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Family Caregivers Sharing Responsibilities
Shortly before I became a caregiver, I started searching the internet for tips and information about caregiving. One of the items that kept coming up was caregiver fatigue. There were so many blogs and websites that talked about the importance of family caregivers getting enough rest and enough help. Ideally, family caregivers would share the responsibilities of taking care of their loved one.
Taking care of Gladys has changed our lives and it can be tiring, but my family has worked out a schedule and plan for sharing the responsibilities of caregiving.
My Responsibilities:
- Bathing
- Grocery shopping (Gladys has diabetes and high blood pressure)
- Doctors appointments
- Filling prescriptions
- Refilling the pill organizer
- Taking care of Gladys’ laundry
- Laying out her clothes for the day
- Helping Gladys get dressed and undressed
- Cooking
- Cleaning Gladys’ room
- Paying Gladys’ bills
- Taking care of legal matters
- Shopping for Gladys’ clothes
- Purchasing handicap accessories
Fred’s Responsibilities:
- Takes Gladys to and from Adult Day Care
- Takes Gladys her meals
- Gives Gladys her medications
- Cleans her bathroom
- Takes her for “walks” (in a wheelchair) around our subdivision
- Prepares her late afternoon fruit snack
Anita’s Responsibilities:
Anita is one of our adult daughters who has her own home but helps with Gladys. She is our Sunday caregiver.
- Comes to the house on Sunday’s at 6:30 AM to stay with Gladys and get her ready for our 10:45 AM church service
- Prepares her breakfast on Sundays
- Helps her get dressed on Sundays
- Drives Gladys to church and gets her settled
- Stays with Gladys when Fred and I are both away from home
Some people would say that Anita’s contribution is fairly insignificant but that’s far from the truth. Anita’s contribution helps me keep my job. I work for my Pastor and have to be at work on Sunday mornings at 7:00 AM to prepare for our 8:00 AM service. So far this has worked out well for us. Even though I have the bulk of the caregiving responsibilities, they are not overwhelming.
I am blessed to have so much help from my family. How does your family handle caregiving tasks and responsibilities?
Caregiver’s Guide to Senior Housing and Elder Care Options
When Gladys had her stroke two years ago, Nichole and I decided that we did not want Gladys to live in a nursing home or in her own home with strangers. We wanted to take care of her as long as we were able to handle her physical limitations and her dementia. Hopefully, Gladys will be able to live out her life with us and we won’t have to explore other housing options; however, we will utilize additional care options.
One thing that I understand is that everyone is not able to take care of their loved ones at home. I also understand that some of our loved ones are aging but not ready for a caregiver. There are many housing options available that address most situations. The list below is from New Lifestyles Magazine (Fall/Winter 2007). It covers all levels of housing options for seniors.
Active Adult Community: Usually offer a choice of spacious homes rather than apartments, often with a clubhouse in which a variety of activities are planned for residents. Monthly fees may cover services such as housekeeping and maintenance, but meals are usually not included.
Apartments: Independent living units with age requirements. Meal service, activity programs and services usually aren’t included in the monthly rent.
Retirement/Independent: Totally independent living with amenities such as meals, transportation and activities ususally included in a monthly fee.
Assisted Living: Multi-unit facilities that provide assistance with medications and daily activities such as bathing and dressing.
Personal Care: Multi-unit facilities that provide personalized service plans. Services/amenities include daily meals, assistance with daily living activities, medication reminders, recreational activities, scheduled transportation, etc.
Alzheimer’s: Facilities offering specialized programs for residents suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of memory loss. These programs can be offered by Residential, Assisted Living or Nursing facilities.
Nursing/Rehab: Facilities licensed to provide skilled nursing services under the supervision of licensed nurses.
Sub-Acute: Facilities licensed to provide care that falls between acute care and traditional skilled nursing home care, usually after or instead of hospitalization.
Home Care: May include both companies that provide licensed health care services in the home and companies who provide non-medical assistance with such tasks as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and transportation.
Sitter Service: Services of sitters, aides or private duty nurses or therapists in the home, hospital or residential facility. May include personal care assistance, grooming, medication supervision, light housekeeping, transportation, nursing care or therapy.
Day Care: Various programs provide a range of geriatric day services, including social, nutrition, nursing, and rehabilitation. Not all programs provide all services.
Respite Care: Respite Care provides family members a time of relief from the constant everyday care of an elderly person. These short-term stays, normally in a nursing or assisted living facility, provide companionship to the patient while relieving the family of daily activities.
Sr. Placement: Services that locate the right home for you or your loved one with respect to specific needs and preferences.
Hospice: Hospice care may be provided in the home or a senior care facility. Services can include pain management and a variety of emotional, spiritual and physical support issues.
We have Gladys enrolled in a full service Adult Day Care. We will probably also use the sitter service when our daughter is not available to stay with Gladys when we need to go to some social function together or maybe a weekend get-away.
I welcome your comments and feedback.
Online Launch: Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Resources
Yesterday I received an invitation from the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) about the e-launch of the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Family Caregiver Initiative: Ask Medicare.
There will be an online launch of Ask Medicare on Thursday, September 18, 2008 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM EST in a Live Webcast: Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Resources. In the Webcast you will:
- Learn about new online resources for caregivers
- Post questions to CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems and a panel of experts online
- Sign up for the Ask Medicare bi-monthly e-newsletter
For questions send an email to: caregiver@cms.hhs.gov
You can click here to register for the live webcast.
Please share this information with other family caregivers.
