Raise your hand if you're a caregiver.

How Can Doctors and Caregivers Work Together?

from: HealthBridge's In-Home Care Blog

Dr. Pauline Chen took an insightful look at this topic in her "Doctor and Patient" column in the New York Times. She writes:

For all our assertions about the importance of caring in what we do, doctors as a profession have been slow to recognize family members and loved ones who care for patients at home. These “family caregivers” do work that is complex, physically challenging and critical to a patient’s overall well-being, like dressing wounds, dispensing medication, and feeding, bathing and dressing those who can no longer do so themselves.

Many of these caregiving tasks were once the purview of doctors and nurses, a central component of the “caring professions.” But over the past century, as these duties increasingly fell to individuals with little or no training, doctors and even some nurses began to confer less importance, and status, to the work of caregiving.

nightmare for those with disabilities who are struggling to stay at home.

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Columns/2010/February/020110Gleckman.aspx

Howard Gleckman, Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute

Feb 01, 2010

There are programs run by states and similar projects run out of Washington. This is a particular nightmare for those with disabilities who are struggling to stay at home. If you don’t believe me, try to find a local phone number for elder care assistance.

Long-term care insurance program

Long-term care insurance program gains in House - Boston.com

a new long-term care insurance program to help seniors and disabled people stay out of nursing homes. The voluntary program would begin to close a gap in the social safety net overlooked in the broader health care debate,

More than 10 million people currently need long-term care services, a number that's only expected to grow as the baby boom generation ages. But most families whose elders can no longer care for themselves have to scrape to find a solution.

The cost of nursing homes averages $70,000 a year, and a home care attendant runs about $29 an hour. Medicare only covers temporary nursing home stays. Middle-class households have to go through their savings before an elder can qualify for nursing home coverage through Medicaid.

The new proposal is called the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, or CLASS Act, and passing it was a top priority for the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. The Obama administration also has said it should be part of health care overhaul legislation.

In return for modest monthly premiums while they are working, people would receive a cash benefit of at least $50 a day if they become disabled. The money could be used to pay a home care attendant, purchase equipment and supplies, make home improvements such as adding bathroom railings, or defray the costs of nursing home care.

NORCs | naturally occurring retirement communities

There are some federally funded programs to bring services to what are called NORCs, or naturally occurring retirement communities. For instance, in Philadelphia and New York City a van with a nurse will come to a building that has a large population of elderly people and provide health services on the spot. Similarly, intentional communities, driven by consumer involvement, bring the services of a retirement community to seniors in their homes. Beacon Hill Village in Boston is an example. Both are examples of trying to let seniors age in place.
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Robin Gerber is the author of Barbie and Ruth, the biography of Ruth Handler, the founder of Mattel Toys and creator of Barbie.

Caregivers-in-Waiting: Boomers Struggle to Map Out Plans for Aging Parent s By: Robin Gerber

Bathroom Door solutions from The ElderCare Team

Wheelchairs, Walkers, and a Too-Narrow Bathroom Door: 4 Ways to Widen A Bathroom Doorway

Wheelchairs, Walkers, and a Too-Narrow Bathroom Door: 4 Ways to Widen A Bathroom Doorway

If your bathroom doors are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair or a walker, count yourself lucky. Most aren't, and families do come up with the most ingenious ways to get their disabled loved ones into the bathroom. Moving is a last resort, but some seniors eventually do that, too. There several are ways to make the bathroom door accessible that don't require a moving van

The ElderCare Team! Resources for senior caregivers, articles, resources, books and fellowship with caregivers all around the country.

The site is dedicated to helping everyone involved in - or who will some day be involved in - caring for an aging adult

Home safety for elder care or alzheimer's patient

Preparing the Home for an Alzheimer's Patient from http://www.webmd.com/

Preparing the Home for an Alzheimer's Patient

Caring for an Alzheimer’s patient at home can be difficult. In taking the proper steps to become a successful caregiver, it is essential that you prepare your home for your loved one's arrival. Likewise, if your loved one's Alzheimer's is mild and they still live on their own, it is important that you ensure that their living environment is safe.

