Goodbye 2011

I’m a little behind in reflecting on the last year but I wrote and posted this on my blog last night and wanted to share it with you too (especially since you all figure so prominently in my 2011). I intended to do 2011 reflections on December 31. A reasonable date for such things. However, between hubby’s surgery, bringing Robert to our house for the long New Year’s weekend and being just a tad tired,...

Tips for Dementia Care

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Claire Day, Vice President of Constituent Services for the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter, joined me for our monthly show on dementia care. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. During the show, Claire answered a question from our chat room about managing incontinence care and two questions emailed to me from a...

On The Plus Side. . .

Seeing the silver lining in difficult situations is my specialty but can be challenging at times even for a Pollyanna like me. I do my best not to obsess about Robert’s long-term future but I am failing miserably lately. Robert forgetting his roommate’s name the other night really threw me for a loop. Is his memory going to further decline? Will his balance issues continue to get worse eventually landing him in...

Did I Say That Out Loud?

I would love to only write about Robert’s good side and how sweet and polite he is and how he ends every conversation with “God Bless You.” The fact is he gets pretty cranky and stubborn and angry at times. Wait a minute . . . sounds like me on a bad day. (Shhh! Don’t tell my hubby I admitted that!)  Today I received a call from Day Program telling me Robert had an “accident” and since they didn’t...

Dry by Morning

I’m warning you right now. Read no further if you don’t like discussions of bodily fluids or messy diapers. Hey, sometimes people needing assisted living or extra care (the elderly, the disabled) have bathroom problems and while it may not be glamorous it is a part of their (and us caregivers) existence. If you have a weak stomach, recently ate or just don’t have a desire to read about urine (or worse), then...

Tell Us: How Do You Deal with Incontinence?

About 18 years ago (wow!), I helped friends care for an 81-year-old woman named Evie. I can remember managing her incontinence like it was yesterday. Incontinence has a way of staying with you. She wore Depends during the day, which she hated. The dressing-for-the-day ritual included her throwing the Depends against the wall and stating, “I hate that thing.” Getting her to wear the Depends was nothing...

What’s in Donna’s Closet?

We’ve received our first entry for our What’s in Your Caregiving Closet? contest. Donna W., one of bloggers, sent the two photos, below, of a Caregiving Étagère, the hub of her mom’s room for her supplies and care. She also sent a photo of the communication board she created for the respite caregivers to use while she was away on a trip in December. So… what’s in your caregiving...

Stocking Your Caregiving Closet

Today on Your Caregiving Journey, Becky Lowry, training director, and Nancy Hanley, RN, team manager, from MyHealthCareManager, shared tips on how to create a caregiving closet. (You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.) The purpose of your caregiving closet is to organize personal care items that you use daily, regularly and/or may need at some point in the future. If you and you caree...

The Indelicate Topic

Yesterday, Jeannie Keenan, RN, of My Health Care Manager joined us for a discussion on Your Caregiving Journey about constipation and bowel incontinence. Because a few members of our online support groups have been struggling with their care recipients’ bowel incontinence, we thought this would be a timely topic. You can listen to the show via the player below. Some highlights: 1. Keep a journal about your...

Go Green & Save Money on Adult Diapers in One Simple Step

by Gary Hirsch, adviser to online incontinence care products provider SecurePersonalCare.com. The following article, Go Green & Save Money on Adult Diapers in One Simple Step, originally appeared on Gilbert Guide and is re-printed courtesy of Gilbert Guide, Inc. Copyright © 2009, Gilbert Guide, Inc. The economy isn’t the only thing that could use a boost: so could your diaper. Past topics in this column...

Going Green in Adult Diapers: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

By Gary Hirsch, adviser to online incontinence care products provider SecurePersonalCare.com. The following article, Going Green in Adult Diapers: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, originally appeared on Gilbert Guide and is re-printed courtesy of Gilbert Guide, Inc. Copyright © 2009, Gilbert Guide, Inc. It is technically feasible to compost adult diapers, although our current economic, legislative and disposal...

Resources for Managing Dementia’s Difficult Behaviors

Yesterday, Jeannie Keenan of My Health Care Manager joined us for our monthly discussion on Your Caregiving Journey. You can listen to our show via the player, below. We mentioned the following resources on our show: The Alzheimer’s Project; you can watch the series online. The UCSF Memory and Aging Center has a YouTube channel to educate family caregivers about dementia. Coach Broyles’ Playbook: The Playbook...

Rather Than Fight, Be Flexible

When I first started writing about caregiving, I had worked with family caregivers in home health care settings (linking family caregivers to respite services) and in nursing homes (helping them admit their care recipient to the facility). But, I had never provided direct hands-on care. When the opportunity to work as a private-duty caregiver for Evie, 88-years-old and...

How Do I Manage Night-Time Care Needs?

Dear Denise, I am caring for my husband and having difficulty trying to find someone to contact in case of an emergency late at night. I manage fine during the day and get some help but last night he lost control of his bladder and soaked the bed, his clothing etc. I was unable to find who to call at two in the morning that could help me turn the mattress over. I’m a senior and have a back problem so all I...