How to survive being a caregiver

Caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

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The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]
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As “aging in place” becomes part of the new-millennial zeitgeist, seniors, as well as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, are choosing to stay at home as long as doing so is feasible and safe.

Even those who are able to remain living independently still rely on a minimum of assistance from neighbors or family members to perform the activities of daily living. As a result of this trend in growing older, the “caregiver” has become a popular substitute for serious medical assistance in the home.

A caregiver is anyone who provides help to another person in need such as an ill spouse or partner, a disabled child, or an aging relative. However, family members who are actively caring for an older adult often don’t self-identify as a “caregiver.” Recognizing this role can help caregivers receive the support they need.

Caregiving can offer many rewards. For most caregivers, being there when a loved one needs them is a core value and something many wish to provide.

But a shift in roles and emotions is almost certain. It is natural to feel angry, frustrated, exhausted, alone or sad. Caregiver stress — the emotional and physical stress of caregiving — is common.

Factors like having fewer years of formal education, living with the person for whom they are caring, social isolation and depression are often the beginnings of a syndrome known as “caregiver stress.”

The emotional and physical demands involved with caregiving can strain even the most resilient person. That’s why it’s important to take advantage of the many resources and tools available to help provide care for loved ones. When performing such life-giving tasks, it is difficult to remember that without taking care of oneself, taking care of anyone else is unhealthy and even impossible.

The National Institute on Aging shared ways to alleviate the stress incurred when taking care of a loved one. Some of those suggestions follow.

Accept help. Be prepared with a list of ways that others can help you, and let the helper choose what he or she would like to do. For instance, a friend may offer to take the person you care for on a walk a couple of times a week. Or a friend or family member may be able to run an errand, pick up your groceries or cook for you.

Focus on what you are able to provide. It’s normal to feel guilty sometimes, but understand that no one is a perfect caregiver. Believe that you are doing the best you can and making the best decisions you can at any given time.

Set realistic goals. Break large tasks into smaller steps that you can do one at a time. Prioritize. Make lists and establish a daily routine. Begin to say no to requests that are draining, such as hosting holiday meals.

Get connected. Find out about caregiving resources in your community. Many communities have classes specifically about the disease your loved one is facing. Caregiving services such as transportation, meal delivery or housekeeping may be available.

Join a support group. A support group can provide validation and encouragement as well as problem-solving strategies for difficult situations. People in support groups understand what you may be going through. A support group can also be a good place to create meaningful friendships.

Seek social support. Make an effort to stay well-connected with family and friends who can offer nonjudgmental emotional support. Set aside time each week for connecting, even if it’s just a walk with a friend.

Set personal health goals. For example, set goals to establish a good sleep routine, find time to be physically active on most days of the week, eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water.

Many caregivers have issues with sleeping. Not getting quality sleep over a long period of time can cause health issues. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, talk to your doctor.

See your doctor. Get recommended vaccinations and screenings. Make sure to tell your doctor that you’re a caregiver. Don’t hesitate to mention any concerns or symptoms you have.

Respite Care

It may be difficult to leave a loved one in someone else’s care, but it’s often necessary. In-home respite care might be able to send a caregiver on a regular basis to allow the primary caregiver time away from the home, or to rest or take care of personal business.

There are also adult centers that provide daily schedules of care and activity oriented events designed for adults with constant care requirements. Some of these facilities also care for children, and combining the two groups can be beneficial for both.

Short-term nursing homes might also be an option. Some memory care facilities and nursing homes accept short-term patients while the primary caregiver is away.

Sue Lamborn, Outreach and Community Relations Manager for Thrive Alliance, offered a simple plan to alleviate caregiver stress.

“Remember that you are not alone. There are resources out there designed to take care of the caregivers, and sometimes caregiving is the hardest job. People just don’t realize how taxing it can be,” she said.

Don't Write Off Dementia Patients .

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities



By KRISTEN GERENCHER
Watching a loved one with dementia reach the final stages is heartbreaking. But you don't have to give up on maintaining a meaningful connection with that person.

Even when memory fails and abilities diminish, friends and relatives can find activities that engage the afflicted person. They can adapt favorite hobbies from the past or try new ones such as listening to or playing music, doing art projects or going fishing together. The key is to keep trying to include the person in activities even if they're relatively simple or mundane, aging experts say.


Lisa Haney
."People get afraid and think 'I don't know what I'm going to say or do,'" says Beth Kallmyer, senior director of constituent services for the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago.

People with dementia may not react the way they did before they got sick, but they still need company and stimulation, she says.

"You might see their eyes light up," Ms. Kallmyer says. "They may be able to smile, make a joke, engage you in a way that surprises you."

When Andrea Kay's father started declining more rapidly in late 2008, she wanted to find a way to reach him and make the most of the time they had left together.

"When I would visit him, it would be increasingly difficult to have a conversation with him," she says.

In early 2009, she started bringing her drawing pad and offered to draw him, which she had done earlier in her life. He agreed and a new ritual was born.

"He loved it because I gave him my full attention," says Ms. Kay, a career consultant and author in Cincinnati. "When you're drawing someone, you're looking deep into their eyes and that's what I loved about it, looking deep into his face and capturing him looking back at me."

She also wrote down comments he made as they talked and her father gently criticized her work, which she says was characteristic of his earlier self. She accumulated about 30 drawings documenting her father's changing features and expressions.

After he died in August 2009, Ms. Kay turned her work into an art show and performance called Flutterby. The name comes from a conversation they had when Ms. Kay pointed out a butterfly to her ailing father, and he recalled that she had referred to them as "flutterbys" when she was little.

"There's a great need for people to understand how to be with someone who is dying or cannot communicate," Ms. Kay says. "People don't want to be around it. And yet there is a way, I discovered, to be there and to have a relationship with somebody even if they don't communicate in the old way."

More families are poised to face similar challenges as the baby-boom generation gets older. Last year, about 15 million family members and friends cared for people with Alzheimer's or other kinds of dementia, amounting to 17 billion hours of unpaid care, according to the Alzheimer's Association. By 2050, the number of people with the disease is projected to balloon to as many as 16 million Americans, up from 5.4 million today.

Shared activities don't always require a lot of effort. If a person used to like to cook or wash dishes, tasks such as mixing ingredients or scrubbing plates may serve to keep patients engaged with their families, which can help alleviate challenging behavior, says Ms. Kallmyer. "If they feel useful in the kitchen, with a little supervision that's a great activity."

As a board-certified music therapist, Kat Fulton of San Diego works with many seniors who have dementia. For some, playing a musical instrument or singing becomes a way to ease the agitation that often comes with the disease. A few months ago, an elderly woman in a skilled-nursing facility was thought to be nonverbal until Ms. Fulton began singing Tin Pan Alley songs and the woman joined in with words and happy gestures.

"The music opened up opportunities for her to feel safe to communicate in whatever ways she could communicate," she says.

Families can do their own version of music therapy, Ms. Fulton says. Her advice: Figure out what music was popular and which songs hit the charts when your loved one was young and then play and sing those tunes together.

"Maybe they were too inhibited to ever dance or too shy to ever sing or play the drum or clap their hands," Ms. Fulton says. "But now you're kind of dealing with a new person. A lot of the inhibitions are lost."

"It's never too late to teach someone with Alzheimer's something new, especially if it's brought in on a repetitive basis and it's music," she says.

The Alzheimer's Association has an always-open, toll-free helpline (1-800-272-3900), which people can call to brainstorm ideas on how to stay connected with a loved one who has dementia.