Caregiving – thirdAGE

9 Self-Care Tips for Caregivers

Are you making time for yourself while caregiving? Check out these 9 ways to put your own health and well-being back on the list: Ask for help when you need it. Eat healthy foods. Join a caregiver support group. Take breaks each day. Spend time with friends. Keep up with your hobbies and interests. Get… Continue reading 9 Self-Care Tips for Caregivers

Five Unexpected Rewards of Becoming a Caregiver

It’s true, the life of a caregiver can be demanding, difficult and daunting. I spent seven years of my life in that role, keeping an eye on my wife’s every move. Just about every night, Carol and I awoke from our slumber at least five times to make trips to the bathroom. We spent endless… Continue reading Five Unexpected Rewards of Becoming a Caregiver

How to Save Your Marriage After Becoming Your Husband’s Caregiver

My husband and I were college sweethearts and had been together for 28 years when he suffered a cardiac arrest in 2003. He didn’t get enough oxygen to his brain and lapsed into a coma for 10 days. When he woke, he wasn’t the same person I had married. He had severe cognitive deficits; his… Continue reading How to Save Your Marriage After Becoming Your Husband’s Caregiver

10 Dos and Don’ts of Caring for Seniors

If you’ve ever cared for an elderly loved one you know how challenging it can be. The fact is that it’s difficult to watch someone close to you struggle mentally and physically, and being there for them around the clock can take a toll on you. What are the best ways to cope and make… Continue reading 10 Dos and Don’ts of Caring for Seniors

10 Dos and Don’ts of Caring for the Elderly

What Caregivers Must Know About Dental Needs After a Loved One Has a Stroke

Dentistry isn’t normally on the priority list for caregivers of stroke patients, but it should be. The person in recovery may be dealing with gum disease. Maybe her or she has a bridge that is need of care. In reality, the PH balance of the mouth is important to make sure those we care for… Continue reading What Caregivers Must Know About Dental Needs After a Loved One Has a Stroke

4 Ways to Involve Kids in The Kitchen

Children often can’t wait until a parent fixes dinner, but getting the youngsters involved in helping to prepare those meals could do more than help mom and dad out. It also could lead to life-long healthy eating habits, nutrition experts say. And that in turn could have a profound effect on their well-being, because… Continue reading 4 Ways to Involve Kids in The Kitchen

A Better Way for Families to Care for the Dying

Although 70 percent of Americans die from chronic disease, most do not make their preferences for end of life care known to their families, leaving loved ones unprepared for their final days. Patients who wish to die at home and who can benefit from palliative or hospice care usually are referred too late – often… Continue reading A Better Way for Families to Care for the Dying

Some Nursing Homes Are Gaming the System to Improve Their Medicare Star Ratings

For families faced with the difficult decision of placing a loved one in a nursing home, a government rating system is often the only source of information to determine which facilities are the best. However, a January 2018 study of nursing homes in California, the nation’s largest system, by faculty at Florida Atlantic University and… Continue reading Some Nursing Homes Are Gaming the System to Improve Their Medicare Star Ratings

Are Couples Who Choose to Live Apart Tested When Partners Require Caregiving?

Previous research has shown that unmarried adults are choosing long-distance or cross-residential relationships as a way to have companionship and independence later in life. Jacquelyn Benson, an expert of older adult relationships from the University of Missouri, has found that such couples safeguard personal autonomy to maintain partnerships and relationship satisfaction. While autonomy is paramount… Continue reading Are Couples Who Choose to Live Apart Tested When Partners Require Caregiving?

Long-Distance Caregiving: Dealing with Frustration and Guilt

Caregiving, especially from a distance, is likely to bring out many different emotions. Feeling frustrated and angry with everyone, from the care recipient to the doctors, is a common experience. Anger could be a sign that you are overwhelmed or that you are trying to do too much. Although they may not feel as physically… Continue reading Long-Distance Caregiving: Dealing with Frustration and Guilt

Be Prepared: 6 Tips for Caregivers

Here, from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a caregiving list that can prove lifesaving: 1. Keep a list of medicines for each person you care for. Include over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, vitamins and herbs. Keep this list with you at all times. Bring this list to doctor visits. Remember to ask any questions… Continue reading Be Prepared: 6 Tips for Caregivers

Surrogate Healthcare Decision Makers for the Elderly Experience Psychological Distress

Nearly half of the 13 million older adults hospitalized annually in the United States are unable to make their own medical decisions and rely on surrogates, usually close family members, to make decisions for them. However little is known about how these surrogates respond to the demands put upon them. A study from the Indiana… Continue reading Surrogate Healthcare Decision Makers for the Elderly Experience Psychological Distress

Suddenly Obtained Power of Attorney? Five Things to Do & Five Things Not to Do

The operative word here is “suddenly.” In reality, it is best for everyone, including banking institutions and physicians, friends and neighbors, if the chosen Power of Attorney and the loved one assigning that title prepare well before incapacitation. It is a tough word to accept – incapacitation – but it is the reason for a… Continue reading Suddenly Obtained Power of Attorney? Five Things to Do & Five Things Not to Do

Sharing Caregiving Responsibilities: What the Experts Say

From the National Institute on Aging, strategies for making a difficult task easier: Caring for an older family member often requires teamwork. While one sibling might be local and take on most of the everyday caregiving responsibilities, a long-distance caregiver can also have an important role. As a long-distance caregiver, you can provide important respite… Continue reading Sharing Caregiving Responsibilities: What the Experts Say

Helping Aging Loved Ones Who Resist Care

National Family Caregivers Month, Novemeber, is an ideal time to reflect on both the responsibilities and rewards of being a caregiver. Being a caregiver is deeply challenging. Especially when those we’re caring for cling fiercely to their independence, resisting support and insisting on remaining independent even when this is no longer a safe option. I… Continue reading Helping Aging Loved Ones Who Resist Care

Caregiving and Therapeutic Fibbing

It’s a strange feeling to lie to your mother or father when you are their caregiver; not unlike when you were a child learning right from wrong. It can be a gift, however, when your loved one has dementia. “Individuals with dementia are often living in their own reality,” says Debbie Fins (LICSW, CMC), a… Continue reading Caregiving and Therapeutic Fibbing