Leaving Rehab with a long list of equipment and lifestyle modifications – it’s overwhelming. Rehabilitation allows you to regain strength, manage a chronic illness, or relearn activities of daily living. Typically, you are not back to “normal” after your stay. Which is why a discharge care team starts planning your release almost the moment you enter the facility. … [Read more...]
How Best Can I Love and Live With Mom, A Person Living With Dementia?
One Alzheimer's Caregiver Story. Shelly’s mother has Alzheimer’s and she has been her primary caregiver for years. Her mom is a wonderful woman that often thanks Shelly and her other caregivers, despite the fact that she doesn’t know who they are. But this loving behavior wasn’t always the case. There was a time when the violence was so bad (pinching, pushing, punching and … [Read more...]
Caregivers Put Aside Your “To Do” List and Re-connect with Your Senior
Caregivers share ways they create special moments. Making time to step away from all the caregiving tasks and spend quality time with our aging loved ones is a universal problem. I first wrote about this in March with the post: Today I am her daughter and not her caregiver. Since then I have been gathering suggestions from readers on how to make time to be with loved … [Read more...]
Caregiving From a Distance? It’s All About Resources.
How to find local help you can trust. There is no “one size fits all” blueprint to caregiving for an aging loved one. Every family must look at time, money, and proximity to determine their plan. If you are caregiving from a distance there is a unique set of obstacles to overcome. Long distance care plans require local trusted resources and your parents’ willingness to accept … [Read more...]
Why the POLST conversation is THE conversation to request of your doctor.
POLST – The Final Advance Directive The POLST form (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) is a legal document designed to answer the question: “How do you want to live your life as you go through the process of dying?” This is a profound and important question, which makes it surprising that while 80% of patients would like to have this discussion with their doctors, … [Read more...]