Medication, Aging.. What Every Caregiver Should Know!

In the changing healthcare climate, more and more families need to care for their elderly family and this presents many new skills to be learned. With cutbacks and tighter budgets in our healthcare systems there are fewer and fewer funded homecare hours to go around.  For those that have prepared for their retirement years and are able to stay in their own homes, having professional caregivers come in can alleviate much stress on family members and assist with medical needs such as medication administration.  For those that rely more on family assistance, caregivers are now having to learn to take care of much more than just groceries.  They may be required to assist with medication administration, injections, personal care such as incontinence and bowel routines.

Part of the aging process includes normal deterioration of the body and with this many seniors turn to their medical practitioners to assist them with coping with aging, disease and pain.  It is inevitable then, in our society that medication is a viable solution and widely used as we age. When caring for seniors, you will generally find medications and in some cases copious amounts of pills and solutions to go through on a daily basis.

When a senior gets to the point that he or she can no longer take care of their own affairs, this will inevitably include medical care. As a result of either physical or mental ailments, they are likely to have several prescriptions on the go for the various maladies, and all at the same time.  This may present them with a mammoth task to sort through all of them, which makes it extremely important that the caregiver be up to date on all aspects of the medication prescribed. The elderly person in your care has been prescribed the medication for a reason and, in some cases confusion on when and what to take may get complicated.

A caregiver must be sure to check medications for dates, diagnosis and duplications.  Many times, seniors seeing multiple doctors may be prescribed different meds by each of their doctors. Although many pharmacies now have double and triple checking processes in place to ensure patients are not being prescribed meds that can counter act with each other... different doctors may not be appraised of the many meds a senior could be taking. Due to many people having no family doctor, people are seeking the assistance of walk in clinics which most definitely presents the issue of medications interactions. 

There are steps you can to take to help yourself where the elderly person in your charge is concerned. Firstly, you must sort through all of the medications and make sure that you are fully informed about all of the dosages as well as checking that the prescriptions are up to date. One way that you can check your findings against the relevant prescriptions is a brief consultation with the doctor or pharmacist who has been dealing with the person you are looking after. Of course, they are not allowed to tell you about another individual’s medical history unless they receive the express consent of the individual in question. You should therefore take the senior in question with you or have Power of Attorney in place. Not only can the doctor or pharmacist then provide you with all of the information that you need, but he or she can also place your name on the necessary medical records to denote your status as primary carer.

Secondly you should ensure the prescriptions are all being filled by the same pharmacy each and every time.  Meet with the Pharmacist yourself including your senior if able and have a Med Check done.  Have your seniors medications changed into blister packs (some pharmacies charge a $2 fee and some waive this fee) for ease of administration for the senior and the caregiver. 

Thirdly, a caregiver should learn all he or she can about the diagnosis, the dosage and what the medication will accomplish.  Learning the implications and possible side effects can alleviate much frustration in the long run.  Speaking to the Pharmacist, reading on line on a reputable site are both good ideas. If you have a professional nurse coming into the home – speak to them and be sure to check their notes, keep apprised of their assessments and changes in status of your senior.

As soon as you are armed with all of the information you need, you can start to get organized. The most important thing to do is establish a routine so that no medications are ignored or forgotten about. The routine will also help the senior in your care to settle knowing they can trust you with this very important part of their health care.  He or she will be reassured by the fact that there are specific times for certain medications and will feel all the better for it. It will also give you peace of mind so that do not worry about the finer details that you may forget from day today. The routine will effectively take care of all of that.

You can use all kinds of tools to ensure that medications are taken in the correct doses at the correct times. It may be an idea to compile a checklist for you to fill in every day when medication has been taken. This will also enable you to keep track of the supply of each medication that you have. You will then know when it is time to refill the prescription. Daily dose boxes are also a fantastic idea in this sort of situation as well as the blister packages mentioned above. They come in little grids that are sealed to prevent the senior from getting to them and taking them at the wrong times or in the wrong doses. You can fill them at the start of every month, daily or weekly thus making your daily task of regulating the medication that little bit easier. It will also keep them all in the same place and save you valuable time that can be better spent doing other things.

