Here at Long Term Solutions, we support caregivers and we are caregivers. Many LTS employees are the primary caregivers for an ailing or aging loved one. They have first-hand experience with caregiving, and know what about the different emotions involved with caregiving.They've experienced the joys that come with caregiving, and they've also endured the hardships. Meet four of our employees below. Click on their names to read their full stories.
Click here to meet Brenda.
"What I really love about working on the administrative side of Long Term Solutions is that at the end of the day I know the work we do is helping someone," explained Brenda. "At the other end of the phone or on the other end of the assessment is someone who we’re helping. There’s a person behind every claim number."
Caregiving is something Brenda has been doing full-time since 2000, and, because of this, she is really able to relate to the adult caregivers she talks to on the phone every day.'"
Click here to meet Karen.
"The greatest joy is watching him smile, when he smiles," said Karen about her father-in-law. "I tell my husband – I just live for that."
Laughter is one thing about caregiving that brings joy to Karen. Another is taking her father-in-law out to eat fried clams at Red Wing Diner just down the street from her house. The third is having conversations with him.
Click here to meet Debbie.
"Where’s the nurse?" demanded a young and visibly stressed doctor.
Debbie was in a hospital room with her mother and two other nurses. Her mother had developed the flu and pneumonia simultaneously, and they were at the ER for the second time.
"No, where’s the nurse? The family member who is a nurse," he insisted.
The nurses looked at each other, confused. Debbie was the nurse he was referring to, but she remained silent.
Click here to meet Nancy.
"She was just sobbing. She walked down the hall of her nursing home and told every nurse and patient ‘my husband has died… did you know my husband died?'" remembers Nancy.
Nancy and her brother had just told their mother that their father and her husband had died. Nancy's mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease five years ago, and her husband had been the primary caregiver for almost four years. But in September 2011 he fell ill and within four months Nancy lost him to renal failure.
Showing posts with label caregiver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label caregiver. Show all posts
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Creating Your Elderly Loved One's Legacy
There is a new trend beginning in the elderly population, and it is focused on leaving a part of the elderly person’s life and wisdom behind after they pass. It’s a hard thing to face, but your elderly loved ones will not be around forever. However, it can be easy to get caught up in the minutia of daily life, and to forget the amount of wisdom and knowledge that your elderly loved ones have. Chances are they’ve lived through war, they’ve seen huge changes in societal values, vast leaps in technologies, and they’ve interacted with hundreds of individuals within their lifetimes. All of this experience translates into a vast amount of wisdom. It’s important to not let all of this wisdom go without attention; so many individuals are creating legacies with their elderly loved ones.
What is a legacy? It is a record of an individual’s
memories, experiences, advice, personality, and life. It is their history, and
it’s recorded in some form so that their families, friends and future relatives
can learn from it.
How can you start a legacy with your elderly loved one? Here
are some guidelines for starting the legacy:
First, develop your goals. What do you and your elderly
loved one want to achieve by doing this? Is the goal to help guide and advise
any future grandchildren? Is it simply to leave an impression about who your
elderly loved one is, as an individual?
Secondly, create interview questions and a plan to guide and
develop the legacy. One of the most basic things you can do is to write down
some questions about their life. What was their first memory? What was it like
growing up in that decade? What is their most vivid memory? Here is a list
of questions from Answers4Families.org that is a great starting point for
developing your own interview with your senior loved one.
Once you’ve developed the questions, you can begin to decide
which medium you would like to record this on. For example, you can videotape
your elderly loved one answering the questions or telling a story. You can have
them handwrite a letter to their families. You can record them and pair it with
the writing. There are so many different things you can do, so you can be
creative in determining this.
Lastly, decide what they would like to do with the legacy.
Would they like to show it to the family now? Would they like to wait until
after they pass?
These are just some basic suggestions that are meant to be a
starting point for you and your elderly loved one. Here are some web resources
to use:
Here are a collection of essays and wisdom that the Cornell
School of Human Ecology has collected. There is some great wisdom here and a
lot of inspiration for your own legacy work!
Here is some more information about what a legacy is, and
how to begin one within your own family.
Here is some more information about what a legacy is.
Friday, November 16, 2012
How does WeCare+ help? Part I
Unless you have experience dealing with an elder care situation, it can be hard to completely understand just how complicated and overwhelming these situations can be. Here at Long Term Solutions, we work with caregivers on a daily basis. We understand how to support these caregivers, and guide individuals through these elder care crises. How can WeCare+ do this? Here's a story about Brian Smith, who's ailing mother is a plane ride away from him.
Brian Smith lives in San Diego, California, and far away from his elderly mother, Linda. She has mild dementia, and ever since his father passed away, he has been constantly worrying about her living alone. He wished he could be geographically closer to her, but that wasn’t an option with his career. Fortunately, she had been doing fine. She lived in a nice little apartment in Lantana, Florida. She had a part-time job at a little boutique downtown, and she had been able to independently manage everything from finances to grocery shopping.
Lately, it seemed like things weren’t quite right. Brian received several calls from her friends voicing concerns that she seemed slightly different. She had been missing lunches and not keeping in touch with them as regularly as she had; something was off. It seemed strange because whenever he spoke to his mom on the phone she said things were great. She admitted to missing a lunch or two, but she dismissed it as nothing more than that. Then Brian received a call from her employer, and he knew something was different. His mother had lost her job. She had missed work and was acting uncharacteristically. Brian didn’t have the freedom or time off from his job to fly out to Florida. He wasn’t quite sure that he would know what to do if he was there. He needed someone who was an expert in assessing and planning elder care. In addition to that, he wanted someone local. They needed to be able to visit his mother in her home. He looked for a solution, and he found WeCare+.
Brian Smith lives in San Diego, California, and far away from his elderly mother, Linda. She has mild dementia, and ever since his father passed away, he has been constantly worrying about her living alone. He wished he could be geographically closer to her, but that wasn’t an option with his career. Fortunately, she had been doing fine. She lived in a nice little apartment in Lantana, Florida. She had a part-time job at a little boutique downtown, and she had been able to independently manage everything from finances to grocery shopping.
Lately, it seemed like things weren’t quite right. Brian received several calls from her friends voicing concerns that she seemed slightly different. She had been missing lunches and not keeping in touch with them as regularly as she had; something was off. It seemed strange because whenever he spoke to his mom on the phone she said things were great. She admitted to missing a lunch or two, but she dismissed it as nothing more than that. Then Brian received a call from her employer, and he knew something was different. His mother had lost her job. She had missed work and was acting uncharacteristically. Brian didn’t have the freedom or time off from his job to fly out to Florida. He wasn’t quite sure that he would know what to do if he was there. He needed someone who was an expert in assessing and planning elder care. In addition to that, he wanted someone local. They needed to be able to visit his mother in her home. He looked for a solution, and he found WeCare+.
Friday, November 2, 2012
New Technology for Caregivers: Planning with Apps
Caregivers assume an incredible amount of responsibility and
a majority of their responsibilities revolve around planning and keeping track
of most, if not all, of their loved one’s care needs. Usually, this is in the
form of tracking doctor’s appointments, managing their loved one’s medications,
and keeping track of important documents. Fortunately, with almost
everyone using a smartphone, there are a lot of technologies out there that can
help caregivers with this planning.
