Try: Make sure the new cg knows what the care recipient recipient’s cr cr’s daily routine is if it is a set routine because of a lifetime habit of the cr suggest that the new cg try not to vary from it if something new needs to be added to the routine encourage the new cg try to involve the cr in the rescheduling suggest that the new cr not make any drastic changes at first if the new cg is not a family member make sure he or she has enough family history to bond with the cr and carry on relevant and interesting conversations

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Social, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

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

Try: Work at cultivating empathy by making genuine inquiries about what the Care recipient (cr) is feeling and validate those feelings by showing an emotional concern for the cr in other words put yourself in their shoes and imagine how you would feel if the situations were reversed and you were no longer able to function as independently as you used to try to expand on your capacity to experience and share the sadness or happiness of the cr when you empathize with the cr they feel less alone lack of empathy puts distance between the cg and the cr practicing empathy shortens the distance and creates a bond that will ultimately benefit both the cg and the cr cultivating empathy will have its own rewards the more you practice it the better your relationship will be with the cr which will make the job of caregiving go more smoothly

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Communication, Emotional Psychological

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

Try: Don’t let guilt bring you to a standstill; use it to spur you on to be the best you can be recognize the feeling of guilt – don’t feel guilty about feeling guilty unrecognized guilt can eat away at you put your guilt into words – identify it give it a name write it down go easy on yourself guilty moods will come and go give yourself permission to feel guilty and when you recognize that your feelings don’t have to control your actions your guilt will subside take some sort of action ask for help if you need some time alone call a friend and share your feelings sometimes all you need to do is vent

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological

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

Try: Realize that denial will buy enough time to adjust to the shock of the situation and that fleeing into denial occurs because the reality of the situation is just too hard to accept don’t let denial extend beyond a reasonable time period for adjustment face the fears that cause the denial and accept the reality in order to move forward these fears are legitimate but need to be acknowledged and discussed to move past the denial stage don’t waste time being angry resentful or frustrated denying the reality of the situation will most often make it worse change your perspective – focus on the here and now and don’t dwell on the outcome

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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

Try: Learn a new or rediscover an old hobby such as baking scrapbooking card making gardening needlework or try your hand at poetry or writing if you are unable to go out to a caregiver support group get in touch with one see if you can get the phone numbers of some of the members and initiate a phone discussion with them so that you can interact and be involved in the support group you could benefit from their experience along with the friendship experience and support check out books on humor at the library and don’t be afraid to laugh out loud get an exercise dvd and fit a regular exercise routine into your daily routine remember you can’t be a super caregiver just do the best you can

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological

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

Try: Respite care is essential for the well being of both the cg and the cr time away is time well spent in order to regroup and re-energize it is also necessary to have time to reassess needs; not only of the cr but also your own needs as cg respite care can be provided in many ways – adult day care services home help and assistance agencies friends or family members or nursing homes or assisted living facilities that will provide temporary care for a few days up to a few weeks when you find what option works best for you integrate it into your schedule this will give you something to plan for and look forward to

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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

Try: Have a monthly meeting either with any of the long distance siblings who can physically attend and a conference calling situation with those who are too far away have an agenda for the meeting update everyone on any changes to the cr’s condition either physically or behaviorally since the last meeting bring up any challenges you have had in providing care and how you have dealt with those challenges but keep an open mind if the other siblings have different ideas on how the challenges should be met create a list of cr’s current needs and see if long distance caregivers can meet any of those needs discuss everyone’s questions and concerns remember that the siblings who live away may not see the gravity of the cr’s condition in the same way you do because you are there on a daily basis if the monthly meetings always result in disagreements hurt feelings and resentments try having an impartial person assume the moderation of the meeting long distance caregivers need to learn all they can and listen with an open mind to the primary caregiver long distance caregivers need to realize that even though they may not be able to offer the primary caregiver physical support they can and should offer emotional support

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Communication

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

Try: Realize that listening requires more than just hearing the words it may be frustrating for the cr to engage in conversation because they forget the words don’t let them struggle to find a word – give them ample time to remember it on their own and then gently supply a word that you think they are searching for don’t try to use logic or common sense if the cr says something that you know is wrong or not relevant adjust the conversation to their level even if it doesn’t make sense to you enter their reality don’t try to make them enter yours don’t argue – agree would you rather be right or have the cr be calm and happy

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

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

Try: caregiver (cg) needs to try to be on the lookout for certain facial expressions or physical agitation that could mean the cr is experiencing pain or discomfort don’t wait until the agitation gets more severe before reacting to the situation in addition to watching for signs of pain or confusion learn to recognize the signs that cr is experiencing a calm sensation or getting pleasure out of an activity or event arrange for more ways to promote these activities or events to increase the positive feelings they bring to the cr being attuned to the mood of the cr enables the cg to react quickly and positively to either type of situation without the cr having to try to verbalize their discomfort to a negative experience or feeling or their request for a pleasurable event

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Social, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

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

Try: Cg needs to remember that they need to first take care of themselves so that they can give quality care to the Care recipient (cr) have realistic expectations – know what you are able to provide and what you are willing to provide realize you can only do so much learn to accept any help others offer be your own best friend pat yourself on the back often – caregiving is a very difficult job be open to change – be flexible enough to capture a memorable moment with the cr even if it means a change in routine find a support buddy – someone you can talk about your caregiving situation with and also someone you can forget about it with learn to consider the source when others are critical – have they walked in your shoes express your feelings and vent even if it is just writing them down at the end of the day and throwing the paper away later you would be surprised at how much better you will feel after that listen to your body relax your mind and nourish your spirit

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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