Try: Decisions on care giving may be some of the most difficult ones you will ever make there are many factors to consider and several family members may need to agree on a decision regarding the best course of action stress and pressure may mount because of the unfamiliarity of the care giving process in general and all of the information that may need to be gathered assessed and acted upon basic guidelines for making care giving decisions involve as many family members as you can including the care recipient if possible in the initial discussions regarding the need for care educate yourself on all of the possibilities of care and compile a list of the pros and cons of each one decide on what avenue of care will be followed – a family member an in-home caregiver a health care agency a geriatric care manager or moving to an assisted or skilled care facility if an assisted or skilled care facility is chosen plan a visit to several of the options to gather information before making a choice assess what types of payment options are available or what agencies can be contacted to assist with the cost review and update all documents that may be necessary during the course of care such as advance directives insurance policies medical history family contact information and financial resources have a "plan b" if the initial care giving decision doesn’t work out have a second plan of care ready to be implemented so that the time consuming process of deciding on a care plan doesn’t have to be repeated have regular family meetings after the care has been started to involve and update everyone on the progress if a family member assumes a large part of the care giving responsibilities make sure that respite care is provided at regular intervals locate and join a support group for caregivers and family members information references

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

Try: Whether you need full-time part-time or respite caregivers to help with the care of a family member finding the right person for the job may not be easy you may hire an in-home caregiver through an agency or on your own preparing a list of questions beforehand can help facilitate the interview with a prospective care giver clarify and reinforce your requirements and narrow down the choices before the interview create a job description that lists the duties involved and the schedule desired if possible check around to find out what kind of reputation the care giving agency or individual caregiver has talk to individuals who have actually used the services or health care professionals who are familiar with the agency or individual questions to ask when interviewing candidates for in-home caregiver start with a simple icebreaker question such as "tell me a little bit about yourself your interests and your hobbies " what is your phone number and when is a good time to call ask for identification such as a driver’s license and proof of insurance if there is no driver’s license what transportation will you use to come to work how far away do you live ask for permission to do a background check tell the applicant that you will check references talk to previous employers and search the county judicial system for any criminal public records what type of care giving training have you had have you had cpr or first-aid training go over your job description and list of duties one-by-one are you comfortable with the duties and physically able to perform them if you have pets in the home ask about allergies and or fear of pets what was the last position you held for how long and why did you leave ask for a contact number for their last employer and permission to contact do you smoke how flexible are you if the schedule would need to be adjusted if meal preparation is one of the duties ask what type of foods you can cook have you had experience dealing with challenging behaviors do you have any outside obligations that would affect the schedule such as school or another part-time job what type of time commitment would you be willing to make if hired are you comfortable keeping daily records to keep the family informed as to changes in the care recipient’s condition or daily activities why do you feel that you are qualified for this particular position please provide some examples of difficult care giving situations that you have been involved in and how you solved them have you had experience in caring for someone with memory problems or cognitive impairment the prospective caregiver may also be asked to fill out a written job application and provide references from previous employers when you make your final decision for who you will hire provide the caregiver with a w-4 tax form to fill out information references

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

Try: Dealing with challenging behaviors can be the very frustrating and stressful for both the caregiver (cg) and the Care recipient (cr) it may help to realize that there is most often an underlying meaning behind most challenging behaviors difficult behaviors are usually attempts by the Care recipient (cr) to communicate with those around him or her questions that may help you identify challenging behaviors what is the specific problem or behavior why does it need to be addressed what happens just before the behavior where does the behavior occur what does the behavior mean when does the behavior occur what is the time frequency and pattern who is around when the behavior occurs what is the outcome of the behavior what is the desired change or outcome there are usually certain "triggers" that can bring on challenging behaviors use the questions below to narrow down the "triggers" so that a solution can be reached triggers that can bring on challenging behaviors was there a sudden change in behavior this could be an internal trigger such as pain infection hallucinations delusions constipation etc was the behavior caused by an approach by a certain individual did someone approach too quickly or with the wrong body language or tone of voice was the behavior caused by certain communication methods never argue or use the word "no " don’t try to reason or use logic when the cr suffers from cognitive limitations was the behavior caused by too much or too little activity or information don’t bombard the cr with confusing activities or too much information too little activity or stimulation will cause boredom depression and or anxiety was the behavior caused by a request that the cr perform a task being asked to do a task that the cr is no longer able to accomplish will only cause frustration fear embarrassment or anger summary using the information above may help eliminate some of the stress and frustration that accompanies problem behaviors keeping a detailed record of the specific problem behaviors frequency triggers and so on may help you come up with appropriate interventions once the challenging behaviors have been identified you can take steps to eliminate the triggers or to deal with the problematic situations more effectively when they do occur information references adapted in part from an alzheimer’s association article

