Try: It helps to have everything written down to eliminate questions or concerns this will make the respite of the primary cg more enjoyable because your phone won’t constantly ring if there is a problem be very specific in conveying to the respite cg just how you want them to spend their time realize that you are paying for your time away and you can expect certain duties to be performed make a list of the activities for the cr that you want accomplished during this time and include any tips that you have discovered that would make it easier the activities and chores should be listed in order or importance be very specific on what you will allow and what you will not allow the respite cg to do if they have any free time; such as television or computer usage telephone conversations loud music or snacks and where they are located

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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 empathy for the Care recipient (cr) – step into their shoes and see with your heart all of the activities that may have become restricted due to the mobility vision or hearing challenges of the cr be loving and compassionate have an awareness of the confusion and agitation that the cr may suffer from due to their loss of independence and difficulty just going about their daily routine be understanding even if you don’t understand convey an understanding attitude toward the cr even if you can’t find an immediate solution to a problem that the cr may be having be respectful and preserve the dignity of the cr don’t treat the cr as a child or view any of their actions as childlike have plenty of humor and interject it into all aspects and activities of the day be encouraging shift the focus from what the cr used to be able to do and instead concentrate on what the cr can do now and acknowledge success in all that they do have a positive approach positive thoughts lead to positive feelings and positive actions create positive reactions make your words positive – don’t ask the cr to do something ask the cr to help you do it make your tone positive – put a smile in your voice

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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: Recognize and accept your limitations and expectations and also those of the Care recipient (cr) slow down your pace and that will also put less stress on the cr because your pace may be too fast and confusing for the cr don’t sweat the small stuff realize that not getting all of the housework done is not as important as providing quality care and emotional reassurance for the cr make sure that the things that you provide for the cr such as nutritious meals regular exercise and social contact are also things that you provide for yourself enjoy a hobby you may want to pick one that the cr can take part in also such as bird watching scrapbooking or just renting old musicals from the video store and having a movie night complete with popcorn and candy delegate some of the more time consuming chores such as outside work or grocery shopping to a family member or neighbor don’t try to do anything all at once break down large jobs into smaller less overwhelming ones take things one step at a time

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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: Plan to visit the Care recipient (cr) as often as you can and make daily or weekly phone calls support the primary caregiver all that you can if the primary caregiver doesn’t do things exactly they way you would do them try suggesting a change instead of criticizing be generous with offers to help in any way that you can – possibly hire a respite caregiver for an evening so that the primary caregiver can have some time off or arrange for yard work to be done in the spring or fall sometimes you just have to take the initiative when providing help for the primary caregiver your offers may be turned down because the primary caregiver may think that they can do it all instead of asking just send a gift certificate for a movie or dinner out even a magazine subscription can provide the primary caregiver with some time to themselves and something to look forward to each month

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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: Separate caring dealing directly with and for the Care recipient (cr) and non-caring chores those dealing with the environment around the cr see if you can delegate or outsource some of the non-caring chores share the care possibly there is another cg close by who could visit with their Care recipient (cr) and stay so you could run some errands and you in turn could provide share care for them this would also provide socialization for the two cr’s who could visit and reminisce with each other realize and accept the fact that no-one will be able to do your caregiving job as well as you do but also be aware that you may not be able to keep up the pace without respite help once in a while know your own strengths and weaknesses – capitalize on the one and delegate the other get used to the fact that there will always be constant change and possibly new normals in your life each and every day

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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: Don’t do everything yourself enlist the help of out-of-town siblings and other family members make a list of care giving tasks that you think out-of-town siblings and other family members may be able to assume responsibility for on a daily weekly or monthly basis some tasks could be done from long distance while others could be done by out-of-towners who are willing or able to visit regularly talk to your family members about sharing the caregiver responsibilities let them know what kind of care you are providing share your ideas about what out-of-town siblings might be able to help with and ask them if they have additional ideas don’t expect to get commitments from people in your first conversations with them give them time to think realistically about what they can commit to doing and remember that you don’t have the power to make a sibling feel the way you do about caring for a parent if you get a specific commitment from a family member put it on a master schedule and share it with everyone involved in providing care so you can all see who is responsible for what include back-up care providers numbers for people to use in cases when they are unable to keep vital commitments follow up with family members and make adjustments as necessary long distance care giving tasks that can be shared among out-of-town family members include helping with finances and bill paying preparing and freezing meals checking on the cr with daily calls in the morning or evening researching resources and visiting to provide care so that you can take time off on a weekly or monthly basis

Materials: Phone schedule communication with siblings

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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