Keeping Track of Doctor’s Appointments:
It’s incredibly easy to lose those small business cards that
doctor’s offices give out for appointments. This can be especially difficult
for a caregiver trying to track multiple appointments with multiple physicians
and specialists. Tracking all of the appointments in a day planner is an
option, but remembering to bring the planner to every appointment can be
difficult. However, planning applications, such as Google Calendar, can
be a great asset. Appointments can be organized by color, so a certain
specialist can be assigned a specific color. This calendar can be accessed from
multiple platforms, and can be quickly pulled up while scheduling.
Managing Medications:
There are multiple medication management applications, and
most app stores allow users to browse through screenshots and reviews before
committing to one. There is a great application called RxmindMe Prescription.
This is a perfect application for caregivers. The application allows caregivers
to set up alerts on a daily, hourly, or weekly basis. The app allows caregivers
to be as specific or as general as they want. For example, a caregiver could
put in an alert that says “call mom to reminder her about heart medication,” or
the reminder could be more specific and state “remind mom to take 15 mg of
Doxycycline.” The best part of this application is the “Prescriptions”
feature. This allows caregivers to group specific medications in categories.
For example, heart medication, could be broken down into Lasix and Advair. In
addition to this, the caregivers can upload pictures of the pills and dosing
instructions for each medication to ensure that they are providing their loved
one with the correct medication.
General Caregiver Information:
Eldercare 911 is an app designed by Dr. Marion Somers
who is a Geriatric Care Manager, and it’s an incredible asset to caregivers. This is an incredibly helpful app that is designed to
provide caregivers with all of the information needed while in an eldercare
crisis. There is information regarding what to do before the crisis occurs, at
the hospital, while planning for discharge, post-hospital care and while in
recovery at home. Under each one of these categories are several sub-categories
with even more resources. For example, if a caregiver is preparing for the
discharge of your loved one from the hospital, this app provides information on
how to hire help for your home, dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed,
understanding adaptive equipment and more. It’s incredibly easy to
navigate, and the amount of resources in this app is astounding.
Currently, all of these applications are free in the iTunes
store. Caregivers may have to try a couple of applications before finding one
that works for them, but, in the time that they will save in the long run, it’s
worth adopting these technologies.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
A Day in the Life of a Working Caregiver
According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 65 million people provide an average of 20 hours of care to ailing or aging loved ones in the United States. With about 10,000 baby boomers reaching retirement age every day, this number is expected to increase drastically. This dilemma is worsened by the fact that few resources are available for working caregivers and that each caregiving situation is highly unique.
Who are these caregivers? According to statistics provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, the typical caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who is married and employed. She provides care to her mother, who does not live with her.
Why are caregiving situations so stressful? Caregiving situations are incredibly stressful because they are emotionally and physically taxing. The best way to understand the amount of stress caregivers are under is by living through a caregiving experience, but looking at a typical day for a caregiver can provide a lot of insight.
This is what life is like as a working caregiver:
Kelly is a 49-year-old woman who, like the typical caregiver, is married, has children, and is providing care for her aging mother, Mary. Mary is mostly independent, but she recently had to have surgery after falling and breaking her hip. She is fortunate enough to be able to stay at home during her recovery.
5:45 a.m. Kelly wakes up to start getting her two children ready for school. She prepares breakfast for the entire family, makes two lunches, and packs the children’s backpacks.
7:00 a.m. She brings the children to the bus stop, and gets them on their way to school. She quickly stops back at her house to get ready for her day at the office.
7:30 a.m. While driving to work, Kelly calls to check on her mother, Mary. Mary says she is doing well, but that she’s concerned about the physical therapist coming to see her. She lives alone, and is somewhat hesitant about letting a new person into her home. She requests that Kelly be there when the physical therapist arrives. Kelly agrees to go over on her lunch break to see her mother then.
8:00 a.m. Kelly arrives to work, and sits down at her desk. She begins to go through her emails and missed calls from the past weekend.
10:00 a.m. Kelly notices a missed call on her cellphone. It’s from her mother. She calls her back to find out that her mother is becoming increasingly anxious about the visit from the physical therapist, and isn’t sure what paperwork she needs to have prepared or what identification she needs. Kelly talks to her for a half an hour, trying to calm her down. She does some quick online research to give her mother direction about what documentation she will need.
10:30 a.m. Kelly sits back down at her desk, still somewhat worried about her mother’s mental state. She wishes she could go to be with her mother now, but she has to stay at work until her lunch break and she already has some catching up to do after the phone call with her mother.
12:00 p.m. Kelly takes her lunch break, and goes to see her mother and the physical therapist. When she arrives, she finds that her mother is not very happy about having someone come into her home. She talks with her mother before the physical therapist arrives and calms her down.
12:15 p.m. The physical therapist arrives, and she is very kind and helpful. Mary goes through with her scheduled appointment, but it runs a little late because Kelly has a lot to discuss with the physical therapist about her mother’s health, insurance, and her exercises. She has to keep track of this information because her mother will easily lose or forget it.
1:00 p.m. Kelly arrives back to work, and sits down to try to finish her work before she has to leave to pick up her children. She apologizes to her manager for taking a long lunch break.
2:55 p.m. Kelly receives a phone call from her mother. With all of the commotion of the day, her mother didn’t prepare any dinner. She asks if Kelly could bring her over some food after their family dinner. Kelly agrees to take her mother dinner after she sits down with her family.
3:00 p.m. Kelly has to leave work to pick up her children from school. She brings the kids back home, but has to go back to the office to work on a project she wasn’t able to complete earlier because of her mother’s physical therapy appointment.
5:00 p.m. With only an hour to go before dinner, Kelly rushes out of the office and stops by the grocery store to pick up food for the family.
6:00 p.m. The family sits down to eat, and Kelly realizes she has to help her son with a math project that is due the next day. She puts aside some dinner for her mother to bring to her later.
7:00 p.m. Kelly drives over to her mother’s house to bring her dinner. Her mother is somewhat lonely, so she talks to Kelly about her day and the children for an hour.
8:00 p.m. Kelly comes home to help her son with his math project. It takes about two hours.
10:00 p.m. Kelly finally has an hour or two to herself. She takes out her laptop and tries to work on that project she didn’t finish today.
11:00 p.m. Kelly finally decides it’s time to go to sleep, and she isn’t able to do much work on her project anyways because she’s worried about her mother.
As you can see, a working caregiver’s hours are primarily devoted to caring for their ailing or aging loved one and providing care for their family. Kelly barely has any time for herself, and, she spends most of the day racing between appointments and trying to provide support for her family. In addition to physically spending time with her mother, Kelly spends a lot of time struggling with the emotional aspect of caregiving. She is worried, upset, and saddened by the situation. Work is the last thing that Kelly can worry about while she’s caregiving. All of this affects Kelly's productivity and her ability to focus on her work.
How can employers support caregivers? At Long Term Solutions, we’re trying to do that. We have a unique program, WeCare+ that is designed for employers. With WeCare+, Long Term Solutions provides support to working caregivers. To learn more about WeCare+, please click here.
Who are these caregivers? According to statistics provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, the typical caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who is married and employed. She provides care to her mother, who does not live with her.
