Category Archives: Caregiver Corner

Caregiving Blogs – October Highlight

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on October 8, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

As we get further into fall, we thought it might be a nice idea to highlight a few blogs that you can bookmark to read as you settle into your favorite comfy chair with a mug of cocoa.

Noah’s Dad
Noah’s parents were surprised when their son was born with Down’s Syndrome. Noah’s dad, Rick, immediately started journaling their story. The blog is full of positivity and super-cute pictures of Noah. There’s lots of advice available for parents of children with Down’s Syndrome, other children with special needs and typical children.

Geriatric OT
This post hasn’t been updated in quite some time, but it still is a great resource for anyone looking for information about how to improve the lives of geriatrics, especially those with disabilities. There are lots of links to sites with great therapeutic suggestions.

Gastroparesis Crusader
Trisha Bundy describes herself as, “a proud mother, teacher, Gastroparesis Advocate, GJ Tubie.” Hers is less a caregiving blog and more of blog from a caree point-of-view. Even with the invisible illnesses Trisha struggles with, she maintains a positive attitude and her writing is very creative.

Conflicts in Caregiving: Self-Awareness

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on September 17, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

One of the many conflicts that can arise when caregiving for an older adult is how self-aware they are. How much do they feel they are capable of versus how much they are capable of?

My friend had grandparents who were in their 80s and doing alright for themselves, but definitely not heeding what their bodies were telling them. The grandfather insisted on getting up on the roof and cleaning the gutters – until his children convinced him not to (mostly by doing it themselves). This was part of what led to a larger discussion about whether or not owning a house was still a good idea for them. They had much more space than they needed, but the couple still enjoyed owning a home. This argument continued in the family for months, before the grandfather slipped on the front step while it was covered in ice and broke his hip.

At that point, the grandparents agreed that perhaps it was time to move into an assisted living facility. And they love it. The complex is large and has several different levels of care. They’re in the lowest level of assistance and have complete independence. This complex even has a few guest rooms where family members can stay for free when they visit.

Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a tragedy to open the eyes of a senior, to help them realize that while they may feel and act young at heart (and they should!) they do need to understand their limits. A time of crises is not when you want to be making life-changing decisions. If possible, gently, and without any specific timelines, speak to your senior about what their plans are when they are not as capable as they currently are. If you approach the topic with love, they may just listen.

Fruits and Veggies – More Matters Month 2015

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on September 3, 2015 under Caregiver Corner, Resources | Be the First to Comment

September is bountiful month, full of fresh produce arriving to your local grocery store. It is beautiful to look at, but can be a lot to take in. Which fruits and vegetables are in season? How many produce items should I buy or not buy so they don’t go bad? What should I do with these things? And possibly even – what is this?

This Fruits and Veggies – More Matters Month is the perfect time to learn more about those tasty foods we should be eating more. Did you know over 90% of all adults and children in the US do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and veggies? That means if you do, you’re in an elite (and healthy!) minority.

All of us are busy, and caregivers even more so. So what are some easy tips and tricks to get more of that produce on your plate?

For one thing, keep in mind that ALL forms of fruit and veggies count towards your daily recommended amount, so anything canned, frozen, dried or juice that says 100% on the label contains the same goodness as fresh.

With that in mind, smoothies become so much easier! You can have everything ready to go and not have to worry about anything going bad after just a week. Frozen blueberries, yogurt, milk, OJ, leftover kale, canned peaches: toss any or all of it into a smoothie. Smoothies are incredibly forgiving. If you have some spinach that’s about to go bad, you can toss it in with some soy milk, honey, juice, an almost moldy nectarine and even some old cupcakes (believe me, I’ve tried). As long as you have enough liquid and enough sweetness (honey, agave syrup or cocoa powder work great) you can get away with practically any smoothie ingredient.

If you’re wanting to fill your cart with fruit and vegetables but can’t remember while at the grocery store what is in season, print out a pocket-sized guide (your best bet is to find what works for your region, so search for your state and then add “fruits and veggies in season chart”), or download an app onto your smart phone.

Good luck! And if you need more advice, recipes and ideas, be sure to head to The Fruits and Veggies More Matters site, where we found much of the above information!