Not only must space often be reorganized, but every room in the house that your loved one will be using should also be made as accident-proof as possible. There are many basic guidelines that can be followed in order to provide safe and effective caregiving in the home.

In order to ensure a thorough approach, a room-by-room checklist can be very helpful. The following guidelines can be used for the caregiver's own home if the loved one is living with the caregiver, or for an elderly loved one's home.

The older we get, the more we need to tackle clutter

Surf Net Parents is part of the Surfnetkids.com family of kids sites from syndicated columnist Barbara J. Feldman a syndicated newspaper columnist, online publisher, author, mother, wife and Net surfer.

This information was found on Surf Net Parents and helps with the clearing out clutter tasks faced by many caregivers.

Tackling clutter is not always easy, and most people are not really sure how to do it, so the clutter worsens, and it becomes more and more overwhelming to tackle it later. However, there are ways to tackle clutter, and the following tips will help:

Choose a place to start: Honestly, the biggest problem with clutter is people look at it, get overwhelmed by it, and because they do not know where to start, they never do. So, if you want to tackle clutter, choose a place to start. One of the best places to start is whatever cluttered place you see most often, whether that is your room, your kitchen, your bathroom, or wherever. If you want to tackle clutter you have to start somewhere, so pick somewhere to start.

Reduce and simplify: Once you have your starting point, the best thing you can do is start reducing and simplifying. You want to get rid of as much stuff as you can. If you want to get rid of clutter you have to start by getting rid of as much of the stuff causing clutter as possible. So, make "reduce and simplify" your motto. Make sure you get rid of anything you have not used in a while, anything that you do not need, anything that invites clutter, etc.

Most homes have a certain degree of clutter. Book bags get dropped off at the door, mail piles up on the entry table, and drawers and closets are full of things like coupons, clothing, and other items you are certain at some point you will use.

For people who hate to throw things away, or who find sentimental value with many of the items that clutter their home, it can be difficult to get rid of clutter.

Home Safety Evaluation Checklist, from Toghers

Toghers' {Toe–gers} mission is to provide the roadmap that will guide caregivers along their own caregiving journeys.

They offer a comprehensive
Home Safety Evaluation Checklist .
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This evaluation can be used to determine if someone is safe living home alone given the current state of the home.

Any NO response indicates an area of concern. NO responses do not necessarily mean that the person can no longer remain at home, but do indicate areas in which the home may need to be modified or where assistance should be brought in to ensure safety.

If the care recipient is unable to perform a task independently mark NO; if a caregiver is available to assist with the task mark CAREGIVER. This will help determine whether the care recipient is safe without a caregiver present.

What to do as a caregiver/or substitute caregiver if an emergency arises

FAQ from CareLiving, LLC What should I do as a caregiver if an emergency arises?

A: Having an emergency plan is extremely important, especially when a substitute caregiver occasionally takes your place in the home.

*The 911 number for emergencies ( medical, fire, police )
*The physician's number ( emergency and office number )
*The name and number of the hospital the physician / patient prefer
*The number of the home health agency, if one is currently making visits to the home
*The Poison Center phone number
*The number for medical / oxygen supplier, if used
*The caregiver's phone number

Aging in Place Remodeling from Aging in Place Guide (blog)

Aging in Place Guide: Aging in Place Remodeling #1

In a series on the basics of Aging in Place remodeling. The issues are:
1. Getting in and out.
2. Moving around with in the house
3. Safely getting into and out of bed and getting to clothing storage
4. Safe use of the bathroom including ergonomic caregiving
5. Preparing and taking meals
6. Home office function
7. Entertainment- TV, music, reading, guests
8. Enjoying the outdoors

All these issues are not priorities for every client, household or house. It is always important to spend our resources wisely....making sure the problem we set out to solve is taken care of by the work we have done.


Posted by Aging in Place Guide blog

Louis Tenenbaum 's Aging in Place empowers older citizens with Choice and Control, Dignity and Independence - the essentials of happier homes, better lives and more economical housing and care.

Louis Tenenbaum is one of the nation’s leading authority on Aging in Place. He has years of experience helping individual families, builders/developers and communities set the stage for folks to remain safe and comfortable in their own homes.

