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Tag: Caregiver

  • How to support a loved one diagnosed with a serious health condition

    How to support a loved one diagnosed with a serious health condition

    Sachin H. Jain writes for Forbes about the importance of understanding how difficult a grave diagnosis can be for a patient. Many people do not want to accept the fact that they have a serious condition, let alone a life-threatening illness. If your loved ones are diagnosed with a serious condition, try to appreciate why they might be in denial and help them manage their emotions.

    Jain explains that being told that you have a serious health condition is a lot like hearing that someone you love has died. People feel grief and often struggle to accept reality. Denial can be a way for people to protect themselves. It is a coping mechanism which permits people to move forward with their lives. Otherwise, it’s easy to feel burdened and at a standstill.

    For sure, accepting a diagnosis of a serious health condition also can be helpful. Acceptance can lead people to change their behaviors or seek medical treatment. Often acceptance follows denial.

    For family members and caregivers who want only the best for their loved ones, it can be hard to see them in denial about a serious illness. You want your loved ones to modify their behaviors in order to extend their lives. But, that may not happen immediately. It’s therefore best for you to be patient and not judge your loved ones for failing to act as you would want them to.

    As a general rule, you and other caregivers should accompany the people you love when they visit the doctor. It can help them manage their sadness and fear. If the sadness and fear is recognized and discussed, rather than suppressed, behavioral modifications and other treatments are generally easier to follow.

    Do not focus on a loved one’s denial of a condition or non-compliance with treatment recommendations. Recognize how hard it is to face a serious health condition and how such a diagnosis can be scary and cause sadness.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • How you might find a part-time job after retirement

    How you might find a part-time job after retirement

    No matter how old you are, it’s easy to see the appeal of working part time. After retirement, part-time work can be rewarding financially, socially, physically and emotionally. Of course, what’s available depends upon your skills, your flexibility and your location. And, there’s no question that it is particularly hard for older adults to get part-time jobs. Workplace ageism is real. Here are a number of ways you might be able to find a part-time job after retirement, with some insights from Kerry Hannon at AARP.

    1. Work for yourself as a consultant and do what you know how to do or want to do as much or as little as you would like. To learn about potential job prospects, talk to your former bosses and colleagues. Or, join an association or club with members who do the kind of work you do or who have networks and leads for you. PatinaSolutions.com provides employment opportunities for people with 25 years of experience or more. And, HourlyNerd.com helps connect people with MBAs or graduate degrees to jobs.
    2. Be a caregiver. There are likely older people in your community living at home who need help with basic needs or simply companionship. Contact your local area agency on aging about these opportunities.
    3. Find a seasonal job. Schools might need substitute teachers during the school year. The National Park Service and tennis clubs generally need extra help during the summer months. Car services, delivery services and retailers may need extra drivers during the end-of-year holiday season. If you know how to prepare tax returns, you might find a job with H&R Block or another accounting firm between January and April 15. If you’d like to learn how to prepare a tax return, AARP trains volunteers to help lower-income older adults prepare their taxes. You can learn more at the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide.
    4. Work at home to help a company remotely. If you like working with kids, consider being an English as a second language tutor. Or, find your calling as an artisan, making accessories or home goods. You can put your work up for sale on sites like Etsy.com.
    5. Be a personal assistant on an hourly basis. Help schedule meetings, plan travel, file papers, handle insurance issues or care for pets. If you like the idea of caring for pets, let your local pet store know. Or, deliver flowers, prescription drugs and newspapers in your community.
    6. Become a marketer, and do direct sales. Many companies pay part-timers to work on their own schedule on a commission basis. Think Avon and Mary Kay. You might sell these products online to your social network or through house parties. AARP suggests contacting Direct Selling Association for information. It’s important to pick the company carefully so you work for a legitimate business and you well understand the company’s expectations and when and how much you will be paid. The Federal Trade Commission offers help at business.ftc.gov . You might also ask your local Chamber of Commerce about the company before you decide to work for it.

