Adeste In-Home Care - Colorado

In-Home Care in Colorado

Caregiver Stress: When Worry Gets To Be Too Much For The Sandwich Generation

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caregiver stress

According to AARP, approximately 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older within this past year.

Caregiving comes at all levels. It may start with occasionally stopping by your parent’s place to check in on them. It may escalate to routine visits for more personal intervention. It may intensify to where you spend hours each day, or even consolidate homes and move in together. For some, it worsens, and they move into another level of care with assisted or skilled nursing care.

Have you witnessed first hand any of these levels with your own parents?

Life wasn’t supposed to go this way. You got married, had a family, started a career, were raising your own kids when the unthinkable happened. All of a sudden you found yourself in the middle of running after your kids and attending to your parents’ needs all at the same time.

Every level of care adds stress to your life. Whether it’s stopping by once a week to “check in” on things, or having them in full time care, the stress builds. And as many people have found out, from the moment the caregiving role is introduced into your life, it’s always there. You think about it while you’re at work. The visits continue no matter how able they claim to be. And even for those in day programs or full-time nursing care, constant attention may be part of the cycle to attend care planning meetings, going to doctor appointments, making medical decisions, and interacting with daily routines that may seem to change on a daily basis. [Read more…]

What To Do When You’ve Reached Your Breaking Point As A Caregiver

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Being thrust into the caregiving role is never easy. In the best of times, it’s difficult. In the worst of times, it’s all that and more.

Caregivers muddle through every day, taking things as they happen. They start with a plan and adjust as new things come their way. They take the unpredictable and attempt to put some order to it. They treat each day as something brand new. Because in so many ways it is; you can never fully anticipate all that will happen in the day and life of a caregiver.

Sometimes those moments can leave you with a smile on your face. Knowing you’ll remember that moment in time forever.

Still, at other times, you wish with all your heart it would just go away. You think you’ll break. You wonder how you’ll ever take another moment of it.

Yet you have to because there is no one else. It’s what you do. And you have to move forward, get through it, and see each new day.

There is no right way to move past your breaking point. Each person can handle it in different ways. It’s not something that a monumental task will carry you through. You don’t need special training, extra help, or even a lot of resources to move forward.

Sometimes it may be just the little things.

What To Do When You’ve Reached Your Breaking Point As A Caregiver

Find solitude, if only for a few moments. No phone. To television. Just you and peace and quiet. Reflect on the good aspects of doing what you do.

Find someone who cares and will listen. Other caregivers are even better at support. They’ve been there, done that. They understand when you simply need to sound off. And you can be there for them too.

List the good things in your life. Write it down in a journal or check them off in your mind. Even tiny things can help bring in a breath of fresh air.

Cry if you need to. Scream if you need to. Let the emotions flow out.

Don’t live in the past. You can’t change the past; today will always be a new and different day. Accept every day for what it has to offer.

Caregiving won’t last forever. There will come a day when it’s no longer required. You, right now, are making a difference.

Breathe. Meditate. Take a chance to sit and relax.

Create your own space. A space for just you. It can be a corner, a room, or even a place outside. Use that to retreat to when you need a moment all to yourself.

Eat the piece of chocolate cake with a large glass of mild sometimes.

Talk to the people closest to you. Admit when you need a change. The more you express your daily living arrangements, the more others will understand what you’re truly going through. People can’t help if they don’t understand.

Never say no to a resource. If someone wants to offer help or provide something new, listen and accept.

Elder Care Planning: Start With A Family Meeting

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Elder Care Planning

Wherever you work, chances are you attend a lot of meetings throughout the year.

Startups have meetings with investors, looking for ways to finance their dreams.

Marketing departments have meetings to find new ways of increasing sales.

A business in trouble has meetings to discuss new courses of action.

For every organization, meetings are something that is simply a part of the process. We accept it as a way of life.

Yet on a personal level, meetings are more difficult. Often, family members from a big family are widely dispersed across the country. Lives are busy enough without having to take the time of adding another commitment.

But in some cases, meetings are the best way to go. Bringing the family and support network together to discuss a loved one’s changing situation is a crucial step in making appropriate choices. It’s also important to bring everyone on board. [Read more…]

How To Care For Difficult Parents

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How To Care For Difficult Parents

Janet moved in with her mom because she knew it was the right thing to do. They’d never been particularly close. She’d never been the “touchy feely” mom she’d seen with her friends. Still, when the diagnosis came, moving in was the easiest thing to do.

Slowly, her mom’s condition began deteriorating. And she got more agitated, meaner. And as weeks turned into months, Janet found herself filled with dread. She was exhausted all the time. She spent every day caring for her mother’s needs, living her life solely for what was best for her mom. Yet with no appreciation, she struggled with every task she worked on, waiting for her mom to yell or complain. She’d wake up wondering how she was going to get through each day. She wonders when it all will end.

When you’re a child of an abusive, neglectful or unappreciative parent, changing the patterns of behavior that have settled in for years, even decades takes a lot of mental and emotional effort. Living in a situation growing up takes its toll; when you move back in and subject yourself to it once again as an adult, it takes on completely new power.

To move forward really requires three things. [Read more…]

Solving Mealtime Problems With In Home Care

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Solving Mealtime Problems With In Home Care

Studies are now showing that one in two seniors are living at home undernourished or malnourished. This can be caused from a variety of things, including an unbalanced diet, the body’s unwillingness to absorb food, a chemical imbalance when reacting to medication, even depression from spending too much time alone.

