Try: Caregiving for an individual with dementia can be a difficult task stress and frustration are common for the caregiver be informed the more informed you are about the nature of alzheimers disease and other dementing disease the better off you are try to share your concerns with the Care recipient (cr) patients can often manage their problems when they are mildly to moderately impaired together you may be able to devise memory aids that will help the older adult maintain independence note it is important to attempt this early in the condition try to solve most of your frustrating problems one at a time everyday problems can often be overwhelming preparing meals getting the cr to eat and then having to clean it all up can be challenging the frustration can lead you to the end of your rope often working on one task at a time may make each task less frustrating get enough rest caregiving can be very demanding and you may not get enough rest or respite getting a reprive from caregiving can help you to be more patient and tolerant of irritating behaviors you may need to seek outside resources to assist you in getting a break from your caregiving responsibilities use you common sense and imagination being able to adapt to various situations with common sense and imagination is the key to success for example if the cr insists on eating with his her fingers then serve more finger foods if the older adult insists on sleeping with a hat on then so be it what’s the harm information references

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Dementia caregiving

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

Try: Adult day care can be beneficial for both the care giver care giver and the Care recipient (cr) if the conditions are right adult day care may be a good option if you work during the day or just need a break or respite from caregiving it can relieve you of your caregiving duties during the day while ensuring the cr will still receive the proper care in a safe friendly environment before selecting an adult day care facility you should make sure the cr is appropriate for the program good candidates for adult day care centers are generally crs who can benefit from the socialization and functional assistance a day care center offers may be physically or cognitively challenged but do not require constant assistance are in the early stages of alzheimer alzheimer’s disease or dementia rather than advanced stages have a good level of mobility are usually continent these considerations are important because the cr will have to travel to and from the facility also adult day care facilities are not equipped to handle crs that need skilled nursing home care if you have questions contact an adult day care center and ask about their program describe your cr to see if he or she would be a good fit and consider taking a tour of the community to learn more about it you can learn much during an on-site tour and gain insights into the quality of the care staff clients and program information references

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Personal, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware, Good L T Memory, So-So L T Memory, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory

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Keywords: Adult day care caregiver assistance

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

Try: Adult day care is generally a program of medical and social services including socialization activities and supervision provided in an outpatient setting adult day care may be an option for caregivers who work during the day or simply need a break it is used to relieve the caregiver of his or her duties for the day while ensuring that the Care recipient (cr) will still receive the proper care in a safe friendly environment adult day care can also be beneficial for the cr as he or she may get interaction and socialization outside of the home these facilities usually operate during normal business hours five days a week and some centers also offer additional services during evenings and weekends the staff usually consists of a social worker an activity director and an activity aide who often is a certified nursing aide cna the adult day care facility may offer various activities for the cr including exercise mental stimulation educational activities and various therapies among other things the cost of adult day care centers varies the national average is around 70 per day if run by a non-profit or if it receives government funding the center may be less expensive however facilities that offer extensive care or additional specialized services often cost more either way adult day care is less expensive than hiring a home health nurse or moving the cr into a nursing home information references

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Personal, Social, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware, Good L T Memory, So-So L T Memory, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory

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Keywords: Adult day care caregiver assistance medical

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

Try: Older care recipients cr need a wide array of services for their care needs each person’s needs may vary but the following is a list of possible care services that caregivers will encounter adult day care a program of medical and social services including socialization activities and supervision provided in an outpatient setting case management client assessment identification and coordination of community resources and follow-up monitoring of client adjustment and service provision chore services household repairs yard work errands congregate meals meals provided in a group setting for people who may benefit both from the nutritionally sound meal and from social educational and recreational services provided at the setting home-delivered meals meals delivered to the home for individuals who are unable to shop or cook for themselves home health aide services assistance with home-related tasks such as medications exercises and personal care homemaker services household services such as cooking cleaning laundry and shopping and escort service to accompany patients to medical appointments and elsewhere hospice services medical nursing and social services to provide support and alleviate suffering for dying persons and their families legal services assistance with legal matters such as advance directives guardianship power of attorney and transfer of assets mental health services psychosocial assessment and individual and group counseling to address psychological and emotional problems of patients and families occupational therapy treatment to improve functional abilities; provided by an occupational therapist paid companion sitter an individual who comes to the home to provide supervision personal care and socialization during the absence of the primary caregiver patient assessment evaluation of the indivdiual’s physical mental and emotional status behavior and social supports personal care assistance with basic self-care activities such as bathing dressing getting out of bed eating and using the bathroom personal emergency response systems telephone-based systems to alert others that an individual who is alone is experiencing an emergency and needs assistance physical therapy rehabilitative treatment provided by a physical therapist physician services diagnosis and ongoing medical care including prescribing medications and treating intercurrent illness protective services social and law enforcement services to prevent eliminate or remedy the effects of physical and emotional abuse or neglect recreational services physical exercise art and music therapy parties celebrations and other social and recreational activities respite care short-term in- or out-patient services intended to provide temporary relief for the primary caregiver skilled nursing medically oriented care provided by a licensed nurse including monitoring acute and unstable medical conditions; assessing care needs; supervising medications tube and intravenous feeding and personal care services; and treating bedsores and other conditions speech therapy treatment to improve or restore speech; provided by a speech therapist supervision monitoring an individual’s whereabouts to ensure his or her safety transportation transporting people to medical appointments community facilities and elsewhere information references adapted from the 36-hour day mace n l & robins p v 1999