    Best ways to explore these and other opportunities: Post an ad on a community job board, LinkedIn, Facebook or Craiglist. Use your networks. Talk to friends and former work colleagues. Show up at events and meet people one on one. Talk to local business owners. Avoid using big job sites.

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  • How to be a good long distance caregiver

    How to be a good long distance caregiver

    If you do not live close enough to someone you love to stop in and see whether she needs help, how would you know?  What are the signs that this person needs support? And, how can you be a good long distance caregiver?

    Whether or not you know it, if you live too far away to visit regularly, just staying in phone touch with an older person you love makes you a long distance caregiver. You are providing emotional support. But, phone contact alone still makes it hard to know much about your loved one’s care needs. Your loved one may be able to pick up the phone but still may be struggling to bathe or feed herself. And she may not want you to worry about her or simply might be too embarrassed to discuss her challenges.

    One way to know whether this person is managing on her own is to ask whether you can speak to her neighbors, friends or doctor. In addition to asking them how your loved one is doing, you could let them know that you would like to be of help and that they can call you with any concerns. You might also ask for permission to reach out to them on a regular basis.

    Of course, you also want to speak with your loved one and the primary caregiver, if there is one, about how you can be of most service.

    As a long distance caregiver, you could help your loved one manage money or pay bills. You could arrange for paid caregivers. You could help her find supportive housing if needed. You could share information about your loved one’s health and care needs with other friends and family who want to be of help. And, you could help your loved one get her affairs in order in case of emergency.

    Beyond that, you should contact the local area agency on aging at 1-800-677-1116 or at eldecare.gov to learn about community resources. And, try as best as possible to understand your loved one’s health condition and care needs.

    Before you visit, ask your loved one what she would like to do when you get together. Ask whether it is OK to speak to her primary caregiver, if she has one, to better understand her needs. When you visit, check your loved one’s home for safety issues and other issues that need addressing. And, be sure to have some fun–play cards, take a walk or a drive, visit with friends and family.

    Afterwards, consider emailing the list of people who care for your loved one to update them.

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  • Sensors offer peace of mind to caregivers

    Sensors offer peace of mind to caregivers

    Anyone who is a family caregiver knows how stressful it can be. Is your loved one eating, using the toilet, taking her medications and sleeping well at night are just some of your worries. For caregivers, sensors can offer peace of mind. They also may save you the expense of paid caregivers.

    Ideally, caregivers can spend significant time with their loved ones.  But, many caregivers are juggling caregiving responsibilities with work responsibilities and kid responsibilities. It’s a struggle to know whether the people they love are taking care of themselves. With sensors, you have timely answers to important aspects of their lives, even when you can’t call or visit.

    With motion sensors, you can know how long your mom is sleeping at night, whether she locked the front door and how frequently she is getting food from the fridge or using the restroom. You can know when her daily activities change significantly. Sensors placed in the home can track her activities for you, so you can ensure she is safe. And, she can feel secure that you will know if something goes awry.

    You can check on the people you care for remotely, via computer or smartphone.  A sensor on a pillow will reveal the number of hours a person slept. A sensor on the fridge indicates how many times a person opened it.  A sensor on the toilet flush keeps track of the number of times a person uses the bathroom.  You can even track medication use.

    A body sensor will allow you to know if your loved one falls. And some sensors can help predict whether a person is prone to fall based on the size of the steps they are taking or the speed at which they walk, among other methods.  This can be life-saving information since falls are a frequent cause of hospitalization, disability and even death in older adults.

    Sensors can also help older adults remain independent, by doing basic activities at their request, such as turning on the lights or turning on the air conditioner. Amazon’s Alexa will make a phone call for you or remind you to take your medications or play Man of La Mancha.