For many seniors, the problem grows quickly. It may begin with dehydration. If a senior sits a lot, they may not take in the amount of liquid necessary to keep the body functioning. Dehydration can lead to UTI’s and other conditions requiring medicine. The medicine may counteract with current medicines already in their systems. Or worse, they may simply forget to take it at all. Medicines can cause bloating, or a feeling of being full, which means the senior forgets to eat, or simply has no desire. Eventually it all adds up to more problems, to the point it can even put a senior into the hospital.

Food is energy; we all need it to live at our peak levels. Food is also thought of as a social activity; a time we connect with those around us. But when a person can’t get out to enjoy a meal in good company, and the same foods they once loved simply don’t taste good anymore, eating becomes more of a chore than enjoyment.

And if your loved one is living alone, it can be difficult to make sure there are eating the right way. That’s where in home care can help. One of the tasks our caregivers do best is to help plan and prepare nutritious, well balanced meals. We do this in a variety of ways. [Read more…]

The Importance Of Finding Rest And Renewal As A Caregiver

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The Importance Of Finding Rest And Renewal As A Caregiver

Imagine this scenario for a moment.

Mary is a full time caregiver for her husband, who has had Alzheimer’s for two years. Its very hard work, but her husband is still well enough they can communicate effectively and she rarely feels beyond her capabilities. She has occasional help from her supportive family, and has every intention of being the primary caregiver for the duration.

Yet Mary has health problems of her own. She sleeps poorly, always aware of her husband’s potential needs. She takes a variety of medications to control her own heart condition. She tries to spend time with personal activities whenever possible; however she’s finding the occurrence is decreasing over time. Her stress levels are climbing, which is impacting her health. Her doctor has talked with her about stress reduction, yet she simply has no idea how to fit it all in, given her situation.

Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, this is a growing problem throughout the western world, as more people are faced with caregiving roles every day.

And in many cases, the scenario above plays out like this: [Read more…]

How To Refocus On What Truly Matters

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How To Refocus On What Truly Matters

Being a family caregiver is one of the most difficult jobs you’ll ever have. Whatever your relationship was like before the diagnosis, you’re suddenly thrust into a situation where you have more influence over daily tasks. Its easy to get completely overwhelmed, take charge of every situation because its easier, and develop a relationship focused on getting things done.

This “take charge” attitude may get things done, but does it focus in on what truly matters for the situation, and more importantly for your relationship? Yes, as a caregiver, things might not happen as quickly as they once did. You may have to change the way you do things, eliminate some tasks from your daily life. But in the end, does it truly matter?

If you constantly feel jumpy, on edge, with a feeling like you need to get more done, it may be time to refocus your efforts on what truly matters, and enjoy what each day has to offer.

Create your daily list of three

If you’re like most people, your to-do list is a mile long. The longer the list, the more anxious you feel throughout the day as the items fail to be completed. If you took the time to look back at your old to-do lists, you would quickly discover that one pattern evolves over time. If something is truly, vitally important, it gets completed. If its not, it doesn’t. And over time, the unimportant items on the list simply fall off the list and go away. [Read more…]

Top Risk For Your Loved One? Malnutrition

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Top Risk For Your Loved One? Malnutrition

When you are caring for a loved one, there are many things to think about every single day.

  • What doctor appointments do you have this week?
  • What home chores will you have to perform on the weekend?
  • Is she taking her medicine?
  • Does that cough signify something more is wrong?

The list goes on and on, changing every day.

Yet one thing probably doesn’t enter your mind because its not something most of us even consider as a problem:

  • Is your loved one at risk for malnutrition?

[Read more…]

Post Hospital Rehabilitation – 7 Things To Consider

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Post Hospital Rehabilitation 7 Things To Consider

When we end up in the hospital, its usually for a relatively short visit. Their sole purpose is to correct whatever problem you entered with, and send you on your way. Once the correction is made, its time to move either back home, or to a post hospital rehabilitation center that can help you get your strength and mobility back.

Unfortunately, the process is sometimes too fast, leaving you, a caregiver, with little time to think or plan for the next process. How do you know what facility to choose? What’s the right option for your loved one? Here are a few things to consider as you move through the process.

1. How will you move from the hospital to the post hospital rehabilitation center? This is the one area most people overlook. For some, its not as easy as hopping in the car for the ride over. You may need specialized care, a wheelchair or even a stretcher for the process. Make sure you plan ahead and have the right services at your disposal before the time comes to move.

2. Start with the hospital staff. Ask nurses and doctors that are currently part of your loved one’s care for advice. What facility do they feel is best? Can they make recommendations? In most cases they refer people of similar circumstances over and over again, and will be able to point you in the right direction for your loved one. [Read more…]

Summertime Caregiving: The Signs Of A Heat Stroke

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Summertime Caregiving: The Signs Of A Heat Stroke

Summer is here, and for caregivers, that can be a welcome break in having something to do. As a caregiver, you may feel cooped up and a little stir crazy after staying in your home all winter long. But with summer here and nice weather almost every day, now is the time to get your loved one outside to enjoy the fresh air and maybe even some of the sights just to change your mindset. Who can resist smiling when taking a walk in the park, seeing the beautiful flowers and even a baby duck or too?

Yet what may seem comfortable weather for me and you, will effect the person you are caring for in a different way.

According to the National Weather Service, heat is the number one weather-related killer. Each year, on average more than 1500 people die in the US from excessive heat. That’s more than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined.

Heat stroke is caused from a prolonged exposure to extreme heat, causing the body to rise in temperature to 104F or higher. Its often accompanied by dehydration. As the body temperature rises to dangerous levels, the nervous system begins to shut down, compromising vital organs in the process.

The older population is more susceptible to heat stroke for a variety of reasons. [Read more…]