Try: #organize the supplies for each activity of daily living separately bathing grooming dressing taking medications making phone calls and appointments exercising etc gather the items related to each activity and place them handily in the area where they are used #keep in mind that organizing like this is a large task and may take time to accomplish depending on the urgency of the cr’s needs #organize the supplies for each activity of daily living into kits that can be kept in the most appropriate way tooth care items might be kept in a cup in the bathroom medications might be kept in a clear zipping bag in the kitchen #use heavy markers and index cards to label contents of drawers cupboards and storage containers for example gather all nail care tools such as clippers emery boards polish and remover cotton balls cuticle pushers etc and place them in a clear box or bag that can be carried from where they are stored to where they are used note the contents of the box or bag on the side that faces out use tape or rubber cement to attach the card to the box #organizing kits may also be made for activities such as light housekeeping feather duster rags glass cleaner furniture polish surface cleanser in a bucket ; mending spot cleaner needles and thread extra buttons scissors in a small lidded box ; shopping collapsible shopping cart market bags place for shopping list pen ; or bill-paying bills pen paper envelopes stamps calculator letter opener in a letter tray or basket #kits may also be created by organizing drawers for specific purposes throughout the house for example drawers in the bedroom bathroom or closet may be dedicated to cosmetics hair care skin care light first aid prescription medications dental care etc in the kitchen or work area the usual organizing may be adapted to meet particular needs for example a shelf in a cabinet or refrigerator may be set aside for snacks and drinks for easy access day or night

Materials: Organizing plan fat markers index cards tape or rubber cement clear storage containers as needed

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Personal, Mobility, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Independence, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Fully Aware, Long-Term Memory, Good L T Memory, So-So L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory

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

Try: #you may find yourself angry and frustrated if you believe a cr is faking weakness acting sick or being manipulative remove yourself from these responses by accepting that the cr is doing what he or she believes best to get needs met with honesty clear communication and good boundaries you can keep yourself from being manipulated and demonstrate a new way of getting needs met #encourage the cr to do as much as possible independently by addressing the cr’s need for attention while suggesting reasonable ways you will help the cr accomplish a task for example i’ll sit next to the tub and hand you what you need while you bathe and you can wash yourself as you finish with each item you can hand it back to me #give appropriate not excessive praise when the cr does things independently i like how you fixed your hair or the clothes you picked out look good on you #if the cr’s refusal to function in basic ways significantly affects his or her daily life discuss the problem with the cr’s doctor- if you have the legal status to do so ask for recommendations including the possibility of a mental health assessment and counseling for the cr if the cr is resistant to counseling consider short-term counseling for yourself aimed at learning how to set appropriate limits in your relationship with the cr and how to deal with your difficulty dealing with difficult people

Materials: Acceptance praise for independent behavior willingness to set appropriate boundaries support and advice from helpers

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Personal

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

Try: #find out if any local senior service agencies offer a phone service that allows seniors to get regular phone calls from volunteers phone check-ins may minimize a cr’s isolation and alert a care provider to trouble should the cr fail to answer the phone #if the cr is eligible for assistance at home but doesn’t want the help have a conversation about why fears about having a stranger in the home may be addressed by having a friend of the cr’s present when the worker comes to the home also some agencies may allow relatives to be paid care providers if the relatives otherwise qualify to be agency employees #get ideas from the people you talk to at the senior service agencies and from friends who have relatives in similar situations about how to talk with the cr about getting help at home if the cr has a friend with a home aide encourage the cr to talk to the friend about the pros and cons of the situation #be willing to have several conversations with the cr about the reasons he or she doesn’t want help your job is to listen and learn not to argue be patient and when you think you have a good understanding of why the cr doesn’t want help begin a respectful conversation about how to solve the safety problems you may be able to bring up the idea of helpers again this time with a better understanding of what local agencies may offer and what the cr’s concerns are

Materials: Patience phone service local senior service agencies peer support for the cr

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Mobility, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Independence, No Supervision, Some Supervision

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Keywords: n/a

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

Try: #enhance an existing photo album or create a new one that highlights the people and memories most important to the cr buy decorative paper and double-sided tape in a craft store or general merchandise store’s craft department use the supplies to add notes to the album identifying people places years etc associated with various pictures use the scissors to cut the decorative paper into attractive shapes for the notes #keep the album in a central visible spot where the cr will meet with visitors #buy or make a guest book and keep a pen next to it keep them both near the photo album #if you are the person arranging visits for the cr let visitors know before they come that #there will be a guest book for them to sign and a photo album they can offer to look at with the cr explain that the guest book helps you and the cr reconstruct the cr’s day and that the cr enjoys looking at the album and accessing long term memories if a visitor doesn’t know about the cr’s loss of memory you may want to let him or her know about it in a matter of fact way polite people will take their cue from you in terms of how to respond #the photo album may provide a nice way for visitors to start up a conversation with the cr as the cr’s recall is triggered the conversation may widen for some visitors the album may also provide a window into understanding a little bit more about the cr’s life

Materials: Guest book pen photo album decorative paper double-sided scrapbook tape scissors

Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Cognitive Intellectual, Social, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Some Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Fully Aware, Poor S T Memory

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