    Of course the sensors present both benefits and risks.  On the benefits side, home sensors can help older people age in place and avoid moving into a nursing home.  They also can ease the stress of caregivers who may not be able to visit them or call them as much as they’d like. But, they do impinge on people’s privacy, and they could very well mean that the companies selling these devices are also selling the personal information they are collecting.

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  • Help for caregivers who leave their jobs

    Help for caregivers who leave their jobs

    Millions of caregivers leave their jobs to care for a loved one at some time in their careers.  Not only do they lose their income in the process, they stop paying into Social Security and may see lower Social Security benefits when they retire. So, on May 30, 2017, Senator Chris Murphy reintroduced a bill to provide these caregivers additional retirement benefits, the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act. He originally introduced the bill on March 18, 2016.

    An estimated 65 million people leave their jobs entirely or significantly reduce their work hours in order to care for someone they love. And, by some accounts, they forego an average of $300,000 in lost wages, pension benefits and Social Security benefits when they do so jeopardizing their retirement security. Women are most affected.

    The credit would be based on a sliding scale of income tied to past earnings with a cap, for up to five years of caregiving. Anyone caring for a family member–parent, child, sibling, spouse, domestic partner, aunt, uncle, grandparent–who needs help with activities of daily living would qualify for the credit, so long as they were caregiving a minimum of 80 hours a month.

    Senator Murphy argues that supporting caregivers will save the government money.  People being cared for in their homes will not need nursing home care, which Medicaid often pays for.  Bernie Sanders is co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate. And, Congresswoman Nita Lowey introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

    If passed, this bill would expand Social Security and improve the lives of many older adults in retirement. It would end the penalty on people who put their family first to care for them. It would be particularly helpful in increasing women’s income in retirement and reducing the income gap between men and women.

    People would be able to claim the credit–based on a sliding scale–for up to 60 months. And, it would phase out when the caregiver earns more than the average national wage.

    These organizations have all endorsed Senator Murphy’s bill: The National Council on Aging, The National Organization for Women, The National Alliance for Caregiving, The Sibling Leadership Network, The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Social Security Works, Autism Speaks, Latinos for a Secure Retirement, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action, The Arc of the United States, and Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby.

    Here’s more information from Just Care:

  • Caring for a loved one with mild dementia

    Caring for a loved one with mild dementia

    A diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease is challenging for both the individual and his or her family members. On one hand, you want to respect your loved one’s independence as much and as long as possible. At the same time, you need to understand potential challenges and limitations and plan for them. For people with mild dementia, it’s important to take these first steps.

    In the early stages of dementia, people may be able to do many things on their own, and you should encourage these activities. But, you need to assess what is safe and be prepared for a time when they need significant assistance. How will your loved ones get their meals, get dressed, comply with medication regimens, get around safely both inside and outside their homes, stay connected and engaged? Which family members will help oversee the care and how? Should a paid caregiver be hired? What are the costs?

    Your local Area Agency on Aging, 800-677-1116, can help you learn what services are available in your community. In addition, here’s how you might help:

    1. Suggest your loved ones keep a notebook they can refer to for information on anything they want to be sure to remember, including upcoming appointments. They should always have the notebook with them.
    2. Make the home as safe as possible. Here’s some key advice on safety at home to prevent a fire, exposure to hazardous materials and falls. The doctor, the Alzheimerʼs Association, or the local Area Agency on Aging should be able to refer you to someone who can modify the home appropriately and let you know about assistive devices.
    3. Get your loved ones an ID bracelet in case they get lost. Also contact the Alzheimer’s Association to register with its Safe Return program.
    4. Consider whether it is safe for your loved one to continue driving. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia, it could still be safe for the person to drive. But, you should contact the department of motor vehicles to do an independent assessment. If your loved one passes the test, make sure he or she is reevaluated every six months. If your loved one must give up driving, let your loved one ventilate about it, and understand what a loss of independence it is to a person. Find a taxi service or other form of transportation for the person to use.
    5. Find a grocery store, a restaurant and a pharmacy that will deliver to your loved one’s home. And, find out about nutrition programs in the community. You might be able to arrange for free home-delivered meals.
    6. To keep people with mild dementia active and engaged, make sure they see family and friends regularly, exercise, and get outside. Find out about adult day care services in the community. Contact the National Adult Day Services Association our your local Area Agency on Aging to learn more.
    7. Manage your loved ones’ finances along with them, as it can be hard for people even with mild dementia to write checks and manage finances. Ideally, take away their credit cards or significantly lower their credit limit. Also, keep in mind that they may be an easy target for a financial scam and protect against that.
    8. Encourage their independence by helping them to continue to do the things they’ve always done, whether it be using Facebook or knitting or playing bridge, even if they can’t do them perfectly.