Why are caregiving situations so stressful? Caregiving situations are incredibly stressful because they are emotionally and physically taxing. The best way to understand the amount of stress caregivers are under is by living through a caregiving experience, but looking at a typical day for a caregiver can provide a lot of insight.
This is what life is like as a working caregiver:
Kelly is a 49-year-old woman who, like the typical caregiver, is married, has children, and is providing care for her aging mother, Mary. Mary is mostly independent, but she recently had to have surgery after falling and breaking her hip. She is fortunate enough to be able to stay at home during her recovery.
5:45 a.m. Kelly wakes up to start getting her two children ready for school. She prepares breakfast for the entire family, makes two lunches, and packs the children’s backpacks.
7:00 a.m. She brings the children to the bus stop, and gets them on their way to school. She quickly stops back at her house to get ready for her day at the office.
7:30 a.m. While driving to work, Kelly calls to check on her mother, Mary. Mary says she is doing well, but that she’s concerned about the physical therapist coming to see her. She lives alone, and is somewhat hesitant about letting a new person into her home. She requests that Kelly be there when the physical therapist arrives. Kelly agrees to go over on her lunch break to see her mother then.
8:00 a.m. Kelly arrives to work, and sits down at her desk. She begins to go through her emails and missed calls from the past weekend.
10:00 a.m. Kelly notices a missed call on her cellphone. It’s from her mother. She calls her back to find out that her mother is becoming increasingly anxious about the visit from the physical therapist, and isn’t sure what paperwork she needs to have prepared or what identification she needs. Kelly talks to her for a half an hour, trying to calm her down. She does some quick online research to give her mother direction about what documentation she will need.
10:30 a.m. Kelly sits back down at her desk, still somewhat worried about her mother’s mental state. She wishes she could go to be with her mother now, but she has to stay at work until her lunch break and she already has some catching up to do after the phone call with her mother.
12:00 p.m. Kelly takes her lunch break, and goes to see her mother and the physical therapist. When she arrives, she finds that her mother is not very happy about having someone come into her home. She talks with her mother before the physical therapist arrives and calms her down.
12:15 p.m. The physical therapist arrives, and she is very kind and helpful. Mary goes through with her scheduled appointment, but it runs a little late because Kelly has a lot to discuss with the physical therapist about her mother’s health, insurance, and her exercises. She has to keep track of this information because her mother will easily lose or forget it.
1:00 p.m. Kelly arrives back to work, and sits down to try to finish her work before she has to leave to pick up her children. She apologizes to her manager for taking a long lunch break.
2:55 p.m. Kelly receives a phone call from her mother. With all of the commotion of the day, her mother didn’t prepare any dinner. She asks if Kelly could bring her over some food after their family dinner. Kelly agrees to take her mother dinner after she sits down with her family.
3:00 p.m. Kelly has to leave work to pick up her children from school. She brings the kids back home, but has to go back to the office to work on a project she wasn’t able to complete earlier because of her mother’s physical therapy appointment.
5:00 p.m. With only an hour to go before dinner, Kelly rushes out of the office and stops by the grocery store to pick up food for the family.
6:00 p.m. The family sits down to eat, and Kelly realizes she has to help her son with a math project that is due the next day. She puts aside some dinner for her mother to bring to her later.
7:00 p.m. Kelly drives over to her mother’s house to bring her dinner. Her mother is somewhat lonely, so she talks to Kelly about her day and the children for an hour.
8:00 p.m. Kelly comes home to help her son with his math project. It takes about two hours.
10:00 p.m. Kelly finally has an hour or two to herself. She takes out her laptop and tries to work on that project she didn’t finish today.
11:00 p.m. Kelly finally decides it’s time to go to sleep, and she isn’t able to do much work on her project anyways because she’s worried about her mother.
As you can see, a working caregiver’s hours are primarily devoted to caring for their ailing or aging loved one and providing care for their family. Kelly barely has any time for herself, and, she spends most of the day racing between appointments and trying to provide support for her family. In addition to physically spending time with her mother, Kelly spends a lot of time struggling with the emotional aspect of caregiving. She is worried, upset, and saddened by the situation. Work is the last thing that Kelly can worry about while she’s caregiving. All of this affects Kelly's productivity and her ability to focus on her work.
How can employers support caregivers? At Long Term Solutions, we’re trying to do that. We have a unique program, WeCare+ that is designed for employers. With WeCare+, Long Term Solutions provides support to working caregivers. To learn more about WeCare+, please click here.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Caregiving and the Importance of Balanced Eating
Caregivers, you need to take care of yourself! One of the first steps towards doing this is maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet. Unfortunately,
eating can be one of the first thing affected by caregiving. Eating an
imbalanced diet can lead to malnutrition, erratic blood sugar levels, fat
storage, fatigue and more. There are a couple of pitfalls that can impact how and when you eat. Be sure to know how to recognize these and avoid them.
First, most caregivers are guilty of skipping meals. A jam packed schedule and a never-ending to do list can quickly push meal time to last priority. The demands of the feeding schedule of the person you are taking care of can also impact how you support your own eating. When preparing meals and shopping constantly for someone else, it’s easy to forget your own nutritional needs. Try not to fall into the habit of forgetting yourself. It may not be easy, but do try preparing your meals ahead of time. If you can cook several meals for yourself on the weekend, you’ll be stocked and prepared to have well-balanced meals during the course of the upcoming week.
Secondly, eating and emotions are very closely linked. Light stress can induce extra eating, while extreme stress can cause one to avoid eating all together or eating too much. It’s safe to say that caregiving can include varying levels of stress. As a caregiver, you need to learn how to identify when these emotions are impacting your diet. Once you’re able to do so, you can avoid the emotional eating trap.
Remember, you have to take care of yourself in order to fully provide care for the one you love. This is not selfish, it is prudent. By taking care of yourself, you’re able to provide the best care for the one you love.
First, most caregivers are guilty of skipping meals. A jam packed schedule and a never-ending to do list can quickly push meal time to last priority. The demands of the feeding schedule of the person you are taking care of can also impact how you support your own eating. When preparing meals and shopping constantly for someone else, it’s easy to forget your own nutritional needs. Try not to fall into the habit of forgetting yourself. It may not be easy, but do try preparing your meals ahead of time. If you can cook several meals for yourself on the weekend, you’ll be stocked and prepared to have well-balanced meals during the course of the upcoming week.
Secondly, eating and emotions are very closely linked. Light stress can induce extra eating, while extreme stress can cause one to avoid eating all together or eating too much. It’s safe to say that caregiving can include varying levels of stress. As a caregiver, you need to learn how to identify when these emotions are impacting your diet. Once you’re able to do so, you can avoid the emotional eating trap.
Remember, you have to take care of yourself in order to fully provide care for the one you love. This is not selfish, it is prudent. By taking care of yourself, you’re able to provide the best care for the one you love.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Work-Life Balance and Doctor's Appointments
There has been a lot of discussion about work-life balance for mothers, but does work-life balance exist for all caregivers?
One responsibility that caregivers regularly assume is bringing loved ones young and old to medical appointments. For caregivers caring for an aging or ailing loved one, these medical appointments can happen extremely frequently. This can cut into work hours, and the commute can sometimes be the least distracting part of the trip. Caregivers have to figure out how to transport their aging or ailing loved one, how to get them ready for the medical appointment, how to assemble all of their medical information, think of questions to ask the medical staff, determine how to navigate any inaccessible buildings, and more. Caregivers have to juggle all of these concerns in addition to working full-time. What can be done to help?