Medication is an important part of any senior’s daily routine, but it is one that should be adhered to at all costs. Taking one tablet at the wrong time or in the wrong dose can have severe adverse effects and also cause further health problems that would best be avoided. By creating a highly organized system, you can avoid any such mistakes and enhance the life of the elderly person in your care as well as alleviate your own worry. 

T&E HealthPros offers nurses that can help you with creating a system for medication administration. Call 905.665.0518 for more info.

Caregivers, the Work Place and the Cost to Your Business!

Worth Noting!

As the baby boom generation ages and moves into retirement years and becomes elderly, the workers that make business function so efficiently are going to have additional demands placed on them of becoming the primary caregiver for an aging parent or loved one.  With many boomers reaching retirement age they are ready to leave the workforce themselves.

Never before has this created such a problem as it is about to in our economic climate as there are not enough younger workers to replace those retiring.  This means less skilled labour force and less taxes being paid in to cover costs of those retiring.    

It’s an issue that businesses can no longer afford to ignore in their employee population.  Just as the demands of parenting can have a huge impact on the workplace, the personal needs of your employees to take care of their aging parents will have an impact on the office and the productivity of your business.

The brutal truth is that skilled, trained and mature employees are not easily replaced.   With the work force shrinking, it’s foolish to think that a solid hard working employee who does a good work for your business can easily be replaced with a young person right out of school. The costs of training along with the learning curve of a job alone will be substantially more than any costs of accommodating existing employees.  Moreover, you cannot just replace knowledge, relationships, market savvy and wisdom which many of the employees in this age bracket bring to your business.

The first step to ensuring smooth transitions and focus on business is to understand what your workforce is experiencing.  Many may already be in the sandwich generation which includes caring for aging loved ones and still have children in university.  If you can partner with them to make them successful at home, they will work at their optimum in the workplace.

Start with some seminars and brown bag lunches where people can come and share the demands they are going through as caregivers for elderly parents or loved ones.  Invite everyone to these lunches because there may be many in your business who know that is coming up for them and want to learn all they can about what is ahead.  By making an open discussion of elderly care issues part of the discussion at work, you are communicating that you want to help what your employees are facing.  Creating a balance between work and home life is essential to employee production – offering workshops, speakers and information that allows them to learn skills to take into their care giving duties will alleviate stress.

Not all employees who are caregivers will need accommodation all the time.  If their parent’s needs are not that demanding or they have professional caregivers or have found a good day program to assist it may be more of an emotional adjustment than a demand on the schedule.  By encouraging employees who may be entering into a time of being the primary caregiver for their parent to communicate this through meetings with the Human Resource department and to their boss as well will help the adjustment period.  

Understanding what your employees are going through will keep you ahead of work interruptions and assist you both in anticipating issues therefore allowing you time to adjust schedules accordingly ahead of time.   As part of the human experience we spend a lot of time with our co-workers and employers and they become part of our extended family… knowing that an employer cares about their workforce is essential to good relations between the two.   

Be sensitive and sensitive with your employees and you can truly become their partner in dealing with this tough part of their lives.  In doing so, they will feel that you support them and their loyalty to the company will skyrocket.  That loyalty will translate into better productivity and longevity in your workforce.  That stability translates into a more efficient organization which is a more profitable organization.  So in the long run, partnering with your caregivers in the workplace just makes good business sense.

For more information for solutions for caregiver see www.fulllifecentre.com

Dealing With Guilt..

If the job of being a caregiver only involved giving help to your aging parent such as doing the dishes, visiting and helping fill out the paperwork they are having trouble seeing or understanding, your life would be considerably easier.  And if that were the case, even if there was a lot to do, the problem of caregiver burn out would not be such an issue.

The real drain on you and your loved one you are caring for often comes in the emotional sense that the care giving relationship brings with it.  Because the “assumed understanding” of the care giving relationship is based on the extended giving of a very large favor, guilt becomes a common element in every aspect of the time you spend with your aging parent for both of you…

The once independent senior feels guilty for asking you for the help and feels a loss of control at the same time.  The situation becomes strange for them because in most cases, they never asked.  You may have stepped in because you saw your loved one’s life beginning to unravel and you knew that someone had to help get their life organized.  And yet, the senior feels a lot of guilt because huge amounts of time that is taken away form your family and maybe your work to do things for him unpaid.

