Caregiver Meltdown

by Amy Goyer

There I was in the middle of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, when I was told I was 8 minutes too late to check my bag for the flight. I was trying to get to Indianapolis for a memorial service for my uncle. Missing a flight would upset any traveler, but my reaction surprised even me.
Total and complete meltdown.
You know the kind — sobbing uncontrollably to the point where the airline attendant had no idea what to do.
I sat down on one of those hard plastic chairs, but people began to stare, so I went into the bathroom, locked myself in a stall and sobbed with great abandon.
As I cried (and it was an all out snort-cry as my friend, Mary, calls it) and talked to my sister on the phone, I knew people could hear me far and wide. I didn't care. I was way past the point of embarrassment.
How did I get to this point? Can you say "stress?" Oh yes. Let me tell you about the prior week…..
As you know, I am caregiving for my parents.  Shortly before my airport meltdown, I'd been on a business trip that kept me away for two nights. During that time, my Mom fell and my Dad developed an abscessed tooth. On top of all that, Mom developed a bad intestinal flu AND shingles!
I had stayed with them almost 24/7 all week, and we had two more emergency squad visits because my mom fell two more times,  both with transport to the hospital, one at midnight and the other at 3 am. Both trips resulted in all-night ER stays and no sleep. Thankfully, no broken bones or hematoma for Mom!
One of her falls happened literally 1 minute after I left her alone in the bathroom after having gone over and over the use of her walker, always holding on to something etc. But she had gone to get something out of her closet and didn't use the walker…and fell as she turned.

Mom – always a good sport even in the ER
I felt terrible! I think I was so tired that I didn't make the best choice at that moment…a typical caregiver's lament.
She said she'd done it so many times before and it was automatic — she just didn't think about her walker. And she was so tired and depleted it's no wonder she wasn't thinking well either.
Well the good news is, I finally stopped crying at the airport, got a flight the next day…and got some sleep.
Mom is getting better, and I arranged for help from my niece and sister and my wonderful concierge, Debbie. So I went off on another business trip…so far no more falls or ER visits! Mom is gaining strength and Dad is minus 3 teeth now. He's still got a great grin.
And I am a whole lot lighter after my big meltdown!
My experience brings home the point that as caregivers we need to take care of ourselves…if we don't, we will drive ourselves to the breaking point…and perhaps cause a bit of a stir in an airport!
Next time we go through a crisis week like that (and I'm sure there will be more of them), I will do things a bit differently…especially prioritizing getting more sleep – and more help!

http://blog.aarp.org/2011/07/20/caregiver-meltdown/

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Austin, Texas Senior Helpers Provides Many services in the Austin, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company. "

The 2011 Texas Drought in Pictures

Devastating

National Research Council Wants Better Training for Home Caregivers

National Research Council Wants Better Training for Home Caregivers
By Kathleen Doheny

Home health care is a growing trend, allowing many people in need of medical services to avoid hospitalization and nursing homes. But improvements are needed to be sure that care at home is safe and effective, according to a new report from the National Research Council.

"There is a great opportunity to provide quality health care in the home for any of a variety of people in our population, from the very young to the very old," says David H. Wegman, MD, emeritus professor of work environment at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He chaired the National Research Council committee which issued the report.
"But to do this safely and effectively, we need better management and information about technologies as they are used in the home, and better training for both formal health care providers and the large informal pool for how to use these technologies in the home safely and effectively," Wegman tells WebMD.
Wegman says he is talking about medical devices from as seemingly simple as a home blood pressure monitor to more complicated oxygen delivery systems and other devices.
The report, "Health Care Comes Home: The Human Factors," was released today.
One in four U.S. adults, or more than 61 million Americans, cared for an adult family member, partner, or friend with a medical condition or disability in 2009, according to another report, also issued today, by AARP. It put the value of all this care at $450 billion in 2009. That is up 21% from the total in 2007. The AARP report is titled "Valuing the Invaluable: The Growing Contributions and Costs of Family Care giving, 2011 Update."