Here at Long Term Solutions, we understand that even with these options, caregivers are still stressed. We help working caregivers achieve this balance. Through our signature program, WeCare+, we will work with families to assess their situation, develop a plan of care and guide them to resources that will support their needs.
Do you know anyone struggling with work-life balance as a caregiver? What kind of support and advice can you offer to them?
One responsibility that caregivers regularly assume is bringing loved ones young and old to medical appointments. For caregivers caring for an aging or ailing loved one, these medical appointments can happen extremely frequently. This can cut into work hours, and the commute can sometimes be the least distracting part of the trip. Caregivers have to figure out how to transport their aging or ailing loved one, how to get them ready for the medical appointment, how to assemble all of their medical information, think of questions to ask the medical staff, determine how to navigate any inaccessible buildings, and more. Caregivers have to juggle all of these concerns in addition to working full-time. What can be done to help?
- Keeping an open line of communication between the caregiver employee and their manager
- Flexible hours
- The option to work from home
- An eldercare support program
- Supporting them with access to resources and support
Here at Long Term Solutions, we understand that even with these options, caregivers are still stressed. We help working caregivers achieve this balance. Through our signature program, WeCare+, we will work with families to assess their situation, develop a plan of care and guide them to resources that will support their needs.
Do you know anyone struggling with work-life balance as a caregiver? What kind of support and advice can you offer to them?
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Elderly and Strength Training
Activity is incredibly important
for the elderly. According to the CDC, if you are over 65, you should get at
least 150 minutes a week of moderately intense aerobic activity and strength
training at least two days a week.
Over the past few months, there has been more and more research highlighting the great health benefits seniors can gain from weight training. In the most recent research, strength training was credited with preventing Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive decline. In addition to mental benefits, weight training can help seniors strengthen their bones, reduce their risk of falling, and contribute to heart health. Furthermore, according to the CDC, strength training has been credited with helping to reduce disease and symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain and depression.
For more information on strength training and exercise ideas, visit the links below:
CDC: Growing Stronger – Strength Training for Older Adults
About.com: Dumbbell Strength Training for Seniors
Over the past few months, there has been more and more research highlighting the great health benefits seniors can gain from weight training. In the most recent research, strength training was credited with preventing Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive decline. In addition to mental benefits, weight training can help seniors strengthen their bones, reduce their risk of falling, and contribute to heart health. Furthermore, according to the CDC, strength training has been credited with helping to reduce disease and symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain and depression.
For more information on strength training and exercise ideas, visit the links below:
CDC: Growing Stronger – Strength Training for Older Adults
About.com: Dumbbell Strength Training for Seniors
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
We Are Caregivers Too: Meet Nancy
“She was just sobbing. She walked down the hall of her nursing home and told every nurse and patient ‘my husband has died… did you know my husband died?’” remembers Nancy.
Nancy and her brother had just told their mother that their father and her husband had died. Nancy's mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease five years ago, and her husband had been the primary caregiver for almost four years. But in September 2011 he fell ill and within four months Nancy lost him to renal failure.
Nancy and her brother stayed in their mother’s room as she grieved with the staff and patients in her nursing home.
“I just couldn’t stop crying. I lost that comfort of my parents. No matter how old you are it’s hard. You’re always a child and they’re always a parent.”
Nancy is not a weak woman. She is a nurse, a care coordinator at Long Term Solutions, a caregiver, a mother, a competitive sailor, and, up until recently, was legally blind. She was born with ocular albinism with nystagmus, a genetic condition which results in impaired vision. In September 2007, Nancy’s vision had unexpectedly decreased significantly, and she found herself at the Carroll Center for the Blind.
While at the Carroll Center, Nancy found her passion in competitive sailing with the SailBlind team. She went on to sail in the Blind Nationals, winning two first place titles and a second place title with the team. She recently competed with the team in California, and she was able to travel to New Zealand as an alternate with the team, which is commemorated on her leg in the form of a tattoo.
She learned to live with her vision impairments for three years, until she received a life altering surgery on December 10, 2010. Following the surgery, her vision drastically increased. She was able to read, see colors and see during the day. However, she is still unable to drive or see at night, and can only get around with the help of Giggs, her service dog. During all of this, Nancy became a caregiver, and her journey into caregiving began with her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
“She was first diagnosed five years ago, maybe it was longer. It just seems like all of a sudden she progressed. She’s young. She’s only 81,” she said.
At first, her father assumed the role of primary caregiver. He was a cancer survivor with one kidney, but he was strong and able to care for Nancy’s mother. Her mother suffered from confusion, she would wander, and she couldn’t be left alone. Her father assumed all of those responsibilities and more. He would pick out her outfits, make her meals, and he was always by her side. He made it possible for them to stay in their home, which was where her mother felt most comfortable.
This all changed in September 2011. Nancy was visiting when her father began complaining of chest pain. Nancy checked his vitals. He was quickly decreasing. She called 911, and her father was hospitalized for a possible cardiac issue. Since her father had been the primary caregiver, Nancy and her siblings weren’t completely prepared to take care of their mother, so they enrolled her into respite care at a local nursing home.
“After that, he was discharged to home. He didn’t do too well. We think it might have been the separation,” explained Nancy.
It wasn’t long before her father fell ill again. On Thanksgiving, Nancy received another call from her father. He was extremely confused and disoriented. He didn’t know where he was, and Nancy couldn’t understand what he was saying. She knew something was very wrong, so she immediately called her sister on another line and then 911 to send an ambulance to her father.
“I was sobbing out loud. I just couldn’t help it. He had been so healthy and so strong,” she said.
He was brought to the hospital again. In an effort to help her father recover, Nancy and her siblings decided to transfer him into the nursing home to be with her mother.
“He was separated from my mom, and the love of his life. As difficult as it was for him to be the caregiver, when they were apart for that short time, he gave up on his own life,” explained Nancy.
On December 9, 2011 Nancy received seven calls from her father in the middle of the night because he was in a lot of pain, so on December 10, 2011 she drove out to the nursing home. The first thing she did was request his health information, and, a year after her surgery allowed her to read, she read that her father was in renal failure.
“I called my brothers and sisters and said he’s going back home. They said ‘what are you talking about? We’ll get him home for Christmas.’ And I said, ‘he’s not going to make it to the first of the year’,” explained Nancy.
Nancy’s father refused to be transported to the emergency room for treatment, so Nancy tried calling multiple nephrologists to see if they could begin dialysis immediately. Neither of those worked, so Nancy and her sister watched as her father signed his own DNR order. The next day, he went home on hospice.
“It was the wonderful support of my peers, managers and the owners of Long Term Solutions that gave me the strength to keep going,” explained Nancy.
Nancy stayed with her daughter, and she commuted to work from her home town daily. Due to her vision impairment, she couldn’t drive in the dark. With the short winter days, she would leave her daughter’s home at 6:00 a.m., and, with the encouragement of her manager and peers, leave work in the afternoon to drive back to her father.
“They were so good to me. They really cared. Every morning I would wake up and I would have a message from my manager asking how things were going. I would call her back, and I just couldn’t control my crying,” said Nancy.
