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Caregiving:
Me, Myself, and I |
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Volume 4, Issue
8 |
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SAFE
Aging Newsletter |
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February 2008 |
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In This Issue:
- Am I a Caregiver?
- Practical Matters for the
Care Giving Friend or Neighbor
- Practical Matters for
Advanced Family Discussion
- Care for Yourself to Care for
Others
Care giving seems to be a very confusing
role. So many people provide care giving assistance but don't
realize it. This month, we provide tips, information, links and
resources about care giving.
1.
Am I a Caregiver?
"No, I don't think so. I just help my neighbor with her
shopping, and I take her to the doctor… and I check on her every
couple of days. Sometimes, I take out her trash or do whatever
she needs done. She has arthritis."
"No, my sister lives with us. She is very forgetful. Her
doctor says she has dementia. I have to make sure she dresses
and bathes herself. I can't let her get near the stove or drive
the car."
"Not really, I don't live with my mom. I just have to balance
her checkbook and watch what she buys. She will buy anything
anyone tries to sell her, regardless of cost. I have had to take
a lot of things back that she really didn't need or want. She
just can't say no to salesmen or telemarketers."
"No, my parents live in their own house. Dad has a heart
condition and Mom has Parkinson's disease. I make sure they get
two good meals a day, every day. I always worry about their
safety. When I drop off their food, I check on them, and make
sure they have what they need like medicine, food, and supplies.
My husband and I have been doing this for a couple of years now.
They are very proud and don't want to leave home."
These four scenarios fit the definition of care giving. The
helper has made an emotional and personal commitment to provide
support or care to people who have long term health conditions
such as arthritis, heart disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease,
etc. This fits the definition of care giving.
Many people do not recognize their roles as "caregivers.' This
is not uncommon. AARP did a wonderful study on this very topic.
It is included as a resource listed below. The important thing
is to recognize there are outside resources for caregivers. If
you need help, there are places to go.
References:
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2. Practical
Matters for the Caregiving Friend or Neighbor
Who knows what today or tomorrow may bring? There are many
practical matters that need to be discussed in advance. The
caregiver really needs to know what to do in an emergency
situation (such as when a person is too ill, hurt, or unable to
express personal wishes).
For the caregiver who is looking in on the next door neighbor or
a friend, here are some basic ideas that could help you to cope
should an emergency situation arise.
- Ask your friend or neighbor to prepare and place a list of
emergency numbers in easy to find locations such as:
- refrigerator
- bedside table
- next to telephone
Need a ready-made form? Use our
Emergency
Number List!
- Suggest a
MedicTag
to contain vital health information.
- Print a copy of MedicTag and keep in easy to find
location, such as with emergency phone numbers, in bed stand,
in medicine cabinet, with important medical documents.
- If Medic Tag is not available, ask the location of
important documents such as
- health directives (if personal health choices have been
made)
- health insurance information in case of emergency
- Determine who should care for home/living
situation if the friend or neighbor is away for a period of
time including:
- mail
- newspaper
- pets
- food in refrigerator
- Discuss plans for any emergency scenario that
could happen.
- In the event of serious illness or death, determine the
contact information for the person legally responsible
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3.
Practical Matters for Advanced Family Discussion
We found out the hard way that without warning, life can
bring unexpected sorrows. When our mother died, she was in great
health. She had arthritis, but we were expecting many more years
with her. Instead, she unexpectedly died in a car accident and
we had to plan her funeral. We simply were not prepared. Such
decisions at the time were painful and felt crushing.
There are so many practical matters that should be discussed
before ill health or death clouds the ability to make thoughtful
decisions. Here are some practical matters that deserve advanced
family discussion, regardless of age or health.
This is especially important for any family who is providing
care to a loved one or for any person who is receiving care.
1. Consult with an attorney about legal matters and get all
matters in order.
- Have legal health care surrogate identified
- Have advanced health care directives
- Have an updated will in the State of residence
- Make sure all insurance policies are identified and in
easy to find location (might be helpful to have attorney
review)
2. Identify funeral preferences and any burial arrangements
in detail.
3. Have all important papers in one easy to find location
4. Keep health history and vital health information in one
easy to find location
5. Have emergency contact information in your car.
6. Have a list of friends and family with addresses and
telephone numbers
7. Record specific last wishes
MedicTag
can make organizing this information easy!
Resources:
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4. Care for Yourself
to Care for Others
To care for others requires caring for oneself.
Unfortunately, too many caregivers lose themselves when care
giving. As a result, caregivers get injured, suffer depression,
get sick a lot, and lose the ability to nurture and give care
with love.
Here are something simple actions you can do for yourself
each day:
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Take a walk.
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Breathe the fresh air.
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Think about nothing or think about
only things that make you feel good.
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Visualize your happiest days. Think
about those days in every detail (the textures, aromas, the
temperature, the wind, the sun, etc.).
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Take slow, deep breaths.
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Slowly let the air out, very
slowly.
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With that air, let out all the
stress you feel.
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Visualize your stress leaving your
body. Shake it out!
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Smile really big smiles, even if
you don't feel like it.
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Reach out and stretch your arms as
if to touch the stars.
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Now, bring your arms down and give
yourself a great big hug!
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Take another big, slow deep breath.
And visualize your happy thoughts.
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Know
Your Strengths
Care
giving can be very stressful. In many situations, the role
of care giving happens without special training. To reduce
stress, know what you can and can't do. If you know you
aren't strong in a certain skill, this would be a good
place to find help. Use this form, "Caregiver
Roles", to help determine your strengths and
weaknesses. |
For more information on caregiving, check out these other
resources:
- SAFE Aging Learning
Center
The Learning Center has many handouts, links and resources
that can be a great help for caregivers. Take a look at the
many articles, tips and hints that are available free to you.
-
SAFE Aging Newsletter
Don't forget to take a look at all the SAFE Aging newsletters
archives. There are many helpful articles that you can use.
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Here's what's coming soon!
2008 Newsletter Topics
March - Plan Ahead for Health and
Safety
April - Great Tastes
May - Need Help With Dressing
June - Know Thy Self
July - Get Rid of Pain
August - Senior Moments
September - Stress Management
October - New Gadgets
November - Focus on Driving
December - Booze and Drugs
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 Wherever
You Go!
Carry Your
Medical & Emergency Info!
www.MedicTag911.com
MedicTag is a portable digital
medical alert device that plugs into a computer or laptop USB
port and provides instant access to vital emergency info when
needed the most.
ONLY $34.95
+ s/h
No annual
fees!
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SAFE AGING
LEARNING CENTER
This is a reminder to
take a look at the
SAFE AGING LEARNING CENTER. There is something for
everyone in our learning center. There are excellent
resources to learn about safety, health, injury prevention
and other useful resources and information. We add to this
list continually for your
learning pleasure.
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other senior service providers.
Topics should in some way be related to
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