Recommendations for Home Health Care

The National Research Council report was requested by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The National Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering.
The National Research Council committee sought out experts. It also conducted a workshop on human factors in home health care before issuing the report.
Among the recommendations:

• The FDA should promote the development of new standards for labels on medical devices for home use. They should set new standards for the instructions that accompany the devices. The instructions should be easily understood.
• The FDA and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology should work together to regulate, certify, and monitor devices and health information technologies. For instance, they should work together on a device such as a blood pressure monitor and the technology that relays the results to doctors and patients.
• The FDA should improve its existing reporting system for medical device problems. The system is known as MAUDE (manufacturer and user facility device experience). Wegman cites problems, including being poorly used.
• Training of home caregivers, both formal and informal, should be improved. Advocacy groups and professional practice organizations should take on this task, the committee says.
• Research is needed in many areas, including how to better coordinate caregivers and support services.
• Federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services should help people who need home health care to modify their homes for caregiving when needed.

Wegman says the hope is that the FDA and others involved will read the recommendations and begin to implement them.
The recommendations are applauded by AARP, says Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, AARP's senior vice president of public policy. She wrote the AARP report.
"We call it the new normal, this caregiving," she tells WebMD. And it is not simple.
In its report, AARP finds that home caregivers are asked to do more complicated services. This includes bandaging and wound care, tube feedings, managing catheters, and giving injections and operating medical devices.
"Some of the things that family caregivers do would make a first-year nursing student shudder," Reinhard says in a news release.
In an interview with WebMD, she says that the National Research Council report "supports our overall goal of helping people to live at home independently if that is their choice."

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Austin, Texas Senior Helpers Provides Many services in the Austin, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company. "

Senior Helpers Partners With the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to Reduce Toll of Devastating Disease

Strategic Partnership to Improve Quality of Life for Diagnosed Individuals and Families
 
Towson, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/08/2011 -- With the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease escalating and the needs of families dramatically increasing along with it, Senior Helpers, one of the largest in-home care companies for seniors in the nation, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), one of the nation’s leading non-profit foundations dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals with the disease and their families.

“This partnership was an easy decision for us at Senior Helpers because of our commitment to educating families and their elderly loved ones about the different stages of dementia and how to cope with every aspect of the disease,” says Peter Ross, CEO and co-founder of Senior Helpers. “Alzheimer’s is not only devastating for the senior living with the condition but it also creates a tremendous strain on the family. Our caregivers know first-hand what it takes to combat this devastating disease, and we feel this partnership can further help families cope, emotionally and physically, one step at a time.”

Currently, as many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While Alzheimer’s disease is not considered a normal part of aging, the risk for seniors developing this devastating disease rises as they get older; in fact, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease doubles every five years, beginning at age 65.
As part of the strategic partnership, Senior Helpers and AFA will co-sponsor educational conferences and webinars related to care issues, and collaborate on other projects that promote improved quality of care for the dementia population.

In addition, Senior Helpers is proud to be a silver sponsor of AFA’s National Memory Screening Day on November 15, 2011 and encourages individuals with memory concerns and those who want to check their memory now and for future comparison to take a free screening. On this day, many Senior Helpers locations will be promoting the event and providing free, confidential screenings and educational materials in communities throughout the nation. Each screening is a five to ten minute, non-diagnostic test; while the results do not represent a diagnosis, they are seen as a significant first step in early detection of a memory problem.

Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease (according to AFA):

1. Memory loss - especially of recent events, names, placement of objects, and other new information
2. Confusion about time and place
3. Struggling to complete familiar actions - such as brushing teeth or getting dressed
4. Trouble finding the appropriate words, completing sentences, and following directions and conversations
5. Poor judgment when making decisions
6. Changes in mood and personality - such as increased suspicion, rapid and persistent mood swings, withdrawal, and disinterest in usual activities
7. Difficulty with complex mental assignments- such as balancing a checkbook or other tasks involving numbers

“While we all await a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America strongly believes that education and optimal care are the most effective tools to tackle this public health crisis,” says Eric J. Hall, AFA’s Founding President and CEO. “We look forward to collaborating with Senior Helpers to spread this message across the country and help this deserving population.”

Sources: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, National Institute on Aging, the Harvard School of Public Health


Did You Know?:

• Alzheimer's disease is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.
• It’s estimated that one to four family members act as caregivers for each individual with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer's disease costs U.S. businesses more than $60 billion a year, stemming from lost productivity and absenteeism by primary caregivers, and insurance costs.
• The annual cost of caring for one individual with Alzheimer's disease ranges from nearly $18,500 to more than $36,000, depending on the stage of the disease.

Source: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-102934.htm