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Maintenance, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Caregiving assistance services

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

Try: Caregiving for an individual with dementia can be a very difficult task it is very important to consider all care options and look for outside help when necessary kinds of services crs with dementia often need more than one kind of service most services are available for a fee some of the services that may be available include dental care discounted dentures eyeglasses legal counseling social work referral services nutrition programs meals on wheels income tax preparation and home repair help from friends and neighbors family members may agree or disagree to help when they disagree you may be hesitant to ask others for the help you need even though they may be willing friends and neighbors may be able to step up for short periods of time or to pick up prescriptions or go to the store for you when you do ask for assistance try to give advance notice remember to thank your friends and neighbors for their help and avoid criticizing what they have done finding information resources and services caregivers often look for outside help in making decisions and planning long-term care for their Care recipient (cr) the burdens of caring for a person with dementia are enormous and many people have difficulty finding the information resources and services that might make caregiving easier a list of helpful resources is included on this website in addition locating the local chapter of the alzheimer’s association and other senior service organizations would be a good place to start local healthcare providers may be able to point you in the right direction research programs there may be alzheimer’s research centers and clinics funded through the federal government in your area check with your local alzheimer’s association chapter and local healthcare providers to find out if any of these programs are available information references adapted from the 36-hour day mace n l & robins p v 1999

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Cognitive Intellectual, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Personal, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Caregiving outside help dementia

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

Try: All caregivers need some type of break to reduce stress restore energy and maintain good health taking short breaks is an important part of the caregiving challenge respite care is meant to be a short-term option to use before the caregiver gets exhausted overwhelmed or starts to suffer because of social isolation respite care benefits the Care recipient (cr) by allowing him or her to continue receiving care while the caregiver gets a short break identify respite care needs before you try to find a respite caregiver you must first identify the respite care needs consider both the needs of the cr and yourself when looking for respite care options for example does the cr need help with bathing toileting cooking cleaning grocery shopping someone to talk to transportation to scheduled appointments etc do you need a full day off or just a couple of hours when would you likely need this time off daytime afternoons evenings nighttime etc options for respite care it is important to consider the various options available for respite care before you look for a respite caregiver ask family members to help out if at all possible be open and honest about your need for some type of relief from the demands of day-to-day caregiving give family members options to help be specific in your requests and match the requests to the individual family member’s abilities and schedule look into organizing some type of a local co-op respite care group that will allow you to possibly trade respite care with other caregivers use in-home services if at all possible both agencies and volunteers provide these services check to see what services are available in your area and research to see which provides the respite care that you need adult day care centers provide personal care as well as planned activities during the day this can be a very good option for caregivers who work full time during the day residential care facilities provide respite care for different lengths of time for example you may want to make arrangements for limited two week stay while you are away on a vacation or business locate and attend a support group in your area helpful tips to ease the transition to a respite caregiver respite relief needs to be regularly planned and scheduled give respite caregivers to a checklist that lists the cr cr’s preferred routines likes and dislikes medical history and prescriptions emergency contact information and any behavior challenges that might be encountered always have a "plan b" if for some reason the regular respite care plan has to be changed at the last minute enjoy each respite opportunity take full advantage of the time off and try not to waste time don’t allow yourself to feel guilt or shame for taking a break you need to take care of yourself so that you can provide quality care for the care recipient references adapted in part from the internet website www helpguide org key words caregiver burnout getting a break from caregiving getting your life back stress management

