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Managing The Stress ~ Making The Decisions ~ Discovering The Meaning |
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Caregiving |
Solutions To Your Caregiving Situations Throughout Your Caregiving Years |
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Simplify Simple suggestions In their book, Taking Care of Aging Family Members, A Practical Guide, Wendy Lustbader and Nancy R. Hooyman provide family caregivers with information about every aspect of their caregiving lifestyle: employment, sharing the care, managing the money, finding the right help. They also offer tips for helping you cope with your care recipient's short-term memory loss. Their suggestions for handling these common problems: Problem: Losing purse, wallet or keys within the home
Suggested solution: Install a hook near the door or put a large "key" bowl near the door ***** Problem: Losing the car in parking lots
Suggested solution: Make a mental note of landmarks. Tie a plastic flower on the top of the antenna. ***** Problem: Adding some ingredients twice while cooking, forgetting to add others.
Suggested solution: Lay out all ingredients; put away each item after adding.
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Problem: Forgetting to get tasks done or to show up at appointments; forgetting discussions during phone calls.
Suggested solution: Obtain a pocket-size memo book to make notes of daily appointments, errands, tasks, phone conversations. The authors also offer this advice for supervising in-home workers: 1. Make a list of steps for each task. Include detailed instructions (including preferred tools and cleansers), location of needed items and other preferences. 2. Avoid following the worker around the house. Instead, ask to be notified after each room is cleaned. Review the room with the worker, indicating what has been completed to specifications and what has been omitted. 3. Praise extra effort or thoughtfulness. A job does not have to be performed perfectly to merit praise. Your goal is to encourage future good work. 4. Correct major errors by giving information rather than criticism. Often, errors relate to lack of information; be sure to share enough information so that the worker can complete jobs to your liking. Source: Taking Care of Aging Family Members, A Practical Guide, by Wendy Lustbader and Nancy R. Hooyman, The Free Press, New York. “No” as an agent to prioritize and to reassess Add easy techniques to hands-on care Simplify communication to avoid stress, guilt When you’re nice, you don’t have to apologize A family caregiver's thoughts: Streamlining to make life more comfortable |
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