Home » Home Help
Tag:

Home Help

Caregiving

How to Know When to Bring in a Paid Caregiver

by Kathy Macaraeg
written by Kathy Macaraeg

Not everyone will eventually need family or paid caregivers. Many people are independent and care for themselves all the way up to the end. Some people may just need a little bit of help from their loved ones to keep them independent while others need a lot of help and support as they age.

If you have an aging loved one who isn’t able to remain independent, it can be overwhelming and stressful, no matter how strong your relationship is. Once you add in the stress of managing your own life, particularly if you are still working or are also parenting children, being a family caregiver is not for the weak.

Of course, if you are fortunate enough to have siblings who you can share responsibilities with, or a strong caregiver network, you are already ahead of the game. You can also outsource some tasks like cleaning or even meal preparation. But sometimes, even with support and delegation, you may still need to hire a paid caregiver.

How do you know when it’s time to hire a paid caregiver?

Signs Your Aging Parent Needs a Caregiver

First and foremost, know that your parent needs a paid caregiver if providing care to your loved one is affecting your physical or emotional health. Don’t feel guilty about this. You can’t care for others if you don’t care for yourself. Maybe you need a break a few hours a week or you need to take two weeks off. Find the right person and step away to take care of yourself. You’ll be a much better caregiver if you put your needs first.

Here are other signs it maybe be time for a paid caregiver:

  1. Physical Changes: If your aging parent has lost a considerable amount of weight or has taken a lot of falls, you may want to hire a paid caregiver to prepare meals and ensure your parent is safe at home.
  2. Decreased Mobility: If your aging parent has a difficult time moving around his/her home, you may want to hire a paid caregiver to ensure he can safely move through his home. Decreased mobility may mean that your parent can’t safely bathe on his/her own or prepare meals. A caregiver can help with those things, as well as help your parent improve mobility through an exercise or strength building routine established by a physical therapist.
  3. Decline in Hygiene or Grooming: If your normally well-groomed parent is suddenly slacking on hygiene or grooming, it may be because he/she is unable to bathe/handle grooming. A paid caregiver can come in to assist with these tasks.
  4. Dirty or Cluttered Home: If your aging parent normally kept a neat home, they may be struggling to keep up with normal household chores. Perhaps they aren’t able to push the vacuum or get too tired standing at the sink for a long period of time. A paid caregiver can come in for a few hours a week to help them keep up on these chores.
  5. Sick or Weak: If your parent is battling an illness or isn’t physically strong, you may want to hire a paid caregiver to take care of some of the standard home chores that they need help with, as well as provide help with standard activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming).

 

While some of these tasks can be delegated or divided amongst family members, sometimes it is important to bring in the pros – particularly when they need assistance with activities of daily living. Your aging parent may be embarrassed to have their adult child bathe them or assist with toileting or dressing. Bringing in a paid caregiver can help them preserve their dignity.

Paying for a Paid Caregiver

If part of your hesitation in bringing on a paid caregiver is the cost, there may be resources available to your family. If you haven’t done so, check out my Resources page for links to government programs available to seniors and caregivers.

Your parent may qualify for in home caregiving. I had a client who was very low income who was able to have a caregiver in her home for 20 hours per week through a federal program. You should also check with caregiving agencies. Some of them lower the hourly rate based on the amount of time you need a caregiver. So, for example, the rate may be $37 per hour but if you book 4 hours it can drop to $28 per hour.

If you haven’t already done this, reach out to your local senior center and Administration on Aging office. They may know of programs in your parent’s town that provide caregiving support to people like your parent. And of course, if your parent is a veteran, reach out to your local Veteran Administration office to find out if they have programs that provide caregivers.

There are options, but you may have to do a little digging to find them. It is definitely worth it to do your research.

 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Senior woman with tender caregiver
Caregiving

What Are the Responsibilities of a Caregiver?

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

When people get sick, become aged or disabled, and can’t help themselves, there is a need to provide them with proper medical care. However, the right medication is not enough to care either at home or at the hospital.

Whether it’s respite services or an emotional support companion, caregivers with the best understanding of caregiving practices will use their skills to offer extra support. They work with the agency’s standards to ensure clients get excellent care.

Who is a Caregiver?

A caregiver helps the sick, the elderly, the disabled, or children by giving care. A care provider ensures that clients get help during daily activities.

Responsibilities of a Caregiver

Caregivers have many duties to perform when caring for patients. They ensure a client’s comfort and a great feeling about life.

1. Personal Care

Whether you are elderly, sick, or disabled, a caregiver will offer excellent personal care when changing clothes, brushing teeth, taking baths, writing a memoir, etc. Some patients may find it tiresome to do the activities themselves. A caregiver prepares patients to face their days with confidence and comfort.

2. Food Preparation

Caregivers plan and prepare meals for their patients. In their sick or old days, many patients find difficulty in following their diets. In their positions, they can’t create tasty and nutritious meals.

Caregivers have enough training in meal planning and food preparation depending on every client’s needs. They handle interactions that certain foods may have with the patient’s medication. Also, they observe allergies and plan highly nutritious meals for their patients.

3. Offering Companionship

Caregivers ensure patients stay happy during their sick or old days. Even though patients may get family visits, they may need someone by their sides all the time.

Caregivers are more than helpers. They offer reliable, excellent, and constant companionship to their patients. Also, they provide more fun ideas to refresh patients’ minds by organizing great activities. This way, patients get all the emotional help they need leading to a great life experience.

4. Providing Medication Management

As the elderly continue to age, they need someone to help them with their medications. Because they can easily forget when and how to consume their pills, caregivers come in handy to help.

