Walking to End Alzheimer's
Each September, people come together from around the world for the Walk to End Alzheimer's, which raises awareness about and aims to challenge the stigma that persists around dementia.
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Ten Topics Everyone Should Discuss with a New Caregiver
Helping your new caregiver succeed is one of the most important roles you’ll play as you manage the home care needs of yourself or your loved ones.
Using the checklist below, be sure to go over each item from the get-go -- and periodically during the time you employ home help. Nearly all misunderstandings between a caregiver and a family can be avoided by following these 10 simple tips.
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Caregiver Cash and Expense Management
We are often so busy worrying about the cost of a caregiver’s salary that we often neglect to consider the other costs related to having someone in your home caring for a parent or elderly relative. The expenses are minor compared with the commitment you made to paying a qualified caregiver, but they need to be considered and accounted for when calculating the total financial commitment to in-home.
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Life After Driving: Creative Ways to Help Your Senior Get Around
Providing safe transportation is one of the first challenges many families encounter when a senior chooses to age in place. Even if your aging parent can prepare meals and keep up with basic household chores, he may no longer be able to drive safely.
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Believe It or Not, Medicare Doesn’t Automatically Pay for a Home Aide
One of the biggest misunderstandings about hiring a home aide circles around what type of coverage you are entitled to. Get ready for the bad news.
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How to Help Your Senior Avoid Loneliness While Aging in Place
Today many seniors prefer to stay in their own homes as long as possible, but family and friends often have concerns for their safety and well-being. Some of these issues can be resolved quickly and easily, such as adding a new railing along the front walk or modifying the shower. Others, like avoiding loneliness, will require ongoing effort.
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How to Make Home Safe After a Hospital Visit
Many families don’t realize how much a loved one’s health has deteriorated until a fall sends her to the hospital. Falls are one of the most common, and most serious, health issues among seniors. And the resulting injuries can dramatically alter a senior’s quality of life.
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Hiring a Caregiver When You Live Far From Your Aging Parents
If you live far away and are busy juggling your own career and family, it can be difficult to care for an aging parent. Whether your parent needs help with laundry and errands a few times a week or requires daily care, you’ll want to find an experienced caregiver you can trust. Successfully managing a long-distance relationship with this person can mean the difference between a good night’s sleep and endless worrying.
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Four Things to Know Before Hiring a Caregiver for a Senior with Alzheimer's
Whatever your needs, there’s an in-home caregiver that’s right for your family. But finding that person depends on clearly understanding your aging parent’s condition or disease, and defining the specific care he requires. For instance, in addition to specific daily care skills, Alzheimer’s caregivers should possess an extra dose of patience and compassion.
Before you begin interviewing Alzheimer’s caregivers, here’s what you should know:
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Want Your Life Back? There’s No Need to Feel Guilty
Whether you stepped in to help an elderly relative out of love, a sense of responsibility, or financial necessity, caregiving can sometimes feel like a burden – even for the most devoted family members. What frequently starts as a small role, perhaps doing some grocery shopping or cleaning, often becomes much more demanding over time.
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Why Educating Your Caregiver is a Win Win
It’s common for your loved one’s needs to change over time. If you’re lucky, you have a trusted caregiver who really connects with your senior, understands his or her needs, and is responsive to your input and concerns. But even the best caregivers may need some guidance and direction when a new set of medical circumstances arises. Helping your caregiver understand changes in care, and giving them the tools to handle them, benefits the aging adult, the family, and the caregiver, too.
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3 Practical Success Strategies for Family Caregivers
Though providing care for an aging parent may start as a sprint, it often becomes a marathon. Perhaps an injury or illness sends you scrambling for emergency care, but you soon realize that your senior won’t recover fully. Instead, she’ll need ongoing and likely, increasing, care. Or maybe you get a bit more warning; you notice your parent’s declining health and put a care plan in place over several months.