When your head knows it’s the right decision, but your heart is breaking. One of my promises to myself when I became mom’s caregiver is that I would never promise her anything unless I was 100% sure I could deliver. It is why I never promised her I could always keep her in our family home. My expectation was that at some point she would need to be in a wheelchair and, given … [Read more...]
Hospital at Home. What is it and how does it work?
For family caregivers, the devil is in the details. The Hospital at Home model has been around since 1995, but in the time of COVID, it is gaining traction. Hospital at Home gives acute care that would normally be given in a hospital to patients in their homes. Generally, it includes intravenous therapy (mainly antibiotics), anticoagulation, wound care and chemotherapy … [Read more...]
2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Caregivers and Care Recipients
Are you struggling to decide on what to buy your elder for the holidays? I am. Mom is almost 90 and let’s face it, doesn’t need much. Fortunately, Elizabeth Miller of the Happy Healthy Caregiver, spends hours each year compiling a gift guide with unique ideas for family caregivers and their care recipients. It’s a great place to start and it may spark a unique idea of your … [Read more...]
Caregiving, You Choose It Time and Time Again
Recently I presented at the Care Years Training Academy's, "The Caring Conference: Our Courageous Acts." When I started to think about caregiving and courageous acts, I struggled with deciding if I would submit a proposal. It felt like a courageous act needed to be something big, even momentous. Then I realized caregiving is a series of courageous acts because every time … [Read more...]
It Takes Courage To Help Someone Let Go.
Letting go is a process that begins long before someone passes. So often when we talk of someone “letting go” we are talking about their dying. But there are many stages that our seniors and family caregivers go through before this final one. It takes courage on the part of your elder and yourself to be honest about when it is time to change a life plan. It is hard and … [Read more...]