Try: Join a support group to share advice and understanding with other cgs call for help from home health care or adult day care services when needed use national and local resources to find out how to pay for some of this help

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological

Information: Up-to-date

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: Care giver care giving asking for help care giver needs help caregiver needs support care giver needs a break respite care respite respite services community services home health care

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

Try: Try to find ways to do the things that you really enjoy doing away from the cr you should not sacrifice the quality of your life just because you are a cg ask family members and friends to help out use adult day care services get help from a local home health care agency

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological

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: Care giver care giving care giver needs help caregiver needs support care giver needs a break respite care respite respite services community services home health care

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

Try: Celebrate only the holidays that are important to you and the Care recipient (cr) include the cr in the holiday celebrations as much as possible talk to the cr about his or her favorite holiday activities and traditions make plans with the cr to do these activities along with the ones that you also would enjoy as well try to plan ahead rather than wait until the last minute if numerous individuals are involved in the holiday celebrations try to make plans to accomodate the majority accept the fact that you most likely will not be able to please everyone understand that things will be different be realistic about what is and is not possible for example a big family celebration over several days may not be feasible if the cr is in the hospital or nursing home as an alternative you may be able to reserve the family dining room in the facility and have a nice family dinner together sometimes a shorter family visit is better than a longer one sometimes a simple celebration is better than an elaborate one try to maintain a positive attitude about the holidays focus on the things that you and the cr enjoy rather than the things that you don’t like about the holidays ask a friend or family member to spend time with Care recipient (cr) while you take a break from care giving

Materials: n/a

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Social

Information: n/a

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

Keywords: Holidays balancing care giving with holidays enjoying the holidays holiday stress holiday respite

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

Try: Celebrate holidays that are important to cg include Care recipient (cr) as much as possible understand that things will be different be realistic about what is and is not possible

Materials: n/a

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

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: Holidays christmas thanksgiving balancing care giving

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

Try: When setting appointments such as hair dental manicure etc set an appointment for you too that way both of you are getting cared for at the same time play soothing music while making the Care recipient (cr) dinner or taking care of routine chores for the cr take the cr to the library and make sure to find a few books for yourself while you’re there incorporate your simple pleasures with caregiving bake cookies with or for the cr craft together watch a movie you both enjoy make time for your own spiritual practice church bible study meditation etc keep in mind that nothing lasts forever a little perspective goes a long way

Materials: n/a

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Social, Spiritual

Information: n/a

References: Taken from information found in the book caring for aging parents by kerri s smith

Keywords: Caregiver stress caregiver needs spirituality

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

Try: Get professional care giving help with bathing if it becomes too hard for cg to do him herself look in phone book for home health agencies

Materials: Phone book

Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Medical Physical, Personal, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance

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: Bathing care giver needs help help with bathing

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

Try: Don’t expect a young child to help take care of or babysit cr make sure the child has time for his own interests and needs such as playing with friends going to school activities or doing homework be sure to spend time with the child so he doesn’t feel that all attention is on cr help the child understand the care giver’s cg feelings be honest about feelings when talking with a child but don’t overwhelm him

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Social

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: Communication children child grandchildren grandchild memory loss cognitive impairment

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

Try: The following tips may help you cope better with long-term caregiving and help prevent cg depression and burnout know what you’re up against by having the care recipient recipient’s cr cr’s problems diagnosed as soon as possible ask questions and find the answers educate yourself about the cr cr’s condition help the cr protect his or her assets by doing legal and financial planning before a crisis hits know the symptoms of depression and anxiety seek professional help if you cannot stop dwelling on all the negative circumstances take long and short breaks whenever possible as much as possible maintain all the activities that you normally enjoy don’t automatically assume you must give up your life to be a cg for your loved one you have your own life to live and it it’s ok to be a little selfish you can’t be helping the cr 24 7 you have important commitments with your job family and so on do whatever it takes to hang onto your job because losing it would add even more stress to your life there are things that you like to do that make life worth living so do them don’t try to do all of the caregiving yourself seek outside help so you can get your life back and do this before it is too late maintain a sense of humor even in the most difficult of circumstances breathe

Materials: n/a

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Financial, Legal

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from material found in the book caregiving the spiritual journey of love loss and renewal by beth witrogen mcleod

Keywords: Caregiver stress caregiver support financial legal caregiver depression

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

Try: Tell them about the disease and its effects share books and

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical, 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

Information: To help family understand what care giver cg and cr are going through tell family how to get more information about cr’s condition s tell family what they can do to help let family know cg needs breaks

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: Communication respite care asking for help family family meeting

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

Try: Make several attempts to discuss the situation with the cr try different approaches and if one doesn’t work try something else be completely willing to hear the cr cr’s point of view in the discussions and use good listening skills if the cr continues to refuse talking to you remove yourself from the conversation talk with family members and find someone else who is willing to talk with the cr perhaps the other family member has more influence or better chemistry with the cr a minister doctor or close friend also may be able to get the cg to discuss the life circumstances and care changes needed some of these individuals may care about the cr but be less involved emotionally

Materials: n/a

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

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from information found in the book the complete eldercare planner by joy loverde

Keywords: Changes conversation decision making

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