Contact: louis @ louistenenbaum.com

Day Care Resources from seniorresource.com

Senior Resource for Elderly Care, Adult Day Care Center and Adult Day Health Care Facilities

Quoting: Why Adult Day Care:
Generally, family members are the majority care providers for disabled or impaired adults. This care permits these adults to stay at home versus placement in a nursing home. Senior day care and senior adult day care enables caregivers to:

* Retain a job outside of their home.
* Have help with the physical part of caring for a loved one.
* The time away may be a rejuvenator for your relationship.
* Avoid the guilt of putting a parent in a "home."
* Obtain respite from what can be a 24 hour responsibility.

Mayo Clinic health education outreach coordinator Angela Lunde

Angela Lunde is a dementia education specialist in the education core of Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Angela is a member of the of the Alzheimer's Association Program Services Advisory Council, co-chair of the Advanced Practice Professional Education track for the Minnesota State Dementia Conference, and a member of D-BART (Dementia-Behavioral Assessment and Response Team), a multidisciplinary outreach service assisting professional and family caregivers in understanding and managing difficult behaviors often present in dementia.

RunMyErrand Boston community

Connecting Boston with a community of trusted local Errand runners.

RunMyErrand: Post your errands and get connected with local Errand Runners immediately! A Service Network

You may have seen us mention Service Networking. It's because that's what we do. While RUNmyERRAND is a place to outsource small jobs, what we're actually doing is harnessing the power of a community. Social networking has become quite popular in recent years and capturing this essence, and leveraging it to get real things done, is some pretty exciting stuff.

Caring elderly seniors, parent, elderly spouse, domestic partner or close friend

http://www.aging-parents-and-elder-care.com/ Twitter: twitter.com/mike_gamble

Elder Care - Overcoming the challenges of long term elder care

This article will walk you through the first steps of elder care – whether your loved one has Alzheimers Disease or another form of dementia, is recovering from a broken hip, or you are trying to figure out Medicare benefits. It is a primer - a source of both information and comfort. Each elder care situation is unique, of course. Your loved one's medical history, financial resources, personality, relationships with potential caregivers, proximity to services and other factors all determine the best approach to take.

Citizen Creator project, edit and share compelling narratives.

Introduction to Story Capture | story capture

Introduction to Story Capture

Our goal is to create an easy-to-use tool and process for chronicling non-profit initiatives, volunteer projects, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. But we've also realized that the same approach is useful in a wide variety of fields and communities, including healthcare, marketing, and product development.

Story Capture looks and works like many common blog systems, but provides a set of tools for reversing the sequence of blog posts (putting them in chronological order) and then editing the resulting "story line" into a coherent narrative. Participants and staff can input story material using widely accessible social media (blog posts, email, Twitter, etc.) and then edit that material (through a shared interface) into compelling stories, articles or web pages including photos, video and other types of media files.

The Basic Idea

The basic idea of Story Capture is simple ... create a story, blog about what you're doing (write a paragraph or two) on a regular basis, and attach photos or video that you've shot. Then we provide an easy way to roll up those blog posts and generate a "story line" ... the same content in reverse order (the linear sequence in which we would tell a story), formatted to be easy to read and/or re-edit into a final report or web document.

How Tos and Suggestions

Of course, the tool is just a convenience. What's important is your process for capturing the story. (Building a story can be an individual or group effort; if you're mainly a visual person, you might want to collaborate with a word person, or vice versa.) It helps to think and talk about what's the core story behind your project. What are you trying to do? Why is it important? Who's involved in this story? Who should I interview, what questions should I ask? What's the timeline of the project, and how often should I write and shoot video or take pictures? The depth and quality of the story will depend on thinking deeply about what you're trying to capture.

Check out "How to ..." for nitty-gritty help on using the tool, and "Suggestions for ..." to get tips on how to improve your stories and media.

Who We Are

The Story Capture program is an initiative of the Citizen Creator project, which is being supported by the Learning Worlds Institute. We're hoping to encourage the use of storytelling methodologies to help volunteers and non-profit organizations to document and celebrate the good work they do. We're interested in developing and spreading the Story Capture process and tools through pilot projects and workshops. Please contact us (pilots@storycapture.org) if you'd like to work together.

