Tag Archive | caregiving

Families providing care

May20

When it comes to caregiving, it is always our first choice to rely on family members to provide care for us. Whenever the need for long-term care arises, infolongtermcare.org notes that American families prefer family and home caregiver rather than sending loved ones to long-term care facilities. According to Department of Health and Human Services, there are more than 65.7 million Americans providing care for an aging, ill or disables loved ones. Most of those involved are adult children who feel the need to give back to their parents who raised them, and one of things they can do to show their love is to show their sincere concern by personally providing the care they needed.

Daniel G. Alcorn (518) 346-2115

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39% of U.S. adults care for someone with significant health issues, up from 30% in 2010.

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Caregivers Trials and Tribulations

Apr22

As the aging population increases, the demand for long-term care services increases as well, so is the demand for caregivers. A big percentage of individuals providing care are family members of long term care dependents, and a lot of baby boomers are relying on loved ones and family members to provide care for them as well. The reason for this is because family members do not require salary unlike licensed caregivers, home care is also cheaper compared to other long-term care settings.

AARP conducted a research on caregivers and caregiving and results showed that there may be fewer caregivers in the coming years due to the increasing demand for long term care. One reason is the increase in longevity and the current living situation of most men and women who may either be divorced or childless. However, if you only rely on family members, you might not be receiving appropriate and quality care when and where you need it due to financial constraints. And even if you have ample amount of savings, you can easily deplete it if you will be needing care for several years.

 

Reference:

http://www.infolongtermcare.org/long-term-care-insurance-information/

http://www.aarp.org/

The Long Term Care Guy Blog

The New York Times recently reported that caregiving is set to become the number one profession in the USA by the year 2020, overtaking retail.

This tells us there are a tremendous number of people caring for an individual needing long-term-care (LTC) services.  Whether they are working as a professional caregiver, or are caring for a family member, the stress is similar.  Today I am referring to an April 1 article in the USA Today newspaper concerning the depression that comes from doing this work.

The article mentions that 64% of those caring for disabled veterans have jobs.  On average, they miss about a day of work each week.  Twenty-eight percent quit work due to their caregiving duties.  Sixty percent say they are under constant financial strain.  Many of these caregivers are aging themselves and worry what will happen to the loved ones they care for when they can no…

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3 Stress Reducing Tips for Caregivers

Feb17

Whether you are a licensed caregiver or a family one, you would have to admit that this job is very stressful. The job includes many tasks that are physically tiring and can mentally wear you out. That’s why many caregivers feel totally drained all the time. They forget to set aside some time for them to socialize and do the things they like to do. In the long run, this can be a very bad situation to be in. However, if you are feeling stress with your caregiving responsibilities, here are some tips to keep in mind to keep negative tensions at bay.

 

Outline what you can and cannot do.

 

One of the common errors that caregivers make is having the idea that they can everything in their caregiving tasks. This is one of the reasons that develop their mental distress in their work. In order to manage and reduce stress, you have to realize and make a list of the tasks that you can and cannot do. In a family caregiving situation, you can include and involve other member of the family in taking care of an elderly patient. Remember that you don’t have to do all the tasks if you are not up to it.

 

Educate yourself about the task and condition.

 

Caregivers also need to keep in mind that they have to grow in their chosen field. It takes more than just assisting a long term care recipient with their daily activities; you would also need to know the latest trends in this profession. By being aware of the current trends, it would help you to become better in your career. Another thing to keep in mind is also to research on your patient’s condition. This would also help in giving the care that they would need especially if they need long term services and support.

 

Learn to acknowledge and express what you are feeling.

 

Caregivers are also not free from thinking negative thoughts. Why not, they are also human after all. For family caregivers, some of the common negative emotions they feel are depression, guilt and anxiety. It always best to learn to acknowledge these feelings and express them. Some use a journal while others form a support group. It would really depend on how you would like to deal with emotions. It’s always best to acknowledge and express them so that they do not get in the way of your caregiving tasks.

 

It’s an understatement to say that caregiving is a stressful work. With the physical and mental demands of the job, caregivers are one of the most stressed out workers in the job market. However, caregivers can reduce stress by setting boundaries of the task they can and cannot do. They would also need to educate themselves with the latest trends in caregiving and the condition of the patients that they are looking after.

 

Another way that a caregiver can reduce stress is learn to acknowledge and express what they are feeling. Negative emotions are prevalent in this type of work and caregiver whether professional or family should learn to express these feelings.

 

Sources:

How to Take Care for the Elderly – Fall Prevention

Jan13

Falling accidents are one of the easiest to prevent yet also one of the most common incidents of injury. While we teach our children early on to be aware of the dangers of falling and to recognize hazards, we will also need to assist our aged loved ones because they will be more susceptible from suffering from it. Knowing how to take care for the elderly by helping them avoid falls is an important component in senior care.

walking-senior

It’s taken for granted that losing balance and getting generally weaker are only some of the effects of aging. The elder becomes more prone to slipping on floors or missing a step, resulting in devastating injury that could result in disability, even death. There have been a recorded 20,400 incidents of seniors falling in the country back in 2009, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A fall could cause fractures in the hip or pelvis, or even damage the spine or produce head concussions. Long term care may or may not be necessary for those who suffer from falling accidents depending on the gravity of the injury, but more often than not, there’s a mental trauma involved that would make them become more adverse towards it happening again. This could develop into staying away from moving outside or socializing with friends if unchecked.

