All About Care Giver

What is a “caregiver“? Someone who is involved in helping someone else manage to carry out the tasks of living. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? For the caregiver, it is anything but easy or simple.

Let’s be honest. Being a caregiver is a tough job. Being a caregiver to aging parents is even tougher. Not that we don’t love our parents. Of course we do, or trust me, we would not undertake the caregiver role.

It’s stressful because of a lifetime of family dynamics. The emotions and memories, happy or sad, have a way of coming to the surface when least expected.

Who knew that providing TLC to loved ones could be this stressful? How stressful is it? Well, caregivers are at an increased risk of depression and burnout.

Symptoms of both tend to mimic each other. One contributes to the other. Sort of the age-old puzzle…”Which comes first? The chicken or the egg?”

~~~Signs of Caregiver Burnout~~~

anxiety irritability anger exhaustion self criticism trouble at work trouble in relationships substance abuse feeling overwhelmed apathy for usual activities depression
~~~Things To Do For You~~~ always talk with your doctor vent to support network speak with therapist call local senior service organizations utilize programs to assist caregivers join support groups arrange “home care” visitors get respite care do not neglect nutrition try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night take time to do something you enjoy you must find humor in everyday events Of course, each caregiver’s situation is unique. Some may be handling the responsibilities from thousands of miles away. Coordinating and managing elder care over the phone and making visits. Some live near enough to try to run two households. And, others have one or both aging parents residing with them. Whichever caregiver role you are in charge of, you have to take care of yourself. And I know it’s way easier for someone to offer well-meaning advice than it is to carry out.

But you have to try. Depression and burnout are serious conditions. How sad and unfair to have this happen to you when you are trying to make the last years of an aging parent as pleasant as possible.

(c) 2007 Karen Cook

Posted on January 31st, 2010 by Peter
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To care for yourself is easier said than done when you are the caregiver of a seriously ill child. Add to that other children, a spouse, cooking,cleaning,laundry,appointments, pets, church, other family members or an outside job and taking care of you goes to the bottom of the list. Here are a few tips to put you at the top again without feeling guilty.

1. Delegate…. There is no rule that says you must do it all, whether you are the mom or the dad. Let others help, delegate smaller age appropriate jobs to the other siblings, and divide chores with your spouse. And that includes the care for the sick child. No one person can do it all.

2. During times of acute illness, have prepared or prepackaged meals on hand in the freezer. There is nothing wrong with a frozen pizza on occasion. Or make simple meals like scrambled eggs and bacon or pancakes. Have fresh fruit on hand too, for a quick pick me up and an easy snack for you.

3. Do household bills on the same day each month instead of several times a month. When your child has been ill, the days and weeks run together so it is easier to plan on one day for bill paying. You are less likely to miss a bill and it is less stressful.

4. Plan to handle emails, phone calls, and other household business the same way… on one day each month or one day each week. Assign a spokesperson for the family for the other times during the month saving your time for your child or for rest for yourself.

5. Utilize the social service department of your child’s hospital and don’t let pride get in the way if your family needs something extra. Social workers are trained to help families deal with the stress of a chronically ill child and they can meet with siblings, help find financial solutions, and liaison between family and friends.

6. Leave the guilt behind when you have a few minutes to yourself. Enjoy a hot bubble bath, savor a meal prepared by someone else, or just be content when another has cleaned or done laundry, even if it is not up to your standards.

Give yourself permission to relax or read or just sit quietly listening to the birds a few minutes everyday. It will go a long way to keeping you sane and refreshed.

Posted on January 25th, 2010 by Peter
Filed under: Health And Fitness | Comments Off

Family caregiving which is caring for a family member by a spouse or child or any member of the family is rewarding and a bonding experience which can also be stressful and create tension within family members. These conditions often not only affect the health of the person needing care but also that of the one giving the care.

