Here’s a news flash for you: Life doesn’t hand you one situation or problem at a time! Can you imagine how easy it would be if things worked that way? What would we do with all of our time if that happened? Many, many caregivers are either serial caregivers or caring for more than one person at a time. (According to a survey done by caregiving.com more than 26% of the respondents were currently caring for more than person at a time.).
Today, though, was a day for good news! Robert’s neurologist read his recent EEG results and said they were very similar to the results from a few years ago. Obviously, they’re not “normal” but they’re normal for him! So we know from the MRI Robert hasn’t had a stroke and we know from his EEG that his brain activity is stable. Woohoo!! This is really good news! The EEG and the MRI don’t explain why Robert’s memory and balance is worsening but I think we can safely assume that the seizures play a huge part in the decline and, in my very biased opinion, so does New Home. I can’t do anything about the seizures but we’re working on the problems with New Home by having Robert come live with us. I met with the contractor last night and so we are moving along with our garage conversion!
We found out even better news today, though, about my wonderful mother-in-law, Carol. She has been through a horrible time this past year: stroke, heart attack, speech and physical therapy, valvuloplasty, infection from the valvuloplasty and now bloody fluid on the lungs.
Uh oh.
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Tools for Your Caregiving Tool Belt – Support for the Caregiver
We’ve added Education and Navigating Care Facilities & In-Home Care to your caregiving tool belt. We’ve also given a few tips on Navigating Government Programs (which is my personal favorite although it is the most exhausting!). After all that work, the caregiver now needs to do a little something for themselves.
The hardest part of finding help for the caregiver is actually convincing the caregiver how important it is to take care of themselves. In my “Caring for the Caregiver” post, I mentioned women caregivers are six times as likely to suffer from depression or anxiety than their non-caregiving counterparts. Let’s try to fix that.
For many conditions and diseases there are websites and online support groups supporting either the person living with the condition or their caregivers. In-person support groups are also available but many caregivers may find that it is too difficult to find care for their loved one while they attend the group meetings. Others may not be comfortable talking about their feelings or problems in a room full of strangers (even if they are in the same boat).
Online support can be a lifesaver for those who feel alone. This allows for a sense of community as well as an opportunity to learn how others solved problems that we may not know how yet to solve.
The hardest part of finding help for the caregiver is actually convincing the caregiver how important it is to take care of themselves. In my “Caring for the Caregiver” post, I mentioned women caregivers are six times as likely to suffer from depression or anxiety than their non-caregiving counterparts. Let’s try to fix that.
For many conditions and diseases there are websites and online support groups supporting either the person living with the condition or their caregivers. In-person support groups are also available but many caregivers may find that it is too difficult to find care for their loved one while they attend the group meetings. Others may not be comfortable talking about their feelings or problems in a room full of strangers (even if they are in the same boat).
Online support can be a lifesaver for those who feel alone. This allows for a sense of community as well as an opportunity to learn how others solved problems that we may not know how yet to solve.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Tools for Your Caregiving Tool Belt -- Education
As a follow up to my series about finding a care facility for your loved one (“Where to Start,” “Always with the Checklists!” and “It’s Time to Tour”), I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of resources that may be of help during all stages of caregiving. The process of learning about the condition your loved one is living with to decisions about care either in or outside the home to figuring out government and other agency resources can be daunting. Finding much needed support for the overwhelmed caregiver tends to drop to the bottom of the priority list but cannot be overlooked so I have included support resources for the caregiver as well. Taking care of yourself will ultimately help make you a better caregiver.
Today we will focus on Education. (Before we get much further, I'd like to thank Denise Brown of caregiving.com for coming up with the awesome concept of a "caregiver's tool belt!")
Being educated about the disease your loved one is living with is a powerful tool. Knowing what to expect from the condition and how it will affect your loved one takes away a lot of the worry when confronted with a new symptom or behavior (as a precaution, anything new should be discussed with your doctor). Education will empower you when talking with medical professionals which can be intimidating for anyone!
Today we will focus on Education. (Before we get much further, I'd like to thank Denise Brown of caregiving.com for coming up with the awesome concept of a "caregiver's tool belt!")
Being educated about the disease your loved one is living with is a powerful tool. Knowing what to expect from the condition and how it will affect your loved one takes away a lot of the worry when confronted with a new symptom or behavior (as a precaution, anything new should be discussed with your doctor). Education will empower you when talking with medical professionals which can be intimidating for anyone!
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