Short and Long term Care for your Pets, plan now

When Aging Parents Can No Longer Care for their Pets | Tender Loving Eldercare

Short Term Care Options

During a brief illness or a short-term hospital stay, seniors would probably prefer a family member, neighbor or friend to care for their pet(s). Identify who they would like them to be, and also designate one or two back up people just in case the first choice isn’t available for some unforeseen circumstance. Ask the designated individuals or families in advance if they can, and would be willing to, take on this responsibility. Also ask if they would or could consider caring for the pets if your aging parents’ hospital stay is lengthier than anticipated. Prepare a resource list of the pets’ daily routines, favorite foods (and treats), exercise needs, medical records, any medications they take and the veterinarians’ contact information.

Elderly Leave Nursing Homes for Home

Helping Elderly Leave Nursing Homes for a Home - NYTimes.com

A growing number of states are reaching out to people like Mr. Brown, who have been in nursing homes for more than six months, aiming to disprove the notion that once people have settled into a nursing home, they will be there forever. Since 2007, Medicaid has teamed up with 29 states to finance such programs, enabling the low-income elderly and people with disabilities to receive many services in their own homes.

The program in Pennsylvania provides up to $4,000 in moving expenses, including a furniture allowance and modifications to the apartment, and Mr. Brown has a home health aide every morning and a care manager to arrange for services like physical therapy. The new programs, financed largely by $1.75 billion from Medicaid, are a sharp departure from past practices, where Medicaid practically steered people into nursing homes.

CBS video: Caregivers Are Pressed For Cash

Caregivers Pressed For Cash

November 19, 2007 11:11 PM

A recent healthcare study has found that many caregivers are using a large portion of their income to cover costs. Sandra Hughes reports.

View the video report: Caregivers Pressed For Cash - CBS News Video.

"sandwich generation," Basically, it's a bummer,

More adult children support cash-strapped parents - The Mercury Life: Pottstown, PA and The Tri County areas of Montgomery, Berks and Chester Counties (pottsmerc.com)

Retirees are facing massive health care costs. They're living longer, so retirement funds are being depleted. And now rising prices, for everything from food to gas and heating oil, are only making matters worse.

Recent statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau found that the number of parents who've moved into their adult children's homes increased 67 percent, from about 2.1 million in 2000 to 3.6 million last year.

Other children are supporting parents who live in a separate home and who, in some cases, aren't even of retirement age.

Caregivers Face Role Reversal

Adult Children Caring for Aging Parents Face Role Reversal in Lorain, Ohio | senior home care Lorain Ohio (OH), Elder home care Lorain Ohio (OH), homecare Lorain Ohio (OH)

With all these added stressors, experts emphasize the importance of caretakers looking after their own physical and emotional health. “You can’t take care of someone else without taking care of yourself first,” agrees Bitner. This involves getting help from others, whether it be from siblings, a support group or a health care service.

The staff at Visiting Angels understands this need. The company provides non-medical caregivers who go into clients’ homes to offer companionship, do light housekeeping, run errands, prepare meals or do shopping — all services that can provide a respite for families dealing with the care of a loved one.

“You can be confident that your caregiver is qualified and has excellent references,” says Bitner. The company hires only experienced caregivers who pass a rigorous screening process. They also look for intangible traits such as a caring personality. Many of the company’s caregivers are former hospital staffers looking for the opportunity to do one-on-one personal care.

“We work with each family to develop an individualized program to manage the daily needs of the client and then match those needs to the best possible caregiver,” explains Bitner. Caregivers are then introduced to the family, who has the final say in the selection process.

Once the caregiver has been placed in the home, Visiting Angels continues its personalized contact through telephone check-ins and home visits to make sure the match is a good one.

Visiting Angels has senior homecare agencies in most states. For more information on the office nearest you, visit their Web site at www.visitingangels.com or call (800) 365-4189.

Courtesy of ARA Content Jeff & Robin Donnelly Visiting Angels