It doesn’t help that the time of transition from independence to assisted care is one of huge loss of self esteem for your aging parent.  Tremendous changes that happen in rapid order for your loved one seem to happen in areas of life that have remained unchanged for decades.  Negative emotions arise for them, depression and guilt come with changes such as illness that may force them into assisted living, or living with you, having a caregiver come in to do personal care, loss of their home, loss of mobility because they cannot drive or require mobility devices, confusion and of course a loss of independence because everything is being done for them. However unfounded, guilt makes its appearance as they realize that they are growing old and require care from someone else when they have taken care of themselves and possibly a family for years…

Guilt is also an issue for you, the caregiver.  There always seems to be something more you could be doing for your parents.  It doesn’t help if that the senior you are caring for becomes more demanding and may say things such as “I wish you didn’t have to leave” or by complaining about their lives and getting angry. 

So what can be done about all of this guilt?  Guilt doesn’t serve anyone nor does it make the relationship better.  It certainly does not improve the quality of life for the caregiver or the senior being cared for.  Learning to cope with those feelings is paramount to both parties mental health.

Probably the most proactive thing you can do about guilt is confront it directly.  Sit down with your aging mom or dad and get those guilt feelings out in the open.  It’s not their fault they got old.  Your parent should not feel guilty about being cared for by you.  After all they cared for you for decades.

By removing guilt from the relationship you both have more enjoyment out of your new roles and promote health and happiness in this stage of a senior’s life.  Your enjoyment of spending time with them increases. By learning not to put guilt on each other, you become a team in care giving, not combatants.   Seeking professional help from a counselor to help you all realize an easier way to cope, find support groups in your area and talking to each other are all ways of working through guilt. 

Positive steps toward a healthy senior and caregiver relationship will give you many joyous moments and allow you both to enjoy.  For caregiver support groups and counseling please go to www.fulllifecentre.com

Choosing Day Programs as a Means of Caring for Loved Ones

Today, 80% of care for the elderly and disabled adults is provided by family members. Adult day programs help family caregivers maintain their balance by providing a safe, dignified place for their loved one to spend the day, and by allowing the caregiver to continue to work outside the home, attend to other household duties, or take a needed break.
When caring for a loved one you have choices. Choosing between homecare, nursing or retirement homes, having your loved one live with you are all viable solutions to assist you with caring for them in the best way possible.  Add to that list Day Programs that can give families peace of mind, knowing that their loved one is enjoying companionship and care which allows them to handle their daily commitments without worry or interruption. Most importantly, participation in an adult day program allows the individual to remain in the community enabling their families to continue caring for them at home.

The deep funding cuts in homecare, lack of available beds in long term care facilities and the push to keep hospital beds empty has made caring for elders at home either in their own homes or moving in with family members the method of choice.  This does entail digging into your pockets to help fund the necessary additions in care to assist elders to stay in their homes. However, families in this situation are finding it increasingly difficult as they spread themselves thinner with existing commitments in their lives, caring for their loved ones and trying to find a balance in it all. There is no getting away from it this situation will add a heaping helping of stress whichever way you look at it.

There are solutions that can help ease the stress, care for elders and stretch the money so it lasts longer.  Working with a professional that can assist you to look at the overall needs, available options and put a plan into place that will best suit your situation. 

Let’s take a look at a scenario:

Scenario #1:

Susan moved her mother (85) in with her after a few years of caring for her mother in her own home became difficult.  Mom was becoming increasingly confused, started to fear staying alone in her home, calling Susan at night because of noises she heard or not feeling well and was not eating. Susan’s mom is a diabetic, has high blood pressure, poor eyesight, is experiencing some hearing loss and walks with a walker due, has had a knee replacement 10 years previous and is experiencing pain again in her knees.  Susan worries about her mom being alone on a daily basis even in her home – mom left the burner on all day last week, left the refridgerator open, unlocked the door and left it open when someone came to the door. Susan works full time, has 3 children ages 10-16 who are active in school, activities such as dance, hockey and band and they are busy with activities of daily living.  She has some funded homecare hours and has topped it up paying privately within her budget… but she still has hours where she is alone.. She needs another solution… Help!!!

