular time each week for respite care use this time productively to rest relax do the activities that you enjoy and take care of personal matters always have a "plan b" if one solution doesn’t work don’t get discouraged and give up keep trying different solutions until you come up with one that works for both the cr and you utilize local resources locate either volunteer services or social services that can help with some of the care join a support group maintain a list of care giving tasks that other individuals can help with that way when someone offers to help you can respond with a specific list of tasks and directions to doing those tasks friends and neighbors may want to help but need direction in assessing just what needs to be done and how to do it keep a positive attitude self-doubt and negativity will weaken your resolve and be reflected in the attitude of the cr exercise even a limited amount of time exercising each day will help reduce your tension increase your energy level and help you sleep better control your emotions don’t harbor feelings such as guilt anger or resentment intense emotions are red flags that may mean there needs to be a change in the care giving situation get regular checkups taking care of your own health is as important as taking care of the cr’s health conclusion focusing on your own self-care will help you be a more effective caregiver for others you will be less vulnerable to the stress and burnout that frequently comes with the care giving role information references adapted from an article by family caregiver alliance national center on care giving

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Care giving stress positive attitude depression self-doubt support

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

Care giving can be very stressful and consuming this is especially true if the Care recipient (cr) has alzheimer alzheimer’s disease and related dementia sometimes…

Try: Care giving can be very stressful and consuming this is especially true if the Care recipient (cr) has alzheimer alzheimer’s disease and related dementia sometimes you get unexpectedly thrown into a caregiver role and before you know it you are in over your head and drowning caregiver stress can sneak up on you rather quickly when you are in a crisis situation and there is a flurry of activity as a caregiver it is very important that you become familiar with the warning signs of stress so that you can be pro-active rather than reactive in dealing with it the bottom line is if you don’t take care of yourself you will be of little or no use to the care recipient with dementia when you are consumed by your care giving responsibilities you may not be aware of the adverse impact that it has on your physical and emotional well being so it is important to be honest with yourself about the stress and get the help and support you need to deal with it warning signs of caregiver stress when the care recipient has alzheimer alzheimer’s disease denial you are in denial about alzheimer alzheimer’s disease and its effects on the cr for example i know that my dad will be ok and get better anger you are angry at the diseases the cause memory loss upset that no effective treatments or cures exist and complain that people don’t understand what is going on for example if he asks me that question one more time i’ll scream social withdrawal you withdraw from friends and activities that you used to enjoy for example i don’t care about getting together with my friends anymore anxiety you are anxious about facing another day and what the future holds for example what happens when i just can’t handle this anymore depression depression is having a negative effect on your ability to cope for example i don’t care anymore exhaustion you are so exhausted that you have considerable difficulty completing daily tasks for example i am too tired to deal with this sleeplessness you have difficulty sleeping due to a never-ending list of things to do and care giving concerns for example what happens if my dad starts wandering around and gets lost or injured irritability you are irritable moody and respond or react to people or situations in a negative manner for example leave me alone lack of concentration you can’t concentrate focus and perform familiar tasks for example i was so busy that i forgot we had an appointment health problems you develop your own physical or mental health problems due to the stress of care giving for example i can’t remember the last time that i felt good information references adapted from www alz org alzheimer alzheimer’s association

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Social

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Keywords: Caregiver burnout caregiver stress caregiver challenges alzheimer alzheimer’s disease dementia memory loss cognitive impairment mentally challenged mentally incapacitated losing it

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

A care notebook is a way to organize all of your care recipient’s cr medical information using a care notebook will make it easier to…

Try: A care notebook is a way to organize all of your care recipient’s cr medical information using a care notebook will make it easier to find and share important information with people who are part of the healthcare team a care notebook may be a three-ring binder with dividers and plastic sleeves or it may be a file box or accordion file the form doesn’t matter what is important is that you keep all the important information in one place bring the care notebook to all of the cr cr’s medical appointments try to have your questions written down in advance and write down the doctor doctor’s response and other notes from the appointment immediately afterwards make sure that a family member or someone else can locate the notebook in an emergency and knows to bring it to the clinic or hospital the care notebook should include the following information contact information you and family members voluntary caregivers paid caregivers or agency emergency personnel hospitals healthcare providers therapists pharmacy insurance company or a copy of the insurance card special transportation equipment providers incidents and health issues medication effects behavior episodes memory problems sleep problems activities and exercise summary falls or balance problems appointment log who the appointment is with the reason for the appointment the results of the appointment any follow-up action that you or others need to take questions for upcoming appointments medication log name of the medication date the medication was first prescribed who prescribed the medication dose timing and special instructions date the medication was stopped and why treatment results test results hospitalizations calendar copy of the advance directive if one exists copy of the durable power of attorney for health care if one exists information references adapted from www hdsa org "a caregiver’s guide to huntington’s disease" by huntington’s disease society of america 2011

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Communication, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Care management organizing information keeping track of medical information emergency preparedness medical records monitoring behavior

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

Caregiving is a very stressful situation stress either causes or exacerbates some 70 to 90 percent of all medical complaints including tension and migraine headaches…