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

Try: The loss of cognitive abilities resulting from dementia and alzheimer’s disease can cover a broad spectrum there can be a loss of various skills including communication skills independence and logic among others there may be very little chance for a "re-habilitation" of these skills the definition of "rehabilitation" is to restore lost abilities in the case of dementia a better therapy is simply "habilitation" therapy which is to make the most of the skills that remain and focus more on the cr’s emotional and psychological capacity habilitation therapy focuses on creating and maintaining a positive emotional state throughout the course of the day this can be done by utilizing a pro-active approach to cultivate satisfying moments and memories to ease the stress for both the caregiver (cg) and the Care recipient (cr) examples of "habilitation" therapy" that may be helpful to caregivers enter the cr’s world and moment in time for example if being twenty-two years of age is what makes the cr happiest it will be useless to point out that his or her eighty-second birthday was just celebrated communicate on an emotional level make your tone inflection and body language positive and comforting no matter what message you are trying to get across by maintaining a constant uplifting mood you will project a message of safety and well-being to the cr who may be experiencing agitation fear and frustration reduce distractions and simplify the environment too much noise clutter or even people can cause the cr to be nervous and upset encourage and promote the cr’s remaining skills if the cr enjoyed cooking looking at cookbooks and planning menus may bring about fond memories of family dinners even though the ability to cook may be lost by encouraging and allowing the cr to maximize remaining skills there may be less frustration embarrassment and fear of being unable to function at the former level of independence listen with all of your senses if the cr has difficulty communicating with words look beyond the words to the facial expressions and emotional tones in the voice to distinguish possible pain validate feelings if the cr is angry and lashes out sympathize with their right to be angry and or hurt over situations information references adapted from p raia ph d ; habilitation therapy in dementia care; j coste; learning to speak alzheimer’s

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

Try: Care giving may take on an entirely different meaning when the person for whom you are caring is your spouse the 24 7 responsibilities can be overwhelming to say the least the line between the spousal relationship and care giving relationship may become a blur and disappear before you realize it as a result the marital relationship may be robbed of some rewarding moments spousal caregivers often forget that the health and well-being of the spouse needing care is vitally dependent on the well-spouse maintaining his or her physical health and mental well-being too often the well-spouse feels that he or she will be able to manage personal affairs along with the stress and overload that comes with care giving for a spouse one of the most important aspects of spousal care giving is to look for the warning signs of stress and distress and act upon them accordingly red flags to look for in a spousal care recipient missing or delaying medical appointments ignoring health problems or symptoms not taking the time to eat a healthy diet overuse of tobacco and or alcohol not making time for regular exercise or physical activity loss of sleep choosing isolation over social connections keeping feelings of anger and frustration bottled up until they explode and are directed at the spouse friends family or others and even self being depressed sad or feeling that things are hopeless lack of energy losing interest in activities that you used to enjoy as a couple harboring resentment towards the spouse blaming the spouse for the situation feeling burdened by others’ expectations feeling that family relationships are being threatened by the care giving situation being annoyed with other family members who either don’t help or criticize you when any of these red flags go up it is time to step back and explore other avenues that will allow you and your spouse to resume some semblance of normalcy in your relationship suggestions for spousal caregivers reach out and ask for help others may not realize there are problems because from the outside looking in the situation may appear as normal as it once was make maintaining your health a number one priority make time each and every day for a healthy diet and exercise or other physical activity have physical checkups regularly congratulate yourself daily on your ability to assume and manage the shifting of roles and responsibilities try to keep your lifestyle as normal as you can if going out to a movie like you once enjoyed is no longer an option set a date rent a movie and pick up a meal to take home maintain personal closeness by reliving positive special memories through photo albums or family videos keep your children informed and accept any help that they may offer for assistance and emotional support make respite care a part of your weekly schedule talk to friends and family to see if someone would be willing to fill in for you as a caregiver while you get a break consider hiring a care manager to help plan and manager the medical care for your spouse this can be a very expensive option consider hiring an in home care giver to provide you with expertise support and respite this is more affordable than hiring a care manager resume and maintain your social connections being rested maintaining your health asking for assistance and connecting with others is a challenge that so often goes ignored in a spousal care giving situation rise to the challenge and enjoy the rewards information references