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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

Try: 1 help from friends and neighbors family members may agree or disagree to help when they disagree you may be hesitant to ask others for the help you need others may be willing to help neighbors may be willing to step up for short periods of time or to pick up prescriptions or go to the store for you see ‘putting potential help at ease’ fact sheet when you do ask for assistance give them advance notice remember to thank them and avoid criticizing what they have done 2 finding information and services often family caregivers look to outside help in obtaining information making decisions and planning for long-term care for their family member the burdens of caring for a person with dementia are enormous and many people have difficulty finding the services that might make caregiving easier see ‘definition of care services for persons with dementia’ fact sheet 3 kinds of services people with dementia often need more than one kind of service most services are available for a fee some of these services such as dental care discounted dentures eyeglasses legal counseling social work referral services tax assistance for people over the age of 60 their spouses and people with disabilities nutrition programs and programs that aid in assistance in the repair of older people’s homes see ‘services’ fact sheet 4 planning in advance for home care or day care once you’ve chosen a good program be sure the provider understands the nature of the older adult’s illness and how to handle problem behavior be sure the provider knows how to contact you and other emergency information such as physician 5 when the confused person rejects the care people with dementia may take a long period of time to adjust to a new program you may feel guilty and exhausted over arguments relating to the new program make a commitment to yourself to give the program a fair trial see the ‘adjustment to respite programs" fact sheet 6 getting respite for yourself when you become ill you may require additional help while you re-cooperate talk with your family or providers about providing care in advance of your own personal illness this ensures that the older adult your caring for has a back-up when you are unavailable being a good caregiver also means taking care of you 7 locating resources please refer to web links of resources on this website begin by locating your local chapter of the alzheimer’s association 8 paying for care fee for services such as day care or home care vary widely medicare and medicaid may cover some such services it is best to consult with these agencies in advance of the need for care some agencies and the alzheimer’s association may provide some funding to assist with day or home care 9 should respite programs mix people who have different problems programs that include people with dementia head trauma or other disabilities are more common since specialized programs are more expensive to offer in most cases it is the skill of the staff of respite programs that is more important the diagnosis of the individual 10 determining the quality of the services agencies that refer programs to you may not have first-hand knowledge of its quality home care and day care providers should be bonded adult day care programs are generally licensed but the quality of care is a little more difficult to determine ask program directors questions such as training of the people who will be caring for the older adult and if the state certifies the level of care 11 research and demonstration programs there may be alzheimer’s research centers and clinics funded through the federal government in your area check with the local alzheimer’s association chapter and local universities for availability

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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

Try: When someone in a family suffers from a chronic illness usually that results in another family member assuming the role of caregiver this means the whole family is ultimately affected by changes in the family routines some emotional reactions to these changes can be shock anxiety relief denial unrealistic hopes or pessimism acknowledgement depression internal or external anger fatigue frustration withdrawal discomfort over changes in roles grief the five "r’s" of coping are recognizing stress when you recognize the early warning signs of stress you can prevent it from increasing and getting out of control because when stress gets out of control it also affects your responses to others around you the 10 warning signs of stress are denial of the disease and its effects anger at the person with the disease social withdrawal anxiety about the future depression symptoms beginning to break the spirit exhaustion and not being able to complete daily tasks sleeplessness caused by concern irritability leading to negative responses and reactions lack of concentration health problems relax learn to engage in relaxing activities whenever and wherever possible to cope with stress when the relaxation response is turned on the stress response is turned off reassuring thinking do you always think the worst are you an "i can’t" instead of an "i can" person do you have your expectations too high do you have an "all or nothing" attitude do you degrade or berate yourself do you focus on the negative rather than the positive aspects of situations use realistic statements such as this too shall pass one day at a time choose your battles i make mistakes just like everyone else i know i can do this i’ve been through worse this experience has made me a better person don’t sweat the small stuff it could be worse i choose joy take control and learn to identify what causes stress by changing the thought process it will make us better able to function better in life and feel better relating assertively by learning to communicate better listen and let the person know you hear them be respectful and open to their views approach the problem in a "solution" mode not a "blaming mode" focus on the solution not the problem recovery "do’s" schedule time for exercise give yourself permission to cry walk get enough rest take things as they come keep a journal once in a while turn things over to someone else realize things won’t always work out the way you want them to share your feelings with someone you trust count your blessings let go of things that don’t need to be held onto practice positive coping strategies remind yourself that you can handle difficult situations face challenges head on – don’t avoid them be willing to have a sense of humor references adapted from powerpoint presentation by samantha backhaus phd rehabilitation hospital of indiana