Nancy’s last day with her father was on December 29, 2011. Nancy went in to see her father at 5:00 p.m. on that day, and then went to meet her sisters for some dinner.
“I went back to be with him. I walked in the door, looked at him and thought ‘he’s going to die right now.’”
Nancy’s service dog, Giggs, ran under her father’s bed, while Nancy held her father as he took his last couple of breaths.
Nancy watched as her father, who was the primary caregiver for her mother, passed away.
In order to pay for their mother’s care, Nancy and her siblings had to sell their childhood home. It took them weeks to sort through everything, from the pins that her mother used to wear to German Hummel dolls her father had purchased for their mother.
“I wish I could bring her home to me, but I know it’s impossible. It’s so hard because I know I can’t see her for a while because I can’t drive there. I just don’t know when I can drive there.”
Nancy and her brother had just told their mother that their father and her husband had died. Nancy's mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease five years ago, and her husband had been the primary caregiver for almost four years. But in September 2011 he fell ill and within four months Nancy lost him to renal failure.
Nancy and her brother stayed in their mother’s room as she grieved with the staff and patients in her nursing home.
“I just couldn’t stop crying. I lost that comfort of my parents. No matter how old you are it’s hard. You’re always a child and they’re always a parent.”
Nancy is not a weak woman. She is a nurse, a care coordinator at Long Term Solutions, a caregiver, a mother, a competitive sailor, and, up until recently, was legally blind. She was born with ocular albinism with nystagmus, a genetic condition which results in impaired vision. In September 2007, Nancy’s vision had unexpectedly decreased significantly, and she found herself at the Carroll Center for the Blind.
While at the Carroll Center, Nancy found her passion in competitive sailing with the SailBlind team. She went on to sail in the Blind Nationals, winning two first place titles and a second place title with the team. She recently competed with the team in California, and she was able to travel to New Zealand as an alternate with the team, which is commemorated on her leg in the form of a tattoo.
She learned to live with her vision impairments for three years, until she received a life altering surgery on December 10, 2010. Following the surgery, her vision drastically increased. She was able to read, see colors and see during the day. However, she is still unable to drive or see at night, and can only get around with the help of Giggs, her service dog. During all of this, Nancy became a caregiver, and her journey into caregiving began with her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
“She was first diagnosed five years ago, maybe it was longer. It just seems like all of a sudden she progressed. She’s young. She’s only 81,” she said.
At first, her father assumed the role of primary caregiver. He was a cancer survivor with one kidney, but he was strong and able to care for Nancy’s mother. Her mother suffered from confusion, she would wander, and she couldn’t be left alone. Her father assumed all of those responsibilities and more. He would pick out her outfits, make her meals, and he was always by her side. He made it possible for them to stay in their home, which was where her mother felt most comfortable.
This all changed in September 2011. Nancy was visiting when her father began complaining of chest pain. Nancy checked his vitals. He was quickly decreasing. She called 911, and her father was hospitalized for a possible cardiac issue. Since her father had been the primary caregiver, Nancy and her siblings weren’t completely prepared to take care of their mother, so they enrolled her into respite care at a local nursing home.
“After that, he was discharged to home. He didn’t do too well. We think it might have been the separation,” explained Nancy.
It wasn’t long before her father fell ill again. On Thanksgiving, Nancy received another call from her father. He was extremely confused and disoriented. He didn’t know where he was, and Nancy couldn’t understand what he was saying. She knew something was very wrong, so she immediately called her sister on another line and then 911 to send an ambulance to her father.
“I was sobbing out loud. I just couldn’t help it. He had been so healthy and so strong,” she said.
He was brought to the hospital again. In an effort to help her father recover, Nancy and her siblings decided to transfer him into the nursing home to be with her mother.
“He was separated from my mom, and the love of his life. As difficult as it was for him to be the caregiver, when they were apart for that short time, he gave up on his own life,” explained Nancy.
On December 9, 2011 Nancy received seven calls from her father in the middle of the night because he was in a lot of pain, so on December 10, 2011 she drove out to the nursing home. The first thing she did was request his health information, and, a year after her surgery allowed her to read, she read that her father was in renal failure.
“I called my brothers and sisters and said he’s going back home. They said ‘what are you talking about? We’ll get him home for Christmas.’ And I said, ‘he’s not going to make it to the first of the year’,” explained Nancy.
Nancy’s father refused to be transported to the emergency room for treatment, so Nancy tried calling multiple nephrologists to see if they could begin dialysis immediately. Neither of those worked, so Nancy and her sister watched as her father signed his own DNR order. The next day, he went home on hospice.
“It was the wonderful support of my peers, managers and the owners of Long Term Solutions that gave me the strength to keep going,” explained Nancy.
Nancy stayed with her daughter, and she commuted to work from her home town daily. Due to her vision impairment, she couldn’t drive in the dark. With the short winter days, she would leave her daughter’s home at 6:00 a.m., and, with the encouragement of her manager and peers, leave work in the afternoon to drive back to her father.
“They were so good to me. They really cared. Every morning I would wake up and I would have a message from my manager asking how things were going. I would call her back, and I just couldn’t control my crying,” said Nancy.
Nancy’s last day with her father was on December 29, 2011. Nancy went in to see her father at 5:00 p.m. on that day, and then went to meet her sisters for some dinner.
“I went back to be with him. I walked in the door, looked at him and thought ‘he’s going to die right now.’”
Nancy’s service dog, Giggs, ran under her father’s bed, while Nancy held her father as he took his last couple of breaths.
Nancy watched as her father, who was the primary caregiver for her mother, passed away.
In order to pay for their mother’s care, Nancy and her siblings had to sell their childhood home. It took them weeks to sort through everything, from the pins that her mother used to wear to German Hummel dolls her father had purchased for their mother.
“I wish I could bring her home to me, but I know it’s impossible. It’s so hard because I know I can’t see her for a while because I can’t drive there. I just don’t know when I can drive there.”
Monday, July 16, 2012
Creating a Support Network
This past week, we’ve been focusing on different ways to support caregivers and the loved ones they care for. Next Avenue, a great new site from PBS about boomers and aging, wrote a wonderful piece on creating and maintaining a support network for your aging loved one.
The article had some wonderful tips on working with the people that your elderly loved one interacts with on a daily basis.
- Follow your aging loved one on a weekday to get a handle on their routine. If something happens you will have a good guess as to where they are and how to contact them.
- Introduce yourself to the people they interact with, and exchange contact information. A hairdresser will be more likely to call you if your mother doesn't show up for her appointment if she has met you.
-Lastly, become friendly with your elderly loved ones neighbors. All of these connections will help you keep your elderly loved ones safe and keep you informed.
For more tips or to read the full article, click here.
The article had some wonderful tips on working with the people that your elderly loved one interacts with on a daily basis.
- Follow your aging loved one on a weekday to get a handle on their routine. If something happens you will have a good guess as to where they are and how to contact them.
- Introduce yourself to the people they interact with, and exchange contact information. A hairdresser will be more likely to call you if your mother doesn't show up for her appointment if she has met you.
-Lastly, become friendly with your elderly loved ones neighbors. All of these connections will help you keep your elderly loved ones safe and keep you informed.