To protect your health as a family caregiver, you can observe some of these tips to help preserve your health:
• Work out
• Meditate
• Ask for Assistance
• Have a break
• Eat the right foods
• Pamper yourself from time to time
• Have regular check-ups

Posted on January 10th, 2010 by Peter
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As a continuation to the previous post, here are some other tips that will help you make a long term plan towards effective caregiving:
3.Nursing homes should be familiar to you. It is very helpful for you to determine what’s available whether you decide to use or not to use one. Be aware of the fact that there are nursing homes in urban areas that have a very long waiting list when it comes to specialized care for Alzheimers patients.
4.You should establish a network of friends and family members that can assist you in times of need.
5.It is also recommended that you take advantage of relief care opportunities that may be available. You may find these in local hospitals, day care centers for adults and in your local church and community groups.

Posted on December 10th, 2009 by Peter
Filed under: Guide | Comments Off

Obesity is defined as a chronic disease which increases risks of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, respiratory conditions, osteoarthritis, and cancers of the colon, breast, prostate and endometrium. This condition results in higher mortality rates related to the condition.

An ideal caregiving team for obese people may include you, a physician including but not limited to specialists like psychologists, nutritionist, dietitian and exercise physiologist. As the team leader, you are in the best position to determine what your loved one needs in term of medical, emotional, physical and spiritual requirements which can be delivered compassionately and skillfully.

Posted on November 10th, 2009 by Peter
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It is very important to have a long term planning for you to become a good and effective caregiver. Making difficult decisions is also expected of you if you take the caregiving path. To help you wth your decisions, you must fully determine all your choices and this is done through long term planning. How are you going to make long term planning?

1.You must be able to make sure that you have an attorney with sufficient knowledge and can give you appropriate advise regarding powers of attorney, health care preferences, guardianships and living wills.
2.You also have to make sure that you are involved in a health care group or team that you can depend on such as doctors, nurses and social workers.

Posted on October 10th, 2009 by Peter
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Care giving is one of the most in demand vocations there is in the world. Usually patients would be he old people who are left to the end of their days in hospitals built especially for them, or to put it bluntly, the old people’s home. Most care givers are Asians for the same reason most menial laborers are Latins. It is because the western society has failed to take any interest in taking care of their own and has therefore relied on cheap labor to attend to the responsibility in their behalf. It is a must know that care giving is a sensitive task. It requires the outmost patience on the part of the person who renders care as the patients are by far different from the usual ones. They are more tardy, childish and therefore more prone to tantrums and abrupt violence.

Posted on September 10th, 2009 by editor
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The International Alliance of Carers Organizations or IACO is located in London. The main purposes or missions of this organization is to develop the visibility of the family caregiving across the lifespan as something that will be considered as a very significant international issue, to intensify the relationship between different countries and improve their caregiving programs through sharing of effective caregiving practices and to aid countries that are interested in organizing and promoting family carer organizations by providing assistance and encouragement to them. IACO was established on February 27, 2004. The caregiving organizations involved in IACO came from the countries UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States.

Posted on August 10th, 2009 by Peter
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Emotional attachment to the patient is not next to impossible with care giving. Caregivers see them everyday, talk to them 24/7, feed them, dress them and monitor them so it is out of the question that they won’t treat their patients as their family.

But what if the patient dies? Everyone knows that we’ll all arrive at that point – it’s just a matter of who’s going first.

These caregivers sometimes develop an unusual bonding with the family. The same thing happened with a Filipino caregiver named Evelyn, when her patient died, her contract was terminated as well but nevertheless, she is still in contact with the family of her previous patient.

Photo taken from http://globalnation.inquirer.net

Posted on July 10th, 2009 by editor
Filed under: General Facts | Comments Off

Home health aide, elder care companion or personal care attendant are terms often associated with the Professional Caregiver whose primary responsibility is to provide care for another individual in a private home. Commonly, those recovering from surgery, people with chronic conditions, elderly people needing assistance with daily living activities and people requiring companionship are those who seek the help of Professional Caregivers.

Services of Professional Caregivers can either be in a short or long term basis and they can either be live-in or live-out depending on the needs of individuals availing of their services. The level of care varies dependent of the needs of each individual.

Posted on June 10th, 2009 by Peter
Filed under: General Facts | Comments Off