Try: Sometimes a cg will resent being told that they are suffering from too much stress if it comes from a family member or close friend try to get an advocate such as a physician or a neighbor to approach the cg with the concern don’t make the concern a criticism of the cg’s ability to take care of the Care recipient (cr) instead concentrate on the wonderful job that the cg is doing and focus the attention on the worry you might have about the cg’s health and well-being the cr may not even realize they are close to burnout encourage the cr to participate in more socialization such as attending a support group or just finding a support person to share feelings with take it upon yourself to find a respite caregiver if just for an afternoon and treat the cg to a social activity – a movie or a trip to a spa sometimes just distancing themselves from the caregiving environment will make them realize just how much the strain is wearing on both their physical and emotional well being be there for them listen with both your ears and your heart

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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: Design a cue card to give or leave out for volunteers who come make it small enough to just hand to the volunteer and they can keep it in their pocket so it will be handy list the care recipient’s cr full name but also include any nickname that they prefer to be called list the cr’s age and birthday – the year might be helpful to stimulate conversation of the events that happened that year or around that time that the cr will relate to list the emergency numbers that the volunteer might need have a brief outline of their daily routine on the list – shower in morning or evening snacks or favorite tv shows or games mention any behavior problems and things that would trigger them so they can be avoided if possible

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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: Ask and continue to ask for help if a friend or neighbor offers to help – don’t refuse this is their way of showing concern for you and your situation appreciate the effort even if the offer doesn’t come at a convenient time for you and utilize the help in some way remember when offers of help are continually refused or turned away they will dry up

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Ask and continue to ask for help if a friend or neighbor offers to help – don’t refuse this is their way of showing concern for you and your situation appreciate the effort even if the offer doesn’t come at a convenient time for you and utilize the help in some way remember when offers of help are continually refused or turned away they will dry up

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

Try: Practice good communication skills take extra time to listen especially if the Care recipient (cr) has difficulty forming sentences or searching for the right word don’t rush the cr through a sentence this will just lead to frustration and agitation on the part of the cr be informed search out

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

Information: On the condition of the cr and this will usually lead to better ways to deal with stressful situations always treat the cr with dignity and respect just because the cr may sometimes exhibit childlike actions doesn’t mean they should be treated like children they are still adults be tactful if the cr has trouble remembering places or faces don’t add to their confusion by pointing out that they should remember gently remind the cr who people are and the names of places they have forgotten be flexible sometimes a structured daily routine is comforting to the cr but if they are enjoying an activity or special moment be willing to postpone bathing or eating never reprimand the cr for forgetting spilling or being unable to complete or perform a task reward and encourage the skill levels that remain information

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

Try: Try to fit the various caregiving roles to the particular skills or proximity of the caregiver s cg to the Care recipient (cr) it would be logical to assign the primary care to the sibling who lives the closest but this should be by a mutual agreement and consent of that particular sibling if at all possible pay the primary cg don’t assume that because a sibling is the oldest they should shoulder most of the responsibilities of care; if one of the siblings has legal experience they should most likely handle the finances and legal questions likewise if one sibling has nursing or medical experience; they should be one who coordinates the health questions and answers if one sibling has more time on certain days than others possibly one or two primary caregivers can work together for the daily care take everyone’s geographic and lifestyle situation into account at a family meeting before making any decisions

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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: Cr may not be trying to be difficult they may have just discovered over the years what works for them and makes them comfortable the cr’s routine may not be the most time effective routine for the cg but the cg should realize that their cg’s routine may have been dictated by necessity due to time constraints and not the necessity of the cr’s emotional well being try to work out a compromise that benefits both the cg and cr without imposing a routine that takes the cr out of their comfort zone

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

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

Try: Try to realize that my cr life and my actions are slowing down while yours cg remain at the same speed; don’t try to rush or hurry activities the evening meal shouldn’t be too early – that makes for a long and sometimes boring span of time between supper and bedtime i cr don’t need to be entertained every waking minute – sometimes quite times are needed and appreciated if visitors call and want to come by an evening visit would be welcome change

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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: If caregiver is feeling inadequate about their caregiving abilities experiencing anger or resentment toward Care recipient (cr) suffering from excessive fatigue but having trouble sleeping losing appetite having a sudden weight gain or loss losing pride in their appearance having trouble concentrating or focusing on specific cg tasks neglecting personal health problems or issues try this step back and away from the situation and form a clear picture of all of the caregiving challenges determine your priorities as a general rule you should usually address the most stressful caregiving challenges and then move ont the others don’t try to solve everything at once be realistic about what you have control over and can do don’t overestimate either your physical or mental capabilities take time out and time off arrange for respite care on a regular basis identify some of your non-caregiving needs and ask for help with them for example meals yardwork shopping and so on

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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: Forgetting appointments unopened mail – unpaid bills abnormal weight gain or loss spoiled food or no food in the refrigerator burn marks on countertops regular neat housekeeping turns into mounds of clutter and trash withdrawal from regular social activities wanders away and gets lost forgetting they have just called someone and calling them again and again personality changes

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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: Realize that some of this resentment stems from the fact that this cg cr situation isn’t the way retirement should be turning out it will be difficult moving into and assuming a role that the cr used to occupy because all of the responsibilities of this role could be unfamiliar to the cg this could lead to feelings of depression trouble sleeping and no interest in social contacts don’t try to adapt overnight – it will take time try a step-by-step assumption of the role don’t let the magnitude of the chore overwhelm you involve others – children church senior services ask for help in areas you cannot manage if cg can’t manage outdoor maintenance ask for help in specific areas; perhaps a neighbor child can rake leaves or shovel snow while an adult neighbor could trim trees or wash windows try to match the task to the skill or interest of the person you are asking to perform the task

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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