Try: Here are some things to look for to decide whether a senior may need some extra help at home or may need another type of living arrangement has the senior changed eating habits within the last year resulting in weight loss having no appetite or missed meals neglected personal hygiene resulting in wearing dirty clothes body odor bad breath neglected nails and teeth sores on the skin neglected their home so it is not as clean or sanitary as you remember growing up exhibited inappropriate behavior by being unusually loud or quiet paranoid agitated making phone calls at all hours changed relationship patterns such that friends and neighbors have expressed concerns had physical problems such as burns or injury marks resulting from general weakness forgetfulness or possible misuse of alcohol or prescribed medications decreased or stopped participating in activities that were previously important to them such as bridge or a book club dining with friends or attending religious services exhibited forgetfulness resulting in unopened mail piling newspapers not filling their prescriptions or missed appointments mishandled finances such as not paying bills losing money paying bills twice or more or hiding money made unusual purchases such as buying more than one magazine subscription of the same magazine entered an unusual amount of contests increased usage of purchasing from television advertisements information references "10 warning signs" 2010 available at www eldercare gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision

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Keywords: Home care weight loss dirty house not paying bills hoarding neglect falls injury

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

Try: Advertising in the help wanted classified section of a community college local paper or neighborhood newsletter can be a useful wau to find a local caregiver the advertisement should include hours a brief description of duties telephone number and best time to call here’s an example "home care assistant needed to provide supervision and companionship to older adult with memory loss must be compassionate reliable and able to assist with bathing dressing and eating references required call to apply " information references home care services for seniors by joanna saisan amara rose and monika white 2010 available at www helpguide org

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Caregiver home care home help advertise

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

Try: Pros screening hiring firing pay and taxes are handled by the agency if the worker is sick a substitute can be sent can provide individuals with a variety of skills to meet varying needs e g skilled nursing care physical therapy occupational therapy etc may be partially covered by medicaid or private insurance cons often several workers are used which can be confusing or distressing for the person receiving care less individual choice in workers more expensive than hiring someone yourself information references home care services for seniors by joanna saisan amara rose and monika white 2010 available at www helpguide org

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

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Keywords: Caregiver home care home help agency

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

Try: Pros a strong one-on-one relationship can develop between the worker and the person receiving care although this can also happen through an agency when there is a commitment to using the same person or persons usually less expensive than going through an agency you get to choose the person you think will be the best cons if the home care worker is sick no substitute is available screening hiring firing pay and taxes must be handled by you may not be covered by medicaid or private insurance information references home care services for seniors by joanna saisan amara rose and monika white 2010 available at www helpguide org

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Caregiver home care home help

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

Try: The bedroom is an important area within your home where some basic equipment can greatly impact caregivers workload and enhance a senior senior’s independence bedrails come in many different styles and shapes however your first consideration should be regarding its purpose when intended for safety needs to avoid falling out of bed then consider employing a simple horizontal-type bedrail with straps that attach to a bed frame or a mounted bed board under mattress when more assistance is needed with actual transfers from bed then a swing out gated model works well and also provides protection from falls still newer stand-up assist and super poles are growing in popularity due to versatile usage at bedside and different locations throughout the house an overhead bed trapeze that attaches to hospital style beds or freestanding model is needed when a person requires even further help with transfers in and out of bed information references "money and time saving strategies for caregivers – part iii" by clare absher available at www carepathways com

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

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Keywords: Transfer transferring bed bedroom falls out of bed safety independence

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

Try: If all else fails in trying to get other family members to help out with caregiving tasks an option for getting past stressful communication is family mediation a relatively new concept mediation is an informal process in which a neutral third party sits down to help people in conflict to better understand their individual interests and needs so that they can agree upon a workable solution to the problem mediation helps to empower families to come up with their own solutions, and the end result is that it’s often easier to stick with a decision that you’ve had a part in making to find a mediator contact your local senior center or area agency on aging even if you’re successful in achieving a better distribution of responsibility it’s important to communicate communicate communicate hold regular family meetings to assure that all siblings are updated with the care recipient’s condition and changes to the plan of care let them know how much their help is needed, and appreciated information references "getting your siblings to help with caregiving" by linda hepler 2008 available at www dlife com

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

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Keywords: Caregiving help family siblings sister brother sharing responsibility respite burnout family conflicts mediation