To learn how to take care for the elderly and help prevent falling, you need to know the most common causes that lead to it. Usually, accidents happen when elders suddenly become dizzy and lose their footing. Having blurred vision could also lead to them missing their step at the right place. Aside from these, tripping on obstacles is also highly likely, especially in homes with a lot of clutter that clog hallways and rooms.

To this end, it’s highly advised that families with elders living at home secure their house by clearing up their passageways and removing objects that could cause tripping. Anything from toys, boxes, spills, bottles, etc. could be a potential fall hazard.

Next, modifying the home to be more elder-friendly can also reduce the chances of an accidental fall. Place support bars in the bathroom and bedroom so that the elder can have easy to reach supports they can grab. On stairs, improve the railing and steps by making it less slippery. On hallways, place hand rails so they can hold on to it while walking through.

Elders should also be encouraged to exercise and move more, instead of staying only in one place. Contrary to belief that this would make them more tired and worsen their conditions, it can actually keep them stronger by ensuring that their muscles are regularly used. Not moving about could also increase the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes.

Preventing a fall is not difficult at all, and with minimal assistance, your elder can be able to remain independent while keeping safe from injury. By discovering how to take care for the elderly properly, you can improve their senior life as well as minimize the assistance and care you provide for them.

Source: http://www.infolongtermcare.org/long-term-health-care-seniors/senior-health-care/prevent-falling/

What Happens When You Become a Loved One’s Caregiver?

Jan7

It’s not a common situation when an elderly person appoints their children or relative with caregiving responsibilities towards them. When this happens, expect many changes that would take place not just on your patient (or loved one’s) life but on yours as well. Your attention is now focused on them. So what happens if you become the official caregiver for your parent?

Many ponder on this as their main objective would be to give only the best care attention for an aging parent or physical challenged o. However, despite of your best efforts, you might encounter some bumps along the way, here are some tips that you can keep in mind. 

You have to learn and plan as much as you can. 

When you become the appointed caregiver for an elderly or disabled love one, you have to prepare yourself and familiarize the conditions of your patient. Most newly assigned family caregivers are often caught unprepared with a love one’s current condition. This leaves them with little options especially when providing long term care and support. Try to get as much information as you can either by researching online or asking medical advice from your patient doctors. These are great resources that you can use.

Ask for help when you find yourself feeling down.

Caregiving can be a very taxing job. For any person who is new at this task, it can create negative emotions. And if you are not careful, it can affect how you would provide long term care. It’s important that if you find yourself feeling down or feeling depressed when caring for a patient to ask for help. You have to learn on how to deal with these negative emotions otherwise you might not be able to provide the right care and attention that your patient would need.

Keep family connections stronger. 

When taking care of love one with long term care needs, it’s important that you divide the responsibility of caring for the patient with the rest of the family. You don’t have to be the only one who is carrying the responsibility. Get other members of your family to help you with the responsibility of caring for a loved one. This way you would be able to manage that stress that you encounter in caregiving and have time for yourself. Getting every person in your family involved also helps building stronger ties with your patient.

There are many things that could happen when you assume the role of family caregiver for a parent or relative. It has its good sides and bad sides. Caregiving can be very taxing job. Caregivers are one of the most stressed workers in the employment market. It pays that you learn and plan as much possible for your patient’s condition. You would also have to teach yourself to ask for help when you find yourself feeling down and thinking negative thoughts. By involving other members of your family, you are giving yourself time to relax from your caregiving duties.

Sources:

You Might Be a Caregiver

Nov30

there are millions of people who provide care for their loved ones, who takes great responsibility and difficulties as well in doing their duties. All of them should be considered as caregivers. In the process of giving care to other people or their loved ones, they tend to forget themselves. Often times, caregiving is connected to long term care recipients since they are the ones who need it most. Take a look at related articles about caregivers and caregiving for more informative information regarding this topic: http://www.infolongtermcare.org/senior-caregiver-support/

Long-term Care Diary

I watched this video today and it got me thinking. It’s a very entertaining and light look into caregiving and how people could tell if they’re a caregiver or not.

After watching, I realized, maybe they made the video because people really can’t tell or don’t know when to consider themselves to be a caregiver. Then I thought, is it because they really don’t know or maybe it’s also due to their denial? Maybe most of us refuse to be branded as the “official” caregiver of our parents, spouse, or other relatives.

Another reason could be our definition or image of what is a caregiver. Does the term strictly apply only to someone who changes adult diapers, spoon-feeds an elderly patient, or helps in bathing an incapacitated person?

For me, we should widen the scope of caregiving. Even if you are not 100 percent involved, even you’re not the one…

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