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

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

Try: 1 help from friends and neighbors family members may agree or disagree to help when they disagree you may be hesitant to ask others for the help you need others may be willing to help neighbors may be willing to step up for short periods of time or to pick up prescriptions or go to the store for you see ‘putting potential help at ease’ fact sheet when you do ask for assistance give them advance notice remember to thank them and avoid criticizing what they have done 2 finding information and services often family caregivers look to outside help in obtaining information making decisions and planning for long-term care for their family member the burdens of caring for a person with dementia are enormous and many people have difficulty finding the services that might make caregiving easier see ‘definition of care services for persons with dementia’ fact sheet 3 kinds of services people with dementia often need more than one kind of service most services are available for a fee some of these services such as dental care discounted dentures eyeglasses legal counseling social work referral services tax assistance for people over the age of 60 their spouses and people with disabilities nutrition programs and programs that aid in assistance in the repair of older people’s homes see ‘services’ fact sheet 4 planning in advance for home care or day care once you’ve chosen a good program be sure the provider understands the nature of the older adult’s illness and how to handle problem behavior be sure the provider knows how to contact you and other emergency information such as physician 5 when the confused person rejects the care people with dementia may take a long period of time to adjust to a new program you may feel guilty and exhausted over arguments relating to the new program make a commitment to yourself to give the program a fair trial see the ‘adjustment to respite programs" fact sheet 6 getting respite for yourself when you become ill you may require additional help while you re-cooperate talk with your family or providers about providing care in advance of your own personal illness this ensures that the older adult your caring for has a back-up when you are unavailable being a good caregiver also means taking care of you 7 locating resources please refer to web links of resources on this website begin by locating your local chapter of the alzheimer’s association 8 paying for care fee for services such as day care or home care vary widely medicare and medicaid may cover some such services it is best to consult with these agencies in advance of the need for care some agencies and the alzheimer’s association may provide some funding to assist with day or home care 9 should respite programs mix people who have different problems programs that include people with dementia head trauma or other disabilities are more common since specialized programs are more expensive to offer in most cases it is the skill of the staff of respite programs that is more important the diagnosis of the individual 10 determining the quality of the services agencies that refer programs to you may not have first-hand knowledge of its quality home care and day care providers should be bonded adult day care programs are generally licensed but the quality of care is a little more difficult to determine ask program directors questions such as training of the people who will be caring for the older adult and if the state certifies the level of care 11 research and demonstration programs there may be alzheimer’s research centers and clinics funded through the federal government in your area check with the local alzheimer’s association chapter and local universities for availability

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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

Try: It is very important if you are a caregiver to keep in touch with your feelings if you are experiencing feelings of loneliness panic depression uselessness or self-pity try to identify the situations that bring on these feelings work out the feelings rather than trying to ignore them here is a helpful checklist to go over when you experience some of these emotions prepare for the future but take one day at a time focus your attention on the situations that you have control over and don’t worry or stress about events that you cannot control don’t try to do everything yourself even if you think no one else can do quite as good a job as you can be realistic about your abilities and your limitations the care recipient’s cr’s needs and abilities may change on a day to day basis find the rewards in each day and enjoy and share all of the memories take time out and step away from the caregiving responsibilities on a regular basis you need time to regroup recharge and refresh yourself in order to be a more effective caregiver set limits on what you can and cannot do don’t stretch yourself too thin in any one area because ultimately it will spread out and affect other areas of your caregiving don’t be too hard on yourself forgive your own limitations and mistakes do the very best that you can to the very best of your abilities and realize that this is all anyone expects of you keep your attitude positive and your sense of humor intact make sure you have enough personal time and a personal space of your own in which to enjoy it even if it is just an overstuffed chair with good lighting and a favorite book to pick up from time to time keep up with your hobbies and activities as much as possible don’t hesitate to seek outside support and assistance pat yourself on the back and be proud of the job you are doing reference adapted from aging parents – the family survival guide

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological

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