Susan is receiving 5 funded hours a week which she has a PSW coming in first thing in the morning to bathe her mom and assist her with her morning care.  She pays for another 10 hours a week spread out having a PSW coming in at lunch time to check on her mom and another at bedtime to help her get ready for bed.  On the weekends Susan helps her mother get up and going, prepares her meals, takes her to appointments such as hair, cleans, runs the kids around, does her grocery shopping and all other errands she needs to do to raise a family and keep a household going.

Susan realizes she needs to increase the hours she pays for privately in order to keep her mother safe by another 5 at least.  However she really feels that she needs someone with her all day now. She fears she will let someone in the house, is not eating, needs more than 1 hour to get bathed and dressed in the morning and just feels she should not be alone all day.  

Susan currently pays: $24.00 per hour x 10 hours weekly = $240.00 (+HST) or $960.00 per month.

If she was to increase it to 8 hours a day she would then take on the evening care of getting mom ready for bed and move that hour to the day so she would need to increase by 5 hours a day at a cost of $24.00 per hour x 25 hours weekly = $600.00 (+HST)

Using her 1 hour of funded time + her existing 2 hours she pays for + 5 more gives her 8 hours for a cost of $840.00 per week or approximately $3360 per month. 

Her mother’s pension is not enough to cover the extra costs, Susan can barely make ends meet with her own expenses and can’t increase her salary any more at this point in time – she needs a solution!

Solution to Scenario #1

Susan toured Full Life Centre, a brand new day program that includes full assessments, stimulating programs, social interaction, hands on care if needed, clinical therapies and programs to assist caregivers as well.  While there she met with a director who helped her see she does have options.  FLC could care for her mother’s physical and emotional needs while protecting her from harm and assisting her with her medications for a full day saving her money!

FLC Option:

Full day Program = 8:00am – 5:00pm (Drop in rate is $25 per day but Susan needs 5 days a week which drops the rate to $19.99 per day = $399.99 per month)

This enables Susan to use her 5 funded hours to get her mom ready in the morning while she attends to her own needs and gets her children ready for school.

Now Susan, knows her mother requires alittle extra help toileting so she has the option of paying for personal care additional time at the centre which she only needs 1 hour of care during the day split into 4x 15 minutes at a cost of $20 per day = $100.00 per week. 

Susan drops her mom off on the way to work with a packed lunch and picks her up at 4:30pm on her way home.  Susan feels so relieved that her mother is taken care of during the day that it is a pleasure to assist her with her bedtime care. Susan feels less stressed our and feels a load of worry is off her shoulders. 

Her new costs = $399.99 per month + $100 per week of care= $799.99 saving her $260 per week. 

This solution may not be for everyone however FLC can be an extension of your care team and provide much needed respite without breaking the bank.  Give them a call for a tour and a meeting to see what they can do to help you and your family enjoy this time of your life..

Contact info: www.fulllifecentre.com or 905.436.2772

Getting Out And About: Change is as good as a Rest!

If you are caring for the elderly in any capacity then you will understand the importance of them having a change of scenery.  It is important for your mental health, your physical health and your emotional well being.  Variety is the spice of life however more important than that change is as good as a rest.

Routine is important but change can provide revitalization in many ways. The same four walls may well be the only environment a senior sees for days on end. If physically able, getting out would help their mental health. With a little planning, outings can be a fun and welcome distraction from their routine as well as helping their progress if they are in recovery from an illness.

If you do plan on taking the senior in your care on an outing then being well prepared before the actual day comes can alleviate stress on both parties. Spontaneity may not be the best option when heading our on an outing because of the amount of bases that you must consider before you take him or her out. First, ask them if they really do indeed wish to go and is this activity suitable for the individual in you care. For example, taking an individual in a wheelchair swimming without the local pool having special disabled facilities is not a great idea.

Taking walks in the park or around the local area, shopping and day trips are excellent outings to take seniors in your care on. All of them give the senior a sense of freedom, which is something that their deteriorating state may have already stopped them from doing. A sense of contentment and comfort as well as soothing boredom is the objective here however; take into consideration the intended location can accommodate the senior’s needs. Do they have wheelchair access? Can you park easily? How accessible are the toilets? All of these questions and many more have to be answered before you arrange anything.