Care providers assist in monitoring medications. A home caregiver works diligently with medical personnel to ensure that patients take each medication properly. Moreover, caregivers help their clients take their medicines by providing the prescribed pills at the required times.

5. Providing Transportation

A qualified caregiver with a driver’s license takes care of the patient’s transportation needs. Whether the patients are going for hospital appointments or other important outgoing activities, care providers will drive them safely.

Additionally, a caregiver helps patients who use wheelchairs. A care provider has to push the sick and help them get off and on their wheelchair safely.

6. Running Errands

Because the elderly and the sick cannot handle most daily activities, they need help from care providers. Caregivers perform all other operations, such as going shopping, doing house chores, etc.

7. Offering General Health Care

Qualified caregivers perform primary care and health monitoring. They follow a health plan to observe any changes in the patients’ health, document, and report. They consult with the medical team to decide on a course of action.

8. Offering Family Support

During sickness and aging times, family members find difficulty in accepting the situation. Caregivers give support to patients and their families. A care provider offers excellent ideas on how to make family life better.

Conclusion

While caring for patients, a caregiver maintains personal and professional boundaries. It helps in strengthening the relationship with the patient.

 

Author bio:

Hayden Smith is a competent SEO content writer specializing in blog writing, ghostwriting, and copywriting services. He takes pride in providing SEO optimized, engaging, and high-quality digital marketing content for both B2B and B2C clients. His content writing strategy will increase your blog or website’s attention on social media and search engine ranking. He can do it all, from SEO blog writing, writing a memoir, and health/wellness articles.

 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Woman examining medication treatment, several boats in the hand, conceptual image
Caregiving

How to Create a Caregiver Command Center

by Kathy Macaraeg
written by Kathy Macaraeg

Smoothly With A Command Center

Caregiving requires organization. Few caregivers have only one obligation – caring for a loved one – so juggling all of the tasks and managing your own life requires some serious organization. If you aren’t organized, you’ll become frustrated, stressed out and possibly drop a few balls here and there.

Of course, many caregivers are thrust into their role without much planning and it can be hard to create an organization system that will work for your family on the fly. If you were thrust into caregiving and are trying to figure out some sort of organization system, I highly recommend creating a Caregiver Command Center. It’s much less complicated that it sounds. Essentially, it is a space in your home where you house your caregiving life.

In my home, I have two small “Command Centers” since I don’t have any one large area to keep our life on track. One area is dedicated to knowing where everyone needs to be and the other is dedicated to housing whatever we need to get out the door. For example, my youngest son had picture day at school and my husband needed to take the order form. It placed it on the shelf near the door, under his wallet and keys so he wouldn’t forget it. Having drop zones as part of your Command Center will ensure that you don’t forget something important as you rush out the door.

Creating A Caregiver Command Center

Every home and family functions differently so you’ll need to decide on what will work best for your family. That being said, there are essentials that everyone needs to remain organized. Here are some elements to include in your Caregiver Command Center.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.)

Central Location or Command Center Zones: The best way to stay on top of your caregiving tasks is to have a specific home for all things caregiving. In my case, since I’m in a very small home, I have two “zones” where we keep important information/things. I use the outside of our kitchen pantry door as our information center. I keep a calendar, cork board and dry erase board there and keep any important paperwork that is needed for appointments on the board until after the appointment. I also have a zone near the door where we keep our keys. It has hooks for bags and backpacks and a small shelf to keep paperwork that we need to take with us. If you have a larger area, you can store your caregiving medical file and any related paperwork for your caree (applications, vendor contracts, etc.).

Keep A Visible Master Calendar: I keep an electronic calendar on my phone, but I also use a wall calendar decal so that everyone can see what we have going on. I also use different colors for different activities since I want to make sure we don’t miss them. I love using a dry erase calendar since appointments/activities get canceled and I don’t want a calendar full of scribbles. I also have a calendar on my phone so that I can make appointments on the go. It is much easier to schedule a medical appointment while you’re at the office, versus waiting until you get home to call.

File/Paperwork System: Every time I go to the doctor, I get a post-visit summary and occasionally, a referral to another doctor. I keep referrals pinned to my corkboard until I make the appointment and I have a file for medical paperwork. That way, I don’t have to spend a ton of time searching for what I need. If your caree has a medical condition, I highly recommend creating a medical file where you keep all of their paperwork. If your command center is big enough, you can keep the file there, or do what I do and only keep paperwork that requires an action in the command center and file everything else in a specific location.

Contact List: I had a client who had a list of every phone number she could possibly need taped to the wall next to her phone. It was a fantastic idea as she had dementia and had many caregivers in the home who might need to contact someone on the list. In addition to a family contact list, you should have a service provider list (think plumber, electrician, cable provider, etc.) and a medical contact list. Keeping everything on one list makes things easier when you’re in a hurry.

Medications/Supplies: If you live with your caree and are tasked with their medication, it may be helpful to create a medication space in your command center. If you don’t have space, then make a small medication zone where you do have space (preferably not in the bathroom as some medications lose effectiveness in humid spaces). I have a section of my kitchen counter dedicated to my vitamins (I take a lot) and a pretty tray on my dresser to house my prescription medication. Everything is stored in those spaces so I know exactly where they are. If your caree has special instructions for certain medications or a specific schedule to keep to, print it out and keep it in that zone.

You may have other elements to your caregiving that you will want to add to your command center. The thing about organization is that it has to work for you, so it may take a few tweaks to make your command center work for you. I have changed my systems over time as my needs change. The key is to create a workable system for your caregiving situation.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail