If you’re managing the majority of care for your aging parents while your siblings remain uninvolved, you’re not alone. Caregiving can be a lonely journey, and many family caregivers find themselves carrying the burden without much help from other family members. In fact, a recent AARP report revealed that 50 percent of family caregivers are providing care alone. Understanding why this is such a common occurrence—and how to protect your…
Insights and Tips for Enhancing Care at Home
How Elder Mediation for Families Can Help Resolve Conflicts
When you’re working together to make sure the needs of your older parents are satisfied, even the closest siblings could find themselves in contradiction. Stress and emotions are, obviously, running high. Add to that your past family dynamics and history, which have a tendency to resurface in the midst of challenging times, and it’s easy to see how problematic this phase in life can be for each of you.
The Appropriate Steps for Transferring a Senior
The statistics are indeed alarming: more than half of all caregivers report injuries resulting from lifting or transferring older individuals. So many family members eventually assume the role of a caregiver, so it’s important to know the best safety measures for transferring a senior to ensure both your well-being and that of the person you care for.
Safe and Effective Tips for Lifting a Senior
Taking care of an older family member often means that you’ll be helping them move around the house, getting in and out of chairs and the bed, or even going to and from the bathroom. Handling these tasks incorrectly can pose a significant risk of injury to both you and the person you love, making it vitally important to know proper techniques for lifting a senior.
24-Hour Care to Help Seniors Age at Home Without Facing a Move
At first, caring for Mom may have just taken up a few hours of the week. But now, she’s starting to need help throughout most of the day and maybe even into the night. Now, you’re realizing Mom would feel most secure with someone around 24/7, ensuring her needs are met and ready to tackle any unexpected situations.
Get the Support You Need With Live-In Care for Seniors
Care needs ebb and flow as senior loved ones age, and the care model that works today may not be the one that works a year from now. Initially, their care journey may involve a home caregiver assisting with morning routines and meal preparation. But as their needs change, they may require more help from day to day. Challenges may arise during late-night tasks or unforeseen issues in the overnight…
A Caregiver’s Role in Managing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pertains to two lung diseases: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Basically, patients’ breathing is severely affected by an obstruction to airflow. Frequent symptoms include an excessively wet cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest.
Is It Caregiver Burnout or Compassion Fatigue?
Care providers devote so much of themselves to those they care for – both physically and emotionally. It’s common to become worn down and to start to experience feelings such as apathy, weariness, and a detachment from the person in your care. Referred to as compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, it can be harmful to your own health and wellbeing but may also impact your ability to be as…
Top Tips for Minimizing Family Caregiver Stress
Family caregiver stress is unavoidable, and in reality, not always a bad thing. Basically, as they say, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” But particularly for family caregivers, the level of stress can quickly intensify and become overwhelming, and if not handled properly, bring on serious health concerns.
6 Key Benefits of Care Coordination
All of us want the best for the older adults we love – it’s only natural. But sometimes when families are involved with an older loved one’s care, feelings about what is best may clash. This can cause family members to work against each other as opposed to working together with each other. This is when it can be a good idea to pull in an outside person like a…