For more tips or to read the full article, click here.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Useful Caregiver Tips: Finding Help
As a caregiver, one of the most important things to remember is to ask for help. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day duties of caregiving, and you can easily find yourself incredibly overwhelmed.It’s not first nature to seek out and accept
help, but it can be a lifesaver in some situations. Here are some tips for
doing that:
Talk to your friends. Keep them updated on your day to day caregiving activities, even when you’re not looking for an extra hand. If they know what’s going on they’ll be able to jump in and take over a few tasks for you.
Remember your other family members. Most of the time, one person assumes most of the caregiving duties. However, look to see if you can use your other family members for chores around the house or other errands that need to be done. Could you pay your son $5 to do the grocery shopping for the week? How about asking your daughter to fold the laundry? These tasks become so much more difficult when caregiving for an adult.
Start making lists. Detailing everything you do will help you identify which chores can be passed on to others.
WeCare+. Our WeCare+ program is designed to support caregivers in multiple ways. We provide guidance and direction regarding what type of assistance your loved one needs, and where to find elder care resources.
Talk to your friends. Keep them updated on your day to day caregiving activities, even when you’re not looking for an extra hand. If they know what’s going on they’ll be able to jump in and take over a few tasks for you.
Remember your other family members. Most of the time, one person assumes most of the caregiving duties. However, look to see if you can use your other family members for chores around the house or other errands that need to be done. Could you pay your son $5 to do the grocery shopping for the week? How about asking your daughter to fold the laundry? These tasks become so much more difficult when caregiving for an adult.
Start making lists. Detailing everything you do will help you identify which chores can be passed on to others.
WeCare+. Our WeCare+ program is designed to support caregivers in multiple ways. We provide guidance and direction regarding what type of assistance your loved one needs, and where to find elder care resources.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Elder Care Information
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the American Time Use Survey this past week, and there are some incredible figures regarding family caregivers.
22.3 million ( or 56%) of these caregivers were women.
23% of these caregivers were between the ages of 45 to 54.
22% of these caregivers were between the ages of 55 to 65.
16% of these caregivers were 65 and older.
23% of these caregivers were part of the sandwich generation, and cared for a child under 18 in addition to fulfilling their elder care duties.
This data was taken in 2011. With the first baby boomers beginning to retire, it will be interesting to see which areas increase during the next year. What do you think this means for the future of caregiving? What surprise you most about this data?
You can find the New York Times article here, and more statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics here.
According to The New
York Times, this survey was started in 2003, and the numbers are based on the minute by minute activities of Americans during a specific 24-hour period. This is the first
year that elder care data was collected, and here is what they found:
39.8 million people over the age of 15 acted as
unpaid caregivers to someone over 65. 22.3 million ( or 56%) of these caregivers were women.
23% of these caregivers were between the ages of 45 to 54.
22% of these caregivers were between the ages of 55 to 65.
16% of these caregivers were 65 and older.
23% of these caregivers were part of the sandwich generation, and cared for a child under 18 in addition to fulfilling their elder care duties.
This data was taken in 2011. With the first baby boomers beginning to retire, it will be interesting to see which areas increase during the next year. What do you think this means for the future of caregiving? What surprise you most about this data?
You can find the New York Times article here, and more statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics here.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
4th of July for Caregivers
As a caregiver, holidays can cause unnecessary stress. For caregivers caring for ailing or aging loved ones, the fireworks, parades and picnics associated with Independence Day can be difficult to navigate for a variety of reasons – crowds, accessibility and noise level are just a few of them. There are some basic things you can do to avoid the stress, and planning is crucial to having a joyous Independence Day.
Here are some tips:
- Contact your local town or city office to ask about accessibility. Ask where the best firework viewing areas are, how early you should get there, and ask about parking.
- Plan to get to any fireworks or parades early. It will be easier to navigate with fewer people, and you’ll be beating the crowds.
- Find the easiest and least obstructed path to the bathroom.
- Bring snacks and water. It’s easy to become dehydrated with the warm July weather, so make sure you and your loved one are well fed and hydrated.
- Make sure you have enough sunscreen for you and your loved one.
- Dress your loved one in layers, and bring extra blankets and sweaters in case the temperatures drop after sunset.
- Bring a deck of cards or some other game to take up some time before the fireworks start.
- Stay in and watch the fireworks on television with your elderly loved one!
Have a safe and happy Independence Day!
Here are some tips:
- Contact your local town or city office to ask about accessibility. Ask where the best firework viewing areas are, how early you should get there, and ask about parking.
- Plan to get to any fireworks or parades early. It will be easier to navigate with fewer people, and you’ll be beating the crowds.
- Find the easiest and least obstructed path to the bathroom.
- Bring snacks and water. It’s easy to become dehydrated with the warm July weather, so make sure you and your loved one are well fed and hydrated.
- Make sure you have enough sunscreen for you and your loved one.
- Dress your loved one in layers, and bring extra blankets and sweaters in case the temperatures drop after sunset.
- Bring a deck of cards or some other game to take up some time before the fireworks start.
- Stay in and watch the fireworks on television with your elderly loved one!
Have a safe and happy Independence Day!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Caregiver Stress Relief: Walking
For caregivers,
taking a break can be incredibly difficult, and it can be next to impossible to
incorporate a workout into the day. Exercising is crucial to stress relief and
physical health, and for a caregiver, stress relief is top priority. That’s why
walking is a great exercise option for caregivers.
Walking is a great fit for many reasons. First off, it doesn’t require a gym. You can walk anywhere and anytime without having to worry about setting time aside to drive to a gym or fitness class. Secondly, it’s an opportunity to have some time alone, which can be difficult to find as a caregiver. On the other hand, caregivers can walk with a buddy to incorporate some social interaction into their day. Whether walking alone or with a friend, the stress relief and mental health benefits are incredibly important. Lastly, there are numerous physical health benefits. Here are some from the Mayo Clinic:
Walking is a great fit for many reasons. First off, it doesn’t require a gym. You can walk anywhere and anytime without having to worry about setting time aside to drive to a gym or fitness class. Secondly, it’s an opportunity to have some time alone, which can be difficult to find as a caregiver. On the other hand, caregivers can walk with a buddy to incorporate some social interaction into their day. Whether walking alone or with a friend, the stress relief and mental health benefits are incredibly important. Lastly, there are numerous physical health benefits. Here are some from the Mayo Clinic:
- Lowers blood pressure
- Increases HDLs and lowers LDLs
- Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Is good for weight maintenance
- Increases strength
Friday, June 15, 2012
Let's Hear it for the Boys
Father’s Day is a great opportunity to discuss and appreciate a new trend: more and more men are stepping up and assuming the role of caregiver. Most caregivers are women, and this fact remains the same, but, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, in the last 15 years the number of men caring for aging loved ones has doubled.
Take some time out of your weekend to do something thoughtful for a male caregiver! In the meantime, read this great post from AgingCare.com about male caregivers: "Men as Caregivers"
Take some time out of your weekend to do something thoughtful for a male caregiver! In the meantime, read this great post from AgingCare.com about male caregivers: "Men as Caregivers"
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Caregivers at LTS: Debbie
“Where’s the nurse?” demanded a
young and visibly stressed doctor.
Debbie was in a hospital room with her mother and two other nurses. Her mother had developed the flu and pneumonia simultaneously, and they were at the ER for the second time.
