A newsbasket is on-line Internet publication containing comprehensive aggregated collections of information.


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Marlborough, MA. Create A Better Day Café

Caregivers' Newsbasket Blog: Create A Better Day Café will be held the 4th Sunday of each month from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
at Pleasantries Adult Day Services 195 Reservoir Street
Marlborough, MA.
Call Tammy for more information at 508-335-1968

 Are you caring for someone with Alzheimer's or other dementia?  Create A Better Day Café encourages socialization with other caregivers and loved ones where you can just be yourself. This is a wonderful opportunity to get out with your loved one and have an enjoyable afternoon.  It's a time to step out of the daily routine, leave the disease at the door, and enjoy a positive experience in a supportive environment.  The afternoon will consist of conversation, music, arts, games, refreshments, and most importantly, laughter. There is no cost.  It is open to anyone at any stage of the disease process accompanied by friends, family, and loved ones.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Nursing News: Nurses Setting Up Primary Care Practices | LeAnn Thieman

Nursing News: Nurses Setting Up Primary Care Practices | LeAnn Thieman: If the proposals, which face opposition from some physicians’ groups, succeed, the number of states allowing nurses to practice without any type of physician supervision would increase from 16 to 30, in addition to the District.

The legislation being proposed could spur tens of thousands of nurses to set up primary-care practices that would be virtually indistinguishable from those run by doctors. The last big legislative push of this type, a state-by-state effort that began in the late 1980s, sputtered by the early 1990s. This time, however, the campaign is being coordinated nationally by the Nurse Practioners Association and other nursing groups and is getting a critical boost from state officials concerned about the 2010 health-care law’s looming impact on the availability of doctors.

Beginning in January 2014, about 27 million uninsured Americans are expected to get coverage under the law, contributing to a projected shortage of about 45,000 primary-care physicians by 2020, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Driving Miss Daisy North Shore / North Burnaby Team | “Through the door” Personalized Transportation & Accompaniment Service

Driving Miss Daisy North Shore / North Burnaby Team | “Through the door” Personalized Transportation & Accompaniment Service: “Through the door” Personalized Transportation & Accompaniment Service. We offer our clients independence, security and peace of mind. We are a part of an award-winning Corporation which was founded in January 2002 in Alberta by Bev Halisky and expanded its services to BC, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Driving Miss Daisy Corporate Website

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Discussing Homecare with Your Loved One | Living Assistance Services

Discussing Homecare with Your Loved One | Living Assistance Services:
Discussing Homecare with Your Loved One
May 21st, 2013

Here are three questions for you to consider…

1) How do you help your elderly loved one get past family customs and cultural beliefs, to accept assistance in their homes?

2) How do you tell your loved one that you and your siblings are concerned about them living alone at home?

     3)    How do you help them keep their independence without appearing to be interfering in their lives or making decisions for them?


These are issues that will not go away with time. To the contrary, everyone involved should be proactive about such complicated topics. With advance planning, and open and frank discussions within the family, the problem-solving process can work quite well. However, it will take some concerted effort on the part of you,

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 Discussing Homecare with Your Loved One | Living Assistance Services:

5 Things You Need to Know When Your Loved One is in ICU

5 Things You Need to Know When Your Loved One is in ICU
By Susan Montminy, MSN, RN and Meredith Dodge, MSN, RN

read full story
It is the middle of the night and the phone rings. Your family member has been in a car accident and is rushed to the hospital. He is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU). You race to the hospital and are met by the intensive care doctor. All you hear is “critical, unstable, and surgery.” Later, as you sit out in the waiting room, you wonder, What can I do to help my loved one through this?
This article contains key information on assisting family members survive when a loved one is in the intensive care unit. Communication, decision making, multi-disciplinary meetings, pain/comfort, and sleep are discussed. Hopefully, knowing this information will help you and your loved one have a positive experience and survive your time in the ICU.
Communication
Thorough communication is the best tool that you have when your loved one is in the ICU. You are going to be overwhelmed with information from many different people. Here are some tips to help you understand everything that you are being told.
  • Write everything down. During this stressful time, it is difficult for you to process all of the information you are given. If you write everything down, you can read it at a later time and absorb what you are reading.
  • Have someone with you. If you have a second set of ears to listen to what you are being told, then you can discuss it afterwards to be sure that you heard everything that was said.
  • Nurses are excellent resources and can assist you in many ways. If at all possible, make sure that the nurse is present when having discussions with the doctor. The nurse can help to explain medical terminology or translate what was discussed so that you can understand it better.
  • Keep an open line of communication with your nurse. Nurses are patient advocates and can help make sure that the patient’s wishes are carried out. Communicate openly and honestly with your loved one’s nurse; let him or her know your questions and thoughts. Nurses can better assist you if they know what you are struggling with.
  • The Internet is not always the best resource. While looking up information on the Internet may be helpful for you to better understand certain things; the internet can be overwhelming because it has so much extra information on it. This extra information can leave you confused and stressed; often the worst case scenarios are included in your search results. Listen to what the doctors are telling you about your loved one. They are looking at the entire picture, not just the specific disease or injury.
The bottom line is that open communication with all members of the healthcare team will help you to better understand what is going on with your loved one.