Try: Caregiving is a very stressful situation stress either causes or exacerbates some 70 to 90 percent of all medical complaints including tension and migraine headaches high blood pressure asthma nervous stomach bowel problems and chronic lower back pains there is research evidence indicating stress plays a role in a person person’s susceptibility to heart disease stroke and cancer stress has also been implicated in psychological disorders such as anxiety reactions depressions and phobias as well as poor work performance drug and alcohol abuse insomnia and unexplained violence if you are experiencing any of the above it is extremely important that you learn and use various techniques for stress reduction or come to the decision both for your well-being and that of your care receiver that "it is time to stop caregiving " below are some telltale signs which can help you assess when you have reached this fork in the road; seek help professional help utilize more stress reduction methods or stop caregiving snapping at the care receiver constantly even over little things — being constantly irritated seldom laughing anymore feeling constantly tired or pressured losing sleep failing to fall asleep for hours sleeping restlessly all night long yelling or screaming or having crying fits or rages frequently — withholding affection feelings of goodwill from the care-recipient — withholding food baths dressing changes etc constantly blaming the care receiver for your being in this situation his her isolated caregiver refusing to go out anymore even for a walk because "he she needs me " — withholding expenditures for goods or services he she needs because he she is going to die soon and it is wasted money while these are not exclusive they indicate a classic picture of "caregiver burnout " the treatment for caregiver burnout is simple — get help and get away for extended periods either through stress management respite help or through a complete change in caregiving no one can remain a full-time caregiver forever; the job is much too strenuous and stressful the point we wish to set forth is "when should i say this is my limit; i am not able to do any more " be honest with yourself and when "that limit" has been reached stop research alternatives request help from qualified professionals and rest easy because you did the right thing 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

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Keywords: Care giving stress respite burn out

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

#acknowledge your feelings your feelings have a lot to do with the way you view and cope with caregiving all feeling are legitimate even those…

Try: #acknowledge your feelings your feelings have a lot to do with the way you view and cope with caregiving all feeling are legitimate even those that may seem disturbing to you including anger frustration and sadness #recognize and accept your emotions is the first step toward resolving problems of guilt and stress #learn to express your feelings to family members friends or professionals 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, Medical Physical, Personal

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Keywords: Care giving care giver stress emotions feelings burn out communication

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

Take the following caregiver stress test to determine how much stress you are under the following test will help you become aware of your feelings…

Try: Take the following caregiver stress test to determine how much stress you are under the following test will help you become aware of your feelings pressures and the stress you currently feel i find i can’t get enough rest seldom sometimes often usually true always true i don’t have enough time for myself seldom sometimes often usually true always true i don’t have time to be with other family members beside the person care for seldom sometimes often usually true always true i feel guilty about my situation seldom sometimes often usually true always true i don’t get out much anymore seldom sometimes often usually true always true i have conflict with the person i care for seldom sometimes often usually true always true i have conflicts with other family members seldom sometimes often usually true always true i cry every day seldom sometimes often usually true always true i worry about having enough money to make ends meet seldom sometimes often usually true always true i don’t feel i have enough knowledge or experience to give care as well as i’d like seldom sometimes often usually true always true my own health is not good seldom sometimes often usually true ____always true scoring if the response to one or more of these areas is "usually true" or "often true" it may be time to begin looking for help with your caregiving and help in taking care of yourself information references adapted from www ascu buffalo edu "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: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal

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Keywords: Care giving care giver stress burn out rating scale self help

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

Seek information check your public library for books articles brochures videotapes and films on caregiving some hospitals and adult education centers offer courses on caregiving…

Try: Seek information check your public library for books articles brochures videotapes and films on caregiving some hospitals and adult education centers offer courses on caregiving and additional information on resources that you can turn to for help help is available join a caregiver support group in addition to offering useful information such groups provide a unique forum for caregivers to come together and share their feelings in a supportive environment groups help caregivers feel less isolated and can create strong bonds of mutual help and friendship participating in a support group can help mange stress exchange experiences and improve skills as a caregiver sharing coping strategies in a group setting lets you help others while helping yourself it may also help you to realize that some problems have no solutions and that accepting the situation is reality set realistic goals caregiving is probably one of the many conflicting demands on your time it is important to set realistic goals recognize what you can and cannot do define your priorities and act accordingly turn to other people for help – your family friends and neighbors prepare a list of tasks for anyone who may offer assistance the list may include running an errand for you preparing a meal taking your carereceiver for a ride taking our children after school one day practice good communication skills do not expect that others will ask if you need help it is up to you to do the asking communicate with your family and friends turning to family members or friends for emotional support and help can be a mixed blessing their visits may make you feel less alone and better able to deal with caregiving responsibilities they can give you a break by spending time with your care receiver however other relatives or friends can be critical of the way you provide care they may feel the house is not kept clean enough; or they may not like the way your carereceiver is dressed recognize that they are responding to what they see at that time and are lacking the benefit of experiencing the whole picture and any gradual changes in your care receiver receiver’s condition harsh criticism may be a response to their own guilt about not participating more in the care process try to listen politely to what is being said even though this might not be easy however if you and your care receiver feel comfortable with the way you are managing the situation continue to do what meets your needs schedule a family meeting from time to time to help other family members understand the situation and to involve them in sharing the responsibilities for caregiving use community resources investigate community resources that might be helpful consider using in-home services or adult day care employ a homemaker to cook and clean or an aide to help your care receiver bathe eat dress use the bathroom or get around the house use respite care services when you need a break from providing care to your carereceiver look at respite care for example a companion can stay with your carereceiver for a few hours at a time on a regular basis to give you time off or have your care receiver participate in an adult daycare program where he or she can socialize with peers in a supervised setting; this gives your care receiver a necessary break from staying home all the time hospitals nursing homes and particularly residential care homes offer families the opportunity to place older relatives in their facilities for short stays the area agency on aging can assist with arrangements 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, Personal

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Keywords: Care giving care giver stress burn out respite services community resources help with care giving asking for help communication

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