“No, where’s the nurse? The family member who is a nurse,” he insisted.
The nurses looked at each other, confused. Debbie was the nurse he was referring to, but she remained silent.
“I didn’t answer. I wanted to be called a family member and not a nurse,” she explained. “I am a nurse, but I’m also a daughter. Treat me as a daughter. I can’t visit my parents as a daughter. I have to always visit them as a nurse."
This struggle between being a daughter versus a nurse has been a source of great frustration. Being a caregiver is incredibly stressful, and being a nurse as well as a caregiver creates an additional stress. With her experience in nursing and working with caregivers, she was the perfect person to care for her parents. She knew about all of the resources. She knew about medical procedures. She knew what to expect as a caregiver. But, her role as her parent’s nurse quickly overshadowed her role as a daughter - a role she sometimes wishes she could get back.
“It puts a lot of stress on me. I want to be there for the remainder of their lives having a cup of coffee, watching a movie, just sitting and not talking about making medical decisions,” she explained.
She became a full-time caregiver for two parents almost simultaneously. In November of 2010, her father was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He immediately began chemotherapy treatments, and Debbie was there to drive him to appointments, monitor the side effects of the chemotherapy, and be the nurse. In the middle of all of this, Debbie also became a full-time caregiver for her mother.
Only three months after her father’s diagnosis, in January of 2011, her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She had been complaining of shoulder pain, and her doctor discovered a mass in her lungs. She had to undergo immediate surgery to remove the cancer.
“I had to find the right surgeon for her, set up the appointments, and advocate for her,” she explained. “All of this was happening simultaneously."
In addition to being a full-time caregiver for two parents, Debbie was working and taking care of her own family. She has a husband, two daughters in college and a son in elementary school. She was devoting all of her time between work, her family, and her parents.
“During that course, I had to take a family leave. I couldn’t give 100%... and I feel, as an R.N., that I need to give 110% to my family.”
She also made the difficult decision to place her father in a nursing home so she could focus on her mother’s procedure. She knew that her father’s care needs would be addressed in a nursing home, and that combined with her father’s development of aspiration pneumonia, confirmed her decision.
“It was a lot of guilt and conflict because I couldn’t really take care of him in my home. I had to help my mother recover, take care of my son, support my daughters in college and work to pay their tuitions. So, it truly is a sandwich generation situation. And again, it was just me.”
With her father’s needs tended to, her mother underwent the procedure to remove the cancer. While there, she suffered from a weeklong ICU psychosis. Eventually, she was placed into a rehabilitation facility and was able to be move home with in-home help. Following that, with the help of Debbie’s mother and in home care, they were able to move her father back as well.
“We finally got him home. It’s been back and forth, and the hard part of all of this too, I mean it’s all hard, but the ironic part is they both got sick at the same time.”
This past April, Debbie’s father was admitted to the hospital with the flu and pneumonia. Shortly after, her mother was also admitted.
“When it hits, it really hits,” she said laughing.
During all of this, Debbie has strived to find some sort of balance. She took the advice that she gives so many caregivers on a daily basis: she sought outside help. She went to see a family therapist, which helped her put everything back into perspective and reach a balance. She recently starting golfing again, a hobby that she really enjoys. And, she received a tremendous amount of support from her colleagues at Long Term Solutions.
“Working really saved my life. We have our own LTS caregiver support group. We’re all about the same age. We all have parents aging who are in crisis, and we kind of pull for each other at this point."
Right now, her parents are both out of the hospital. Her father is still working with physicians to develop a treatment plan for with cancer, and Debbie can see that her mother is suffering an incredible amount of stress. However, this past week, Debbie didn’t go with them to her father’s oncologist appointment.
“I was going to go, but I’m trying to step back, and let them do it. I have to let them make their own decisions about what they want to do. Before I would have been, ‘I need to be there. You’re their daughter and you’re a nurse, and you didn’t go to that appointment?’ I have to get away from feeling the guilt.”
Instead, Debbie went to work and made plans to go golfing that night.
Debbie was in a hospital room with her mother and two other nurses. Her mother had developed the flu and pneumonia simultaneously, and they were at the ER for the second time.
“No, where’s the nurse? The family member who is a nurse,” he insisted.
The nurses looked at each other, confused. Debbie was the nurse he was referring to, but she remained silent.
“I didn’t answer. I wanted to be called a family member and not a nurse,” she explained. “I am a nurse, but I’m also a daughter. Treat me as a daughter. I can’t visit my parents as a daughter. I have to always visit them as a nurse."
This struggle between being a daughter versus a nurse has been a source of great frustration. Being a caregiver is incredibly stressful, and being a nurse as well as a caregiver creates an additional stress. With her experience in nursing and working with caregivers, she was the perfect person to care for her parents. She knew about all of the resources. She knew about medical procedures. She knew what to expect as a caregiver. But, her role as her parent’s nurse quickly overshadowed her role as a daughter - a role she sometimes wishes she could get back.
“It puts a lot of stress on me. I want to be there for the remainder of their lives having a cup of coffee, watching a movie, just sitting and not talking about making medical decisions,” she explained.
She became a full-time caregiver for two parents almost simultaneously. In November of 2010, her father was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He immediately began chemotherapy treatments, and Debbie was there to drive him to appointments, monitor the side effects of the chemotherapy, and be the nurse. In the middle of all of this, Debbie also became a full-time caregiver for her mother.
Only three months after her father’s diagnosis, in January of 2011, her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She had been complaining of shoulder pain, and her doctor discovered a mass in her lungs. She had to undergo immediate surgery to remove the cancer.
“I had to find the right surgeon for her, set up the appointments, and advocate for her,” she explained. “All of this was happening simultaneously."
In addition to being a full-time caregiver for two parents, Debbie was working and taking care of her own family. She has a husband, two daughters in college and a son in elementary school. She was devoting all of her time between work, her family, and her parents.
“During that course, I had to take a family leave. I couldn’t give 100%... and I feel, as an R.N., that I need to give 110% to my family.”
She also made the difficult decision to place her father in a nursing home so she could focus on her mother’s procedure. She knew that her father’s care needs would be addressed in a nursing home, and that combined with her father’s development of aspiration pneumonia, confirmed her decision.
“It was a lot of guilt and conflict because I couldn’t really take care of him in my home. I had to help my mother recover, take care of my son, support my daughters in college and work to pay their tuitions. So, it truly is a sandwich generation situation. And again, it was just me.”
With her father’s needs tended to, her mother underwent the procedure to remove the cancer. While there, she suffered from a weeklong ICU psychosis. Eventually, she was placed into a rehabilitation facility and was able to be move home with in-home help. Following that, with the help of Debbie’s mother and in home care, they were able to move her father back as well.
“We finally got him home. It’s been back and forth, and the hard part of all of this too, I mean it’s all hard, but the ironic part is they both got sick at the same time.”
This past April, Debbie’s father was admitted to the hospital with the flu and pneumonia. Shortly after, her mother was also admitted.
“When it hits, it really hits,” she said laughing.
During all of this, Debbie has strived to find some sort of balance. She took the advice that she gives so many caregivers on a daily basis: she sought outside help. She went to see a family therapist, which helped her put everything back into perspective and reach a balance. She recently starting golfing again, a hobby that she really enjoys. And, she received a tremendous amount of support from her colleagues at Long Term Solutions.