Series: Alzheimer’s in Other Countries

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on August 27, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

This is the fourth post in a series on Alzheimer’s disease in places beyond the borders of the United States.

The “World Alzheimer Report 2015: The Global Impact of Dementia” was issued earlier this week. The report gave a grim view of dementia statistics around the world and called on governments and societies to begin making necessary changes to support older adults.

There is a chance that dementia is becoming less prevalent in high-income countries. Medscape reports:

Despite interest in the possibility that the age-specific prevalence of dementia may be declining in high-income countries because of public health improvements, “the evidence to support this is currently weak and inconclusive,” said the report.

You can find more information in Medscape’s article here.

Conflicts in Caregiving: In-Laws

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on July 30, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

Today is actually National Father-In-Law Day. Do you have father-in-law that you love? Are you currently caring for one of your parents-in-law? Helping to care for the person or persons who raised your spouse, welcomed you into their family and have been a wonderful grandparents can be the perfect way to give back and help. But sometimes conflicts can arise from helping those outside of your immediate family.

Oftentimes, a married couple will be a team, helping to take care of one or another’s parents. But depending on careers, personalities and traditional roles, the wife can be the one more likely to end up caring for her husband’s parents. And that in turn can lead to resentment. What can be done to help with couples make the best of these situations?

All caregivers should know that some people take to caregiving better than others. Caregiving is not for everyone. Each spouse needs to be aware of this and try to determine if they are capable of providing care for an elderly parent. If they discover that the work is more than hard (all caregivers, even if they love their role, find the work hard) but is making them miserable for a variety of reasons, they need to have an open discussion about that with their spouse, and the other spouse needs to respect their feelings on providing care.

If one spouse is determined to be able to care better for the elderly parents, and agrees to do so, the other spouse needs to be extremely supportive to them. Keep this mantra in mind: If you can’t BE a caregiver, SUPPORT a caregiver.

Social Wellness Month

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on July 16, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

July is Social Wellness Month, a month where everyone is encouraged to nurture their relationships with friends and focus on taking care of themselves.

So what does this mean for busy caregivers, who can barely find time as it is? Here are some tips for sneaking in some time for yourself and time to spend with friends, among all the demands on your time:

Buy some plants and water them while doing other things
Plants can bring new life into a house and make things a little more vibrant. But watering them can be a pain to remember. Try combining two activities, like watering in the morning while brushing your teeth. This way you can watch the plants grow during the couple minutes of brushing time.
Chat during dinner
The speaker mode on your phone can be a life-changer. Assuming you’re not eating anything too crunchy or slurpy, a very good friend likely won’t mind if you chat with them over a meal. Hopefully they’ll just be thankful that you found a few minutes to catch up with them.
Include your friends in your caregiving duties
Do you take a stroll everyday with your caree, either walking or with them in a wheelchair? If not, you may want to try to add that to your routine – it can do wonders for both of you. And if you do, could you invite one of your friends to join you on that walk? And maybe stick around for an afternoon cup of coffee? Even if you only have time for a half-hour visit, don’t be afraid to ask a friend to drop by. They probably have been hoping they could, but don’t want to impose.

Even if you’re not able to fit these ideas into your busy schedule, try and focus on the fact that you need time for yourself and you are worth it. Even entertaining fantasies of doing things alone or with friends is better than getting stuck in the idea that everyday is crazy.

What will you be doing for Social Wellness Month?

Caregiver Blogs – July Highlight

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on July 9, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

Wow! We’re already well into summer, but before it passes us by, we’d like to take another moment to highlight a few caregiver blogs that we’ve really been enjoying lately.

The Cute Syndrome
Hillary Savoy decided to call her blog “The Cute Syndrome” because while she was discussing her daughter’s un-diagnosed genetic disorders and various syndromes with a friend, the friend commented, “yeah, she has a syndrome. A cute syndrome.” And the pictures of Esme on this blog are really very cute. Hilary has also written a book about her journey with Esme through the world of genetic testing that is available through her site.