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  • Five tips to relieve caregiver strain

    Five tips to relieve caregiver strain

    If you’re a family caregiver, you need to take care of yourself. Most importantly, you need to accept your own feelings as natural and normal. And you need to find a way to cope; coping is an individual journey and may require some trial and error. Below are five tips to relieve caregiver strain and help you care for yourself.

    1. Identify someone who supports you. It should be someone with whom you can talk openly–a spouse, friend or therapist.
    1. Change your daily habits as little as possible. You take care of yourself by building self-care into your routines. Continue to eat, sleep and exercise as you always have to the extent possible. Major changes to your routines can have big effects on your mental health. Make meeting all of your needs a priority.
    1. Build healthy routines. Stay connected on a daily basis to your friends, family and neighbors so that you are not socially isolated. Stay active and exercise. Avoid unhealthy coping habits such as drinking excessively.
    1. Find a community. Seek out others with similar experiences. It can feel good to share experiences, learn from other caregivers and know that you are not alone.
    1. Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are a wide variety of community services for individuals of differing abilities. This includes transportation and food services, along with professional mental and physical care that may be affordable.

    This is the third in a three-part series on caregiver strain. You can read the other two parts here: Part 1: What it means to be a caregiver today: The data and Part 2: To help relieve stress, understand and recognize caregiver strain

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  • To help relieve stress, understand and recognize caregiver strain

    To help relieve stress, understand and recognize caregiver strain

    As a family caregiver, you provide support for a variety of reasons, but the most important is that you care deeply about your loved ones. And, if you’re like most caregivers, you find the work rewarding. However, the satisfaction from the work often hides the toll it takes on your health. Strains on your emotional, mental and physical health can be difficult to spot. To help relieve stress, understand and recognize caregiver strains; you’re not alone.

    Emotional Health

    Family caregivers give emotional support to their loved ones. As a caregiver, your challenge is often that you provide support for a loved one’s fear, depression or anxiety, at the same time that you experience the same emotions. You may also feel anger and resentment about your new role. It’s not unusual for caregivers to direct their anger toward their loved ones for being the source of new responsibilities, toward others who have not stepped up to help, or even toward the world or their faith for bringing this new responsibility upon them. And, it’s OK.

    Mental Health

    Research shows that caregivers experience elevated levels of stress and depression. Many caregivers feel constant anxiety or worry related to their ability to care for their loved ones. You may experience grief over your loved one’s loss of independence and may pre-emptively grieve the loss of someone who is either terminally ill or losing mental ability. You may feel angry about the situation or feel like you are not doing enough. All of these emotions add up and explain why nearly half of caregivers experience symptoms of major depression.

    Physical Health

    The mental and emotional strain of caregiving can translate into physical ailments stemming from changes in sleep patterns and changes to self-care and health-related routines. Caregivers are three times more likely to be highly vulnerable to health issues than non-caregivers. Compared to individuals who are not caring for an older adult, caregivers experience higher rates of physical illness including chronic pain and compromised immune systems.

    This is Part Two of a three-part series.  Click here to read Part One, What it means to be a caregiver today: The data.

