Category Archives: Caregiving – General

Partnering with physicians, etc. (Dr. Nancy Snyderman)

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An interview with Dr. Nancy Snyderman was published in Today’s Caregiver.  (I couldn’t find a date on the interview.)  Dr. Snyderman is asked her advice for family caregivers when dealing with the healthcare system and partnering with physicians in particular.

See:

www.caregiver.com/articles/interviews/nancy_snyderman_interview.htm

This is a nice quotation of Dr. Snyderman’s:

“To me, caregiving is about quality of life as much as it is about length of life. And it is about letting the person who is being cared for have a piece of the decision-making when possible. Life with dignity and death with dignity are two things that we do not talk enough about.”

The interviewer asks Dr. Snyderman what is the one most important piece of advice you would share with a caregiver?  Her reply:

“I know that you are probably overwhelmed with all kinds of decisions. But I want you to know that as part of this process, be in the moment as much as you can. You are going to remember things that today may seem minute. But they are going to come back and be some of the greatest gifts in your life. And the other thing I would say is that you will find that as a caregiver, you take care of everyone on the planet and you are on the back burner; that is not sustainable. Taking care of yourself is not selfish. It is self-preservational. Find the time to do that. You will have more to give in the end.”

The interviewer also asks:  “What do you advise family caregivers when dealing with the healthcare system?”  Dr. Snyderman says:

“I think this is particularly true for women. The good manners that our mothers taught us that help us in social situations and open up doors and allow you to have a lovely conversation at a dinner party–those same manners do not serve you well when you are advocating for someone who needs help. I have witnessed it firsthand. I have been that pit bull. I have relied on people to be that pit bull for me. But the reality is the system is complex. It is intimidating. It is labyrinthine. And whether you are the caregiver or the person who is being cared for, it is just downright complicated.”

In the interview, Dr. Snyderman refers to a for-profit business she started, CarePlanners.com.  This company provides services to family caregivers.

Robin

 

 

 

Accepting Elders’ Opinions/Wishes While Caregiving

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Over the holidays, my husband and I found ourselves dealing with two elderly family members with mild cognitive impairment and dementia (maybe vascular).  So I’ve been doing some reading on related topics.

I came across this nice article today on AgingCare.com, which may be of interest to adult children who are communicating with aging parents:

www.agingcare.com/Articles/balancing-safety-with-independence-193276.htm

Learn to Back Off and Accept Risks While Caregiving
AgingCare.com
January 04, 2016

The author of the article wrote the well-titled book “Minding Our Elders.”

This sentence range true for me:  “Anxiety over our elders’ safety can turn adult children into dictators.”  There was definitely an adjustment period in helping my father cope with neurological decline.

And this sentence brought up a lot of thoughts as well:  “It may mean biting our tongues while our parents enjoy taking a few risks.”  I always found it hard to bite my tongue, though, when it came to the risk of falls.

Robin

 

Emergency alert systems (Consumer Reports comparison)

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I stumbled across this helpful comparison of emergency alert systems on the Consumer Reports website from July 2015:

www.consumerreports.org/cro/2014/06/what-to-look-for-in-a-medical-alert-system/index.htm

Many local hospitals (such as Stanford, Mills-Peninsula, etc.) offer special discounts to anyone who lives in their area for these sorts of systems.  (Often it’s a discount on the monthly fee.  Participants do not need to be patients at those hospitals.)  Stanford and Mills-Peninsula both have contracts with Lifeline.  One of our group members is actually an installer for Mills-Peninsula.
The article accompanying the comparison suggests what you should look for when signing up with one of these services.
Here’s also a link to an AARP newsletter article on the same topic:
Thanks,
Robin

Free Medicare Program and “When to Take All Those Pills” (NY Times, 12-18-15)

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I’m in Arizona with my mother (who takes one medication) and her husband (who takes 18 medications for various chronic conditions). I’ve been investigating all kinds of things such as medication management and Medicaid eligibility. Oh, the joys of getting older…

This recent New York Times makes several relevant (to my family’s situation) and useful points, including:

  1. It’s easier to adhere to a medication regimen if you take fewer doses per day. Yet, in one study, only 15% of the participants figured this out when they had to come up with a medication schedule for seven medications.
  2. Medications can appear ineffective if not taken according to their prescribed schedule.
  3. There are several reasons why people do not adhere to their medication regimen. Complexity or confusion is one; the dosing schedules are hard to figure out. Cost is another. Cognitive impairment is a third. And medications can have the same color, size, and shape.
  4. Those using a Medicare Part D drug plan might ask their prescription drug plan provider if a free Medication Therapy Management program is available. You can read about the MTM program on Medicare’s website at www.medicare.gov/part-d/coverage/medication-therapy-management/medication-therapy-programs.html

The New York Times article is here: www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/health/a-prescription-for-confusion-when-to-take-all-those-pills.html

The New Old Age
New York Times
A Prescription for Confusion: When to Take All Those Pills
by Paula Span
December 18, 2015

Thanks,
Robin