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

Try: Fs common facts and myths about epilepsy 2 although not uncommon for care recipients cr epilepsy is often not well understood or unknown to many individuals the following are common facts and misunderstandings about epilepsy crs with epilepsy are not mentally ill epilepsy is not the same as mental illness and in fact the majority of people with seizures do not develop mental health problems the causes are not always known in some crs the cause and location of the seizures may affect certain brain areas and contribute to mood problems in others side effects of treatments and the challenges of living with epilepsy may affect a cr cr’s feelings and behavior seizures do not cause brain damage in the cr single smaller seizures lasting less than 5-10 minutes are not known to cause brain damage or injury however there is evidence that more frequent and more prolonged seizures may in some crs injure the brain epilepsy is not necessarily inherited most cases of epilepsy are not inherited although some types are genetically transmitted epilepsy is not a life-long disorder generally crs with epilepsy have seizures and require medication for only a small portion of their lives about 60 of people who develop seizures have epilepsy that can be easily controlled and is likely to remit or go away however about 25 may develop difficult to control seizures and likely will require lifelong treatment epilepsy should not be a barrier to success epilepsy is perfectly compatible with a normal happy and full life the cr cr’s quality of life however may be affected by the frequency and severity of the seizures the effects of medications reactions of onlookers to seizures and other disorders that are often associated with or caused by epilepsy some types of epilepsy are harder to control than others living successfully with epilepsy requires a positive outlook a supportive environment and good medical care information references epilepsy com

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Keywords: Epilepsy seizure "]

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

Try: Regular exercise has shown to help with sleep issues in a Care recipient (cr) if the cr is able there are countless activities she can do to increase strength improve aerobic capacity burn calories and become ready for a good night’s sleep the following are exercises to improve sleep quality swim water exercises – swimming laps is a gentle way to build up fitness and is great for sore joints or weak muscles many community and ymca pools have swim programs just for older crs as well as water-based exercise classes dance – if the cr likes music she may be open to dancing or taking a dance class walk with friends the more the cr walks and the brisker the pace the more aerobic benefit exercise golf – golf is a form of exercise that requires precise strong movement of particular parts of the body but which doesn’t require vigorous movement walking can be an added aerobic bonus to golfing golf is popular among many older crs cycle or jog – if the cr is still in good shape she can jog and bicycle until late in life both can be done outdoors or on a stationary bike or treadmill always have the cr consult her doctor before embarking on any new fitness program information references helpguide org

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

Try: As individual’s age his body and diet will likely change the care recipient’s cr nutrition requirements could differ from his previous diet the following are potential reasons for the changes in cr’s nutrition metabolism at around the age of forty human metabolism slows if the cr continues to eat the same amount of food he is likely to gain weight because of slowed metabolism also if the cr is less active this will result in fewer calories burned weakened senses in cr taste and smell senses diminish with age seniors tend to lose sensitivity to salty and bitter tastes first so you may be inclined to salt your food more heavily than before try herbs and healthy oils, like olive oil, to season food instead of salt similarly seniors tend to retain the ability to distinguish sweet tastes the longest leading some to overindulge in sugary foods and snacks medicines and illnesses prescription medications and illnesses can often negatively influence appetite and may also affect taste causing the cr to add too much salt or sugar to their food be sure to check side effects of medications with a doctor loneliness and depression in cr loneliness and depression can alter diet for some feeling down leads to not eating and in others it may trigger overeating watch for emotional problems impacting the cr’s diet death or divorce death or divorce of a spouse can drastically alter the cr’s diet if the spouse has traditionally cooked meals the cr may struggle with nutrition information references

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Keywords: Diet nutrition

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

Try: Medicare part’s a and b cover certain types of medical expenses federal law requires that medicare only pays for series at are "reasonable and necessary " medicare covers items and services that are deemed reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury or for the improvement of a malformed body member’s functioning this requirement is important because many types of medically unproven or experimental procedures are not covered by medicare also there truly is no defined

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Categories: Of Procedures To Exclude As Science And Medicine Constantly Evolve Be Sure To Discuss These Requirements With Your Healthcare Provider When Medicare Coverage Is Involved, Legal, Medical Physical

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

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