Consumer Reports on Assisted Living Facilities and Home Health Care services for the Elderly.
Spring is coming right around the corner; with that said make sure your loved one has a variety of clothes fit for the weather. Be sure to leave some long sleeves and jackets for those chilly days. The warm weather will be here shortly and mom and dad don’t need to get over heated so change out their wardrobe. Take mom out to get a new spring dress for Easter. She’ll like that.
Staff members, even when there is a good ratio of staff and residents, can get overwhelmed with their jobs. If you are a care worker communicate with your coworkers and employer any concerns you might have with your job. Also encourage other care workers that work along side of you. It’s not a one man show. Communication doesn’t just mean complaints or demands. Comunicate with your coworkers when there is a shift change. When you come in to work ask if there are any new duties (i.e. Mr. Williams doctor prescribed him some new medication that he needs to be reminded of before he goes to bed, or Ms. Johnson had a fall and needs her dinner brought to her room). When leaving your shift make sure you don’t leave a job half done and make the next shift aware of any changes. Always look into someone’s eyes when he/she is speaking and repeat back what has been communicated so that it is understood. If we would communicate, work together and everyone do their part there would be a lower turn over in care staff.
 If a fellow care worker calls in sick do not become angry and wonder if he/she is faking but at the same time voice to your employer that you can’t always “pick up the slack”. There should be a call-in care worker for such cases. There is no reason that you should have to continue to work double shifts. There may be emergency cases that you will have to work a double shift. On the other hand if you are sick you should give as much notice as possible to your employer. Do not come to work as a care attendant/CNA sick. You cannot be caring for the elderly that have low immune systems when you are contageous.
Be honest and encouraging to your co-workers.
“his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”Â
 -I Corinthians 3:13
When illness turns family members into caregivers there is often strong emotional experiences that the caregiver goes through.
Sadness: It is disturbing to see a loved one rendered physically helpless, particularly if the injury had a sudden onset. But the advent of cognitive deficits, causing changes in the patients personality and behavior, are generally found by researchers to be far more wrenching for families. When even so simple a task for the caregiver as sharing the events of one’s day and being understood is precluding by a patients dimentia, the loss of companionship is profound. Decreases in functioning, especially intellectual capacity, will often force patients who were working to retire, creating economical hardships for the family. When other family members shift to shoulder the bread-winning burden while also assisting the patient more at home with daily activities, they suffer dramamtically increased workloads and drastically reduced personal time. Some caregivers find relief in tears and take solace from sharing their mornful feelings with others who respond understandingly. Many caregivers however feel uncomfortable about expressing sadness and shame. They typicallycite several objections: 1-”I don’t want to feel sad because it will make me depressed.” 2-”I don’t want to express sadness because other people will think that I’m weak.” 3-”What do I have to feel sad about when I’m not the one who is disabled?” or 4-”I’m afraid that if I express sadness, it will make my loved one feel worse.” Generally though empathizing with the caregiver’s sadness is one of the most effective ways that a patient can give back something meaningful to the person who has made sacrifices on his behalf. When a caregiver is willing to take the risk of expressing sadness to a loved one in a non-blaming way, it most often results in a greater feeling of comunion or shared mission between the two that helps them both feel better understood and supported.
 Anger: Caregiver anger depends mostly on the relationship between the patient and the caregiver before the illness. At its simplest, it takes the form of blaming the patient for bringing the tragedy upon the family. The sting of being unjustly trapped often lies at the root of anger. Sometimes the anger isn’t toward the patient but at God. Anger must be dealt with promptly or it will turn into bitterness.
Worry: Every family member of one who is suffering worries. But a caregiver must be careful not to worry him or herself too much or he/she will get burned out.
Guilt: Many family members feel guilty that their loved ones have become ill as if it is their fault. A family member might feel guilty that he or she hasn’t visited a loved one in the nursing home. Also there may be guilt because a relationship went soar before the illness took place. It is never too late to love. Visit that family member in the nursing home. Start talking and praying for him or her.
It’s easy for anyone to forget to take medication. Those with dementia need to be especially careful. Skipping medication can have searious consequences. One way to remember is to have a weekly pill box organizer. This helps prevent from accidentally taking the wrong pill or too many pills. There are some pill box organizers that have timers that buzz when it is time for medication. Putting a reminder posty note on the mirror or refrigerator is another suggestion. Marking down when was the last medication time on a pad of paper or calendar helps prevent overdose. If forgetting to take medication is a persistant problem have a trusted person be responsible to remind you each time or despense the medicine to you.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, otherwise know as PACE is an optional benefit under Medicare and Medicaid that focuses on the elderly, who are frail enough to meet the state’s standards for nursing home care. It features comprhensive medical and social services that can be provided at home, adult day health center, or impatient facilities. For most elderly people it will allow them to continue living at home and receive services instead of being institutionalized. Health professionals and a team of doctors and nurses assess the persons needs, develop care plans, and deliver care plans which are integratedinto a complete health care plan.
PACE offers and manages all of the medical, social and rehabilitative services their enrollees need to preserve or restore their independence, to remain in their homes and communities, and to maintain their quality of life. PACE must include all Medicare and Medicaid services provided by the state. The PACE center includes at minimum primary care services, social services, restorative therapies, personal care and supportive services, nutritional counseling, recreational therapy, and meals. PACE services are available 24/7. PACE has a team of care providers that have frequent contact with the patient. This helps them to detect subtle changes in the patient’s condition and they can react quickly to changing medical, functional, and psycho-social problems.