The Purple Jacket
This blog is written by Chris MacLellan, AKA, The Bow Tie Guy. Chris was a caregiver of his partner, Richard, until Richard passed away in 2014. Now Chris helps advocate for caregivers. The story of him caring for Richard during his last days was told in the Sun Sentinel newspaper and has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Chasing Rainbows
Kate Leong’s tale is one of both sadness and hope. Her first child, Gavin, was born with some disabilities, exacerbated by bouts with both Botulism and Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV) while he was still under six months of age. Kate continued to write about Gavin and the therapy he received for his special needs, along with his younger brother, Brian – until Gavin’s death in 2013. Since then, Kate’s blog has focused on the grief and happiness that has come with her son’s death, and her new daughter Hope. While her current story is just as compelling as her past, her older blog posts about Gavin’s therapy may be helpful for those with special needs children of their own.

National Aphasia Awareness Month

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on June 4, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month! What is aphasia, you might ask? As defined by Aphasia.org:

Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain-most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals. But brain injuries resulting in aphasia may also arise from head trauma, from brain tumors, or from infections.

Reasons for someone developing aphasia also include other neurological causes, such as dementia. There are two different types: expressive aphasia is when the subject has lost the ability to speak and write and receptive aphasia, where the individual cannot always understand spoken or written words. It’s essentially a disconnect between the parts of the brain that process language (spoken or written) and the mouth, eyes or ears.

In 2007, the comic strip For Better or For Worse began a story line wherein the main character’s elderly father has a stroke and, as he begins to recover, he struggles with aphasia.

You can find all of the For Better or For Worse comics relating to this stroke/aphasia story line here.

Cover image originally from National Stroke Association’s website, where you can also find suggestions for how to support those with aphasia and work towards ending preventable strokes. Tell us how you recognize National Aphasia Awareness Month!

Shout Out to Nursing Homes

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on May 12, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

People have varied feelings about nursing homes. Part of how they feel about them depends on their age. Part depends on what nursing homes they’ve experienced in person or through the media. Part of it depends on whether or not they can picture themselves in a nursing home or if they would rather age in place for as long as possible. But no matter how people feel about them, there are nursing homes out there where the residents are well cared for and enjoying their lives.

When a decision is made by an individual, or their family, to move into a nursing home, several positive changes can take place. These changes include allowing a former family caregiver to go from being a caretaker back to being a family member. Or giving the elder the ability to interact with their peers. Or the family being able to feel secure in the knowledge that the elder’s complex medical needs will be handled by professionals.

Additionally, there are different types of nursing homes available, depending on what level of care an individual needs. Even homes that provide a lot of skilled nursing can still also provide social activities.

One thing that is important to remember is that a nursing home decision should ideally be made before a crisis creates an immediate need for a move into such a facility. But even if a family is in the middle of a care crisis, many nursing homes are very accommodating and flexible.

What experiences have you had with nursing homes? We’d love to hear some experiences our readers have had!

Seniors and Hoarding

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on April 30, 2015 under Caregiver Corner | Be the First to Comment

While hoarding is definitely not a problem that solely affects seniors, it can become an issue for elderly adults for several reasons. A lifetime of hanging onto precious items can eventually result in simply having too much stuff. A move to a smaller home can bring about an initial clean-out, but later the person may be used to purchasing or keeping more than the new home can hold. There are also the mental reasons people hoard, which can become more pronounced with the onset of dementia or other diseases. The underlying mental reasons of why people hoard can be varied, but what can be done about the problem?

If there is just some clutter here and there, or it’s more stuff than you feel comfortable with, but the senior is happy – ask yourself if it’s important. If the items give them joy and only make their place feel messy, maybe it’s not worth the anguish of trying to get them to throw things out. But when it becomes a safety issue, either from the amount of dust that’s accumulating (especially if they or consistent visitors are allergic) or from the clutter impeding pathways, it’s time to start talking about the issue. The number one cause of falls for seniors is when they’re on the way to the bathroom, so if the pathway is not clear for any reason, that needs to solved.

When it becomes time to confront the problem, be sure to keep the senior involved as much as possible. Sending them out for the day for them to return to a cleaned out house can be devastating for them. So start slow: make short, accomplishable lists and play music while you clean. If they’re resisting and you have permission to speak to their doctor, don’t hesitate to mention the issue.

There are qualified personal that help people pare down their items to a manageable and safe level. A quick Internet search should give you results and reviews. If you have any suggestions for those types of businesses and individuals, please let us know in the comments below. And good luck!