Finding a centre dedicated to seniors that has the capability to care for their physical needs and offer activities may also be an option.  Look for a centre that has a variety of options available and caters to their interests, one that offers qualified staff and offers you as a caregiver the opportunity to be a part of their enjoyment.  This may also be a good opportunity for you to enjoy some quality time for yourself, get some errands accomplished while knowing your senior is taken care of.  Check out Full Life Centre www.fulllifecentre.com which has many ammenities for the entire family.

Before leaving the house, you must make sure that you are prepared for any eventuality. All medications should be taken with you just in case you are still out when they are required to be administered. Carrying snacks in your bag and dressing appropriately should be considered. Take into consideration that seniors may feel the cold more than you do, therefore dressing in layers may be appropriate. Creating a checklist ahead of time that you can use over and over again will assist you both in preparation and enjoyment of all of your outings together and never have you forgetting anything. 

There may be times where you need someone else with you for a trip, calling on an agency to accompany you can alleviate your stress and enhance enjoyment as a professional caregiver can take care of the needs while you enjoy each other and the outing.  Because, there can be so many details you need to consider before you go it may be relaxing for the senior in your care, but it will not be the same for you. You will be on guard, watching for hazards and anticipating any problems before they actually occur. Having said that, your reward will come from actually seeing the pleasure on the face of the person you care for. There is no better feeling in the world than seeing someone you care for smile knowing they are enjoying themselves.

Outings really do make a nice change for the elderly people that you are caring for and should be integrated into your routine on a regular basis. The feelings that outings provoke are generally all positive, which ultimately will help you get through the preparations. Everyone needs to get out once in a while and seniors are no different so take the opportunity for them!

For assistance with accompaniment to appointments, outings and caregiver relief, T&E HealthPros is there to help you. 

Call 905.665.0518

Five Tips on Maintaining Mental Health While Caring For the Elderly

 

Caring for the elderly can make for a very rewarding job; whether it is paid employment in a nursing or retirement home or for an elderly relative who can no longer look after his or herself. However, it can also be a mentally challenging role that finds you exhausted.

Whether this is your job or this is your loved one, it is absolutely necessary to do all you can to preserve your own mental health and that of your patient. There are many ways of achieving this, and below are listed just five of the most popular ones for you to try:

1. Take regular breaks – Taking a break from the elderly person or people that you are caring for can give you chance to relax away from the situation. This could be a five-minute break you are working or a day off doing something that you love. Taking a breather will benefit you by allowing you much needed time to unwind and refresh yourself. The renewed outlook you return with will have a positive effect on the care you provide to your loved ones or patients. It will allow you both to gather your thoughts without causing resentment on either side. It may just be the time away you need to readjust your focus and gather your thoughts, as well as reminding yourself why you are doing that particular job! Be cognizant of your feelings and how resentment or guilt may be ruling how you are feeling.  Allow yourself the much needed time to see things in a different light.  Maybe take a day off while you hire a professional to care for your loved one or in the case of employment – take your breaks and yes days off are necessary!

2. Take part in activities that you both enjoy – These are commonly referred to as bonding activities because they capitalize on the common interests you share and build a strong foundation for you to coexist on. If you are looking after a patient or client then this is essential in getting to know them properly. If you are looking after a family member then you are likely to give him or her joy just by spending that relaxing time there.

3. Come to an arrangement that suits you both – It is unlikely that the elderly person you are caring for wants you by their side the entire day in. Some may want you at their beck and call, but the majority like their own space just as you do and will only enjoy spending time with you up to a point. Promoting as much independence as possible is essential. Independence is very important to the majority of elderly people, especially when they may feel that it is being taken away from them. Always respect their wishes by coming to some arrangement as to when you will drop by and what you will be doing together on a particular day. Of course, this doesn’t apply to those caring for the elderly in retirement homes.

4. Establish a routine – Establishing a routine will help you both understand exactly where you are with each other. Since we are generally all creatures of habit, as we age we like a routine.  From children to senior on many levels a routine helps them to anticipate your activities. Breaking from their routine may unsettle seniors and provoke negative feelings towards you and your role. Seniors may feel insecure when it comes to introducing something new which makes a routine reassuring.  Routine also promotes the feeling of being in control of ones environment at a time when one may be experiencing a loss in many areas of their life. 