“Working really saved my life. We have our own LTS caregiver support group. We’re all about the same age. We all have parents aging who are in crisis, and we kind of pull for each other at this point."
Right now, her parents are both out of the hospital. Her father is still working with physicians to develop a treatment plan for with cancer, and Debbie can see that her mother is suffering an incredible amount of stress. However, this past week, Debbie didn’t go with them to her father’s oncologist appointment.
“I was going to go, but I’m trying to step back, and let them do it. I have to let them make their own decisions about what they want to do. Before I would have been, ‘I need to be there. You’re their daughter and you’re a nurse, and you didn’t go to that appointment?’ I have to get away from feeling the guilt.”
Instead, Debbie went to work and made plans to go golfing that night.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Berries Delay Memory Decline
Here’s another
great reason to incorporate fruit into your diet: berries may delay memory
decline. In a recent study, researchers found that consumption of berries
slowed cognitive decline in women 70 or older. In some cases, the cognitive
decline was slowed for up to 2.5 years.
Blueberries contain an extremely high amount of flavonoids. These flavonoids are able to cross the blood brain barrier into the hippocampus, which is that part of the brain that is responsible for forming memories and learning. Interestingly, many medications aren’t able to cross this blood brain barrier.
So, be sure to put blueberries on your shopping list this week! You can read the full report here.
Blueberries contain an extremely high amount of flavonoids. These flavonoids are able to cross the blood brain barrier into the hippocampus, which is that part of the brain that is responsible for forming memories and learning. Interestingly, many medications aren’t able to cross this blood brain barrier.
So, be sure to put blueberries on your shopping list this week! You can read the full report here.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Caregivers and Social Media
This week, there has been a lot of discussion about the
benefit of social media for caregivers. If you’re a caregiver, social media is
a great way create a support group made up of caregivers, and to reconnect with
friends and family.
There are many amazing websites that are created
specifically to support caregivers, and one of the best features of these
websites is the opportunity to vent. Talking to your friends and family can be
incredibly helpful, and is a lifesaver on many days, but there is something
extremely helpful in venting to a virtual group of caregivers. If you don’t
feel like writing about your personal experience, you can read the experience
of other caregivers and understand that you’re not alone in your feelings.
Social media is also a perfect way to stay connected with
your friends and family. You can stay up to date on everything in their lives,
and you can keep them posted on your caregiving duties. The best part about
social media is that you don’t have to dedicate your entire day to catching up.
Here is a great piece from HealthyMagination.com with online
resources for caregivers: http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/social-media-can-help-reduce-caregiver-stress/
Friday, May 25, 2012
Memorial Day: Outdoor Safety Tips for the Elderly
Memorial Day: Outdoor Safety Tips for the Elderly
Traditionally, Memorial Day is usually spent with family and friends around a grill. In order to have a fun, carefree Memorial Day, you have to take some safety precautions:
Grill Safety: Before you grill, there are some important safety to ensure that the grill is functioning properly and to avoid any fires.
1.Place the grill far away from your home, your deck, trees, shrubs and any flammable items.
2. Scrub the grill! Remove all grease and fat. It can catch on fire if it isn’t cleaned properly
3. If you’re using a charcoal grill, be careful about using starter fluid. Ensure that it is out of the reach of children and pets, and only use starter fluid. Don’t use any other accelerants!
4. If you’re using a propane grill, check the gas tank hose for leaks. The National Fire Protection Association has a great test: apply soapy water to the gas hose. If there is a leak, you will see bubbles. If not, then start grilling!
5.Read the complete list of tips from NFPA here.
Food Safety: Practice extreme caution while handling raw food!
1. While handling raw meat, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
2. Ensure that the coals are lightly coated with ash. Check that hamburgers reach an internal temperature of 160°F, large cuts of beef reach 154°F, and poultry reaches 165°F.
3. Read this list of food safety tips from the USDA here.
Elderly Safety: Heat stroke and heat related illness can be a serious problem for seniors.
1. Have plenty of water available to keep your elderly loved ones hydrated.
2.When you’re setting up, be sure to place several lawn chairs and tables in shaded areas to keep your senior loved ones cool.
3. Leave the air conditioning or fans on inside a room so that seniors can rest there if needed.
4. Leave bottles of sunblock outside for your guests to use, and ensure that your senior loved one wears light, breathable clothing and a hat.
5. Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and seek medical attention if any of your guests start showing any symptoms! You can see the full list of symptoms here.
Hope everyone has a safe and fun Memorial Day!
Traditionally, Memorial Day is usually spent with family and friends around a grill. In order to have a fun, carefree Memorial Day, you have to take some safety precautions:
Grill Safety: Before you grill, there are some important safety to ensure that the grill is functioning properly and to avoid any fires.
1.Place the grill far away from your home, your deck, trees, shrubs and any flammable items.
2. Scrub the grill! Remove all grease and fat. It can catch on fire if it isn’t cleaned properly
3. If you’re using a charcoal grill, be careful about using starter fluid. Ensure that it is out of the reach of children and pets, and only use starter fluid. Don’t use any other accelerants!
4. If you’re using a propane grill, check the gas tank hose for leaks. The National Fire Protection Association has a great test: apply soapy water to the gas hose. If there is a leak, you will see bubbles. If not, then start grilling!
5.Read the complete list of tips from NFPA here.
Food Safety: Practice extreme caution while handling raw food!
1. While handling raw meat, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
2. Ensure that the coals are lightly coated with ash. Check that hamburgers reach an internal temperature of 160°F, large cuts of beef reach 154°F, and poultry reaches 165°F.
3. Read this list of food safety tips from the USDA here.
Elderly Safety: Heat stroke and heat related illness can be a serious problem for seniors.
1. Have plenty of water available to keep your elderly loved ones hydrated.
2.When you’re setting up, be sure to place several lawn chairs and tables in shaded areas to keep your senior loved ones cool.
3. Leave the air conditioning or fans on inside a room so that seniors can rest there if needed.
4. Leave bottles of sunblock outside for your guests to use, and ensure that your senior loved one wears light, breathable clothing and a hat.
5. Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and seek medical attention if any of your guests start showing any symptoms! You can see the full list of symptoms here.
Hope everyone has a safe and fun Memorial Day!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Halting the Stress of Caregiving: Meditation
At Long Term Solutions, we’re constantly examining new techniques to support
caregivers in their journey. One great way to manage your wellness is through meditation.
Now, we don’t mean adding another thing to a list of your ‘to-do’s,’
we don’t mean learning new meditation techniques, and we definitely don’t mean
wasting fifteen minutes of your day. We’re talking about meditating on the most
basic level possible. It can be as easy as stopping what you’re doing, no
matter where you are, and taking five deep breaths. As simple as that!
One place to try this is waiting for your loved ones during appointments. Caregivers are always shuttling their loved ones to and from
doctor’s appointments, so instead of stressing out about the next doctor’s
appointment, what’s for dinner, or an overbooked agenda, take some time to
meditate. Take five minutes to focus on breathing and not the thoughts
scrambling through your head. You don’t have to completely clear your head of
thoughts, but just pause them momentarily.
Incorporating five minutes of meditation into your day will
have incredible benefits! Here are six steps to quieting your mind from Huffington Post.
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