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  • What it means to be a caregiver today: The data

    What it means to be a caregiver today: The data

    If you’re a caregiver feeling strain, you’re not alone. Many caregivers feel your strain. In order to understand the magnitude of this strain in the U.S., let’s consider a few facts about our aging population and what it means to be a caregiver today.

    There are more than 46 million Americans older than 65, which is more than 14 times the number in 1900, when there were just 3.1 million people over 65. By the year 2026, baby boomers will begin to turn 80 years old. The number of older adults who will need care is only expected to grow as time go on.

    As the number of older Americans increases, the need for family caregivers will also increase. Right now, there are 40 million unpaid caregivers in the United States providing support to adults 65 and older. Caregivers dedicate time, money and emotional energy to caring for their loved ones. Though their role is both necessary and rewarding, it’s important to be aware of the different types of stressors caregivers face. Over time, the strain adds up.

    Time Strain

    Caring for a loved one is often a long-term commitment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Psychological Association:

    • Nearly 15 percent of caregivers provide care for more than 10 years.
    • Almost 25 percent of caregivers provide care on a daily basis.
    • On average, caregivers spend more than 20 hours per week caregiving.
    • While 70 percent of caregivers care for one person, 30 percent care for more than one relative.

    Health Strain

    By its nature, caregiving means that you put someone else’s needs first. As a result caregivers may ignore their own physical and mental health. This can cause severe health problems, as the majority of caregivers have a higher chance of death in a four-year period compared to those not caring for a loved one.

    Financial Strain

    The economic value of the services that family caregivers provide is more than $350 billion a year. This equates to out-of-pocket expenses of about $2,400 each year per person. On average, older adults’ health care expenses are nearly three times those of adults younger than 65. On top of this, most caregivers are employed and their caregiving responsibilities often require them to forgo earned income.

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  • Who provides long-term services and supports?

    Who provides long-term services and supports?

    Most older adults choose to remain in their communities as they age as long as they can. In order to do so, seven out of 10 older adults will need long-term care services and supports (LTSS). Often, unpaid family caregivers and volunteers, provide these services. Sometimes, people need to pay for these services, and most of us have not set aside the funds to do so.  A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation explains Medicaid’s role in providing long term services and supports.

    Almost half of older adults aging in place (46 percent) report needing long-term services and supports to assist with their own care or simply with household activities.  More than one in three older adults have a need for help with activities of daily living, such as getting out of bed, going outside or eating. And, one in three report needing help with household activities.  The overwhelming majority of them live in a private home and not an assisted living facility or retirement community,

    And, the older people are, the more likely they need long-term services and supports.  Almost three of four older adults (74 percent) 85 and older need LTSS, compared with half of older adults between 75 and 84 and 37 percent of those between 65 and 74.

    Medicaid is our country’s top payer for LTSS  for people with Medicare who have low incomes. Medicare does not pay for LTSS and it is rare that people with Medicare have private insurance to cover these services. But, where you live matters in terms of the Medicaid benefits you get.

    Older adults–even people with incomes and savings above typical Medicaid eligibility levels–may become eligible for Medicaid LTSS because of their functional needs or by spending their income and resources down to pay for some LTSS costs. But, many older adults who need LTSS do not qualify for Medicaid. Without long-term services and supports. they are at particular risk for developing more costly needs over time and needing to go into a nursing home.

    A stronger LTSS system could help provide needed retirement security to many vulnerable older adults who do not qualify for Medicaid and keep them from needing more costly institutional care.  Policies that help with home repairs and find ways to reduce risks of falls, for example, could reduce long-term health care costs.

    Through the Medicaid waiver program, states have some flexibility to expand their Medicaid programs in innovative ways. They could urge managed care plans to take on home repairs as a way to keep overall health care costs down.

    For a state scorecard on long-term services and supports for older adults, click here. To better understand how much many of us rely on long-term services and supports, click here.

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