5. Seek professional help – It’s ok to seek professional help to assist you in your new role of caregiver.  Seeking out caregiver support groups in your area are a great way to learn from others in the same situation as well as promote feelings of comfort for you.  Like every new role in life we need adjustment time which includes time to learn how to adapt to the role.  Professional counselling can assist you to understand the feelings of isolation, depression, frustration or guilt sometimes associated with a caregiver role. 

Seeking the assistance of a professional caregiver agency with well qualified trained staff can also offer you comfort in your role by offering you much needed time away from each other.  This can be from 2 hours to 24 hour coverage while you take your breaks, do your errands, get away for a few days or have the help to do some tasks around the house.  Whatever the need is, you are not alone and understanding that it’s ok to ask for help will promote a healthy happy caregiver which in turn equals a happy cared for patient…

Individual circumstances vary and so do the results.  You need to find out what works for you and how to adapt it into your role.  The first step is acknowledging this is a challenging time for you and seeking the right advice, the right professionals will make this the best time possible…

For more info please and assistance on any of the above please contact T&E HealthPros team of professionals for a free consultation. 

905.665.0518

Caregiving.. Maintaining Sanity and Alleviating Overwhelm......

Being a full time caregiver is admirable and hard on all areas of your life... Having your own family, working full time at a job and then inside your home, possibly cooking for your family and your loved ones and running around on what used to be your day's off doing errands, groceries and doctor appointments will eventually wear you down.

Lets talk about your duty..... your parents, grandparents or loved one raised you, giving you everything you could need, fed you, clothed you, ran you around to appointment and now it's your turn to give back right?  Absolutely..... but..... how do you maintain the relationship of mother-daughter, father-son, when you are the main caregiver... You know what they say- once and adult, twice a child.... when the tables turn and you become the caregiver it really is no different then adding another child in the family except...... they may live in another home and they are fighting to maintain control of their independence........

What happens as we age.... the body starts to break down, the normal aging process begins... Think of your car.... yes I am relating our bodies to our vehicle..... a brand new car smells good, shines brightly, runs like a charm with it's engine humming along, takes no time to get up a hill..... takes us where we want to go with no problems what so ever..... but as it ages the wheels go bald, the oil seems to need changing more often, it drips, leaks, smells funky, becomes sluggish and the paint becomes dull...... our bodies are no different!!!

Even if we are healthy physically and mentally the normal aging process will slow us down somewhat.... oh there are many many things we can do today to stay healthy, limber and keep our mind active but reality is that our bodies will age...... can't stop time... that is one thing we haven't found out how to do yet.......

As we age, we may not be able to do some of the things we could before and need some help... without even having disease we may start to rely on our families more and more.... our loved ones, children, spouses, neighbours or others to do normal every day things that we need done as activities of daily living......

But..... what happens to our loved ones as they add all these extra chores to their lives.... they can become overwhelmed that can lead to frustration and even resentment....

Simple steps you can take to help maintain sanity:

• ensure you leave yourself enough time between errands to maintain a reasonable pace
• don't book too much for one day - you become stressed and your elder won't be able to manage very well
• make a list of what you need to do for the week for yourself and your loved one
• double up... when you grocery shop, or visit the drug store - take both lists and do it all at the same time
• get a professional caregiver in to do personal care..... crossing that line will surely change your relationship from one of what you have now to full time caregiver
• do not attempt to do housecleaning for both homes, if you must maintain your own housekeeping then do so but do not add your loved ones to your list of chores... call in a professional company to do this.....
• have a heart to heart with your loved one... making sure they hear that you have their best interest at heart and if you are stressed you will not be able to care for them at your optimum.... explain its not about having a stranger in the house it's about your health as well as their well being
• seek out opportunities to care for yourself physically and mentally - take time for yourself to take classes, yoga, walk, read and anything else that you love doing
• maintain your own physical health, eat healthy, maintain good sleeping habits, get massages and seek support from caregiver programs....

Remember a Healthy Caregiver means decreased stress on both parts and allows you to maintain a good relationship with your loved one..... Enjoy the moments together..... share a cup a tea and a chat....

Navigating the Homecare System

Here is an article that Tina Dezsi wrote for Life in Clarington magazine in the fall of 2010. Please see the link for the online version below.

 

VIEW ARTICLE ONLINE HERE

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