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

Try: Family caregivers are the backbone of our long-term care system and vital to meeting the needs of our aging population as a result of our country country’s dependence on families to care for loved ones at home the federal government enacted the family caregiver support program fcsp in 2000 all states now provide some type of support under fcsp which focuses efforts on family caregiving relief state units on aging with assistance of local area agencies on aging oversee and administer family caregiving services many local programs offer families counseling and support groups training and respite care to give family caregivers a break information about additional family support programs may also be available through contacting your local social services senior services or county health departments in some states medicaid government health insurance for low-income americans will pay family caregivers to provide care to family members at home however note that medicare government health insurance for older americans will not pay for long-term or ongoing home care regardless of whether such services are provided through an agency or a family member internet resources take some time to research programs in your area that might be applicable to your situation including any reimbursement for family caregivers search for state contacts for family caregiver support services offered by each state at www homecarefiles org you might also consider trying the family care navigator offered by the family caregiver alliance at www caregiver org for more information on this topic information references "can i get paid to care for a family member by clare absher available at www carepathways com

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

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Keywords: Caregiving getting paid for cargiving family caregivers

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

Try: Generally in home care is prohibitively expensive for the average person the cost of having doctors nurses and other providers come to the care recipient’s cr home is extremely high however in some instances in home care is the better alternative for the cr most cr’s want to stay in their home as long as possible for in home care to work the cr must be in relatively decent health the cr also needs volunteer help from friends or family a spouse to assist with care greatly reduces the cost if the cr remains in home a part-time caregiver can be hired however aides for help with adl’s can be expensive even on a part-time basis in home care is often the first step of an individual’s care continuum it is the first type of care as the cr becomes ill unfortunately if the cr grows progressively worse more serious medical care is needed in a different setting information references

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Nursing home

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

Try: #why do you want this job or what draws you to caregive for the elderly #having read the job description do you have any questions about it the job description do you possess the knowledge skills and abilities to perform all the functions listed on the job description #what do you know about the illness or condition involved #are you comfortable with helping the elder with bathroom issues or other bodily needs #can you lift the elder if needed without risk of harming yourself #what job-relevant training do you have #do you have a cna lpn or rn license #are you certified by the national association for home care and hospice # please tell me about a time when you received constructive criticism at work and how you responded to that #please tell me about a time when you dealt with a stressful situation at work and how you handled it #how would you handle it if the elder that you are caring for fell off the toilet right as the telephone began ringing and the pot on the stove began boiling over what would you do #what is the best life story that you have heard from one of the elders in your care #may i have your list of references please information references "hiring elder companions caregivers " available at www care4hire com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Elder care caregiver companion home care hiring a caregiver interview

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

Try: Before hiring a caregiver it’s helpful to sit down and think through what you need and things you expect the caregiver to do here’s a list of examples #the companion caregiver to commit to caring for your elderly loved one for a defined weekly schedule do not expect the companion caregiver to work seven days per week or be on-call 24 7 #the companion caregiver to act in your stead to spend time with listen to support and assist your elderly family member #the companion caregiver to follow your instructions and constructive criticism #the companion caregiver to need a little of your time especially at the beginning of his employment relationship so that you can show him what to do how to do it etc in the manner that you and or the elder like things to be done #the caregiver companion to make choices that are consistent with the list of special diets likes dislikes mobility problems heath issues danger signs to monitor possilbe behavior problems medication schedules thereapeutic exercises eye glasses dentures prosthetics care regimens etc that are provided #the companion caregiver to be willing and able to transport the elder to doctor doctor’s appointments etc #the companion caregiver to be physically able to provide and emotionally comfortable providing bodily care for the elder i e lifting the elder out of bed helping the elder in the bathroom etc #the companion caregiver to handle calmly and responsibly many difficult situations health crises multitasking etc #the companion caregiver to respond empatheticallly to any death and dying conversations that the elder may want to have with him her #the companion caregiver to maintain confidentiality on private matters about the elder #the companion caregiver to genuinely like the elder and time spent with the elder #the companion caregiver to want and need a regular paycheck with a consistent hourly pay rate and benefits if any that are understood by him her information references "hiring elder companions caregivers " available at www care4hire com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Caregiver Needs&Support

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Keywords: Elder care caregiver companion home care

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