Caregiver
Support 
“Caregiving is one of life’s most challenging occupations. It is a true test of
patience and understanding as well as being physically and emotionally
demanding. Caregivers embody the spirit of humanity that allows us as
individuals, communities, and nations to survive the many hardships and
challenges that are a part of life.”
-Abby Larson, RN Consultant
The Wisconsin Family
Caregiver Support Program website is now live and available for use. http://www.wisconsincaregiver.org/. The toll-free phone number for anyone
looking for information about their local Family Caregiver Support Program is (866)
843-9810.
What
Does Being A Caregiver Mean?
As a friend or relative, one can come
into the role of “caregiver” unexpectedly when a family member or loved
one becomes unable to handle one or more functions of their
life. Whether assistance will be required for only a short
time or ongoing care is needed, you are the “overseer” so to speak, of
affairs for the person in need. You may be looking for
answers to questions like:
Who do I talk to, to get things started?
Who will help when I am not able to?
Who should make the important decisions?
Who will pay for it?
What does the individual needing care want?
What kind of help is needed and available
close to home?
When do I contact other resources?
When should a Power of Attorney and a Power of
Health Care Document be prepared?
Where can we go when home care is not the best
option?
How long does it take to get help?
How can I manage my own life and help with
these needs?
There are a few basic steps that can help
determine what must be done, how to get things started, and how to assure
needed care is continued. As a caregiver you will need to assess the
recipient’s needs, develop a
written plan of care, and put it into action. After the plan is in place
you will need to periodically reevaluate, to determine if the plan is still
working.
Step one
is an assessment done by you or by a professional. In either case
there are fundamental areas to look at and plan for including:
Expressed needs of the recipient
The recipient’s medical condition
Availability of food and proper nutrition
Safety with activities of daily living
Nursing or personal care service
Assistance with finances
Recipient’s willingness to cooperate
Housing and home modifications
Transportation
Medications
Assistance with chores
Ability to pay for services
Step two
is to list all the human resources that are available including: family, friends,
church or other community support. As a caregiver enlist and utilize the
assistance of the recipient’s support network as
this can provide a sense of belonging for the recipient and respite for the
caregiver. You will also need to assess what financial resources the
recipient has and any contributions that the support network will be able to
make.
The recipient should be an essential part of
the problem solving and decision making process. This can increase
cooperation and can tell you what he or she is comfortable with in terms of
accepting care. Using this information as well as the identified needs
and available resources will lead you to the next step, which is developing a
care plan.
Step
three is the written care plan that addresses the needs of the individual and
how the needs will be met. First, determine which areas family or friends can
help and which may require outside assistance. Address each identified
need in terms of who is going to provide the assistance, when and how
often.
If you are unsure of how to get help or what
kind of help is available, the best thing to do is ask. The people at the
many agencies and services listed in this manual have answers to your questions
or can refer you to people who can help.
Sometimes needing assistance may represent for
individuals a loss of control and self-esteem. It is important to
acknowledge that needing and accepting care may be difficult. Encourage
the recipient to verbalize his or her fears and acknowledge their sense of
loss. Try to emphasize that care providers help to alleviate fears,
promote safety, provide companionship, allow them to remain in their home, and
prevent the situation from getting worse. Also Caregivers need to define
and stick to their personal limits. Seek help when feelings of being
overwhelmed occur.
Balancing Caregiving, Family, and Work
The tips below can help you find
balance.
No one
can do it all.
If you are working, taking care of family and
trying to provide care for an aging, ill, or disabled adult, you may feel
tugged in different directions.
You may not be able to give 100%
everywhere. This is a time when you will have to make hard choices.
Be gentle with yourself. No one can do
it all.
Set
priorities.
Make a list of your personal, caregiving,
family, and work obligations.
Let go of less important commitments whenever
you can.
It is important to put your personal needs
first. You cannot care for another person if you are not healthy.
Talk to
your employer
Find out if you have an Employees Assistance
program which offers support for caregivers.
Keep your work and caregiving responsibilities
as separate as possible. For example, make phone calls to find caregiving
resources on lunch breaks, not during work time.
Consider job sharing or working part-time if
possible. Or find about flextime schedules.
Join
together
Don’t try to carry the load alone. Enlist the support of other
family members. Even children can help in some ways.
Talk to your spouse and children how difficult
it is to be torn between responsibilities. Protect those family times
that are most important.
Call a
family meeting
If the other family members are not helping
enough, call everyone together to discuss options. Don’t wait until you are burned out.
Even distant family members can help out by
making phone “visits,” paying bills or researching local agencies by
phone.
Long
distance support: How to help the primary caregiver when you can’t be there
Ask how
you can help. Offer ideas if the primary caregiver isn’t sure.
Offer
emotional support. Call and check in regularly. Be someone the
caregiver can confide in.
Offer
financial support. Contribute to household expenses or pay for respite care.
Make
phone visits. Spend time on the phone visiting with the person being
cared for.
Give
breaks.
Take over caregiving duties for a day or weekend each month or week every few
months. This provides breaks for the primary caregiver.
Do those
tasks that can be done at a distance. Research the disease or condition or
make phone calls to find out about support services.
Thank
the primary caregiver. Show your appreciation regularly.
Seek
help outside the family
A friend or coworker may be able to help by
running errands or working your job.
Consider hiring help for household chores and
other tasks you would normally do yourself.
Use
community resources
Use personal caregivers or adult day
care. Try meal delivery, transportation services, or volunteer support.
Think about hiring a care manager. This
is a social worker or registered nurse who specializes in finding care for
older or disabled adults.
Talk with an attorney or financial advisor
about how to finance outside care.
Free or low cost care management and legal aid
may be available for you. Talk to the Elderly Benefits Specialist at the
Vernon County Unit on Aging, call (608) 637-5201.
Take
care of yourself first
Taking care of yourself first means that you
can provide better care for your loved one. You have to be your first
priority.
Try to have a life outside of
caregiving. This will help you stay healthy both mentally and physically.
Be sure to eat healthy meals, get enough rest,
and exercise regularly.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, talk to a family
member, friend, counselor, or health care provider. Consider joining a
caregiver support group.
See a health care provider if you are feeling
depressed, drinking alcohol more than normal, or using prescription or other
drugs to help you cope.
Take time away from responsibilities for a few
hours each week.
To find more information about support
services and groups call the Vernon County Aging Unit at (608) 637-5201 or call
Eldercare at 1-800-677-1116.
Housing:
Stay
with sister Thelma for two weeks after surgery. Then return home. Stan
will stay with Mom the first two nights she is home.
Food: Thelma will
cook for two weeks. Arrange Home Delivered Meals to start when Mom is
home. (Note: Call Unit on Aging for Home Delivered Meal Information)
Transportation: Thelma to pick
Mom up from hospital. Coulee Trails Medical Transport will take Mom to
her doctor’s appointments on Thursday,
June 23, and Tuesday, June 28. Have groceries delivered to the house
until the doctor says Mom can drive.
Medications: Thelma will
give Mom her pills and remind her to check her blood sugar and take her
insulin. When she goes home? (Note: Call County Health
Department and ask about who can help, or if someone can teach us how to do
it.)
Bathing: Thelma’s daughter, Carrie, will help until we can
find someone else. Mom said three times a week would be good (Mon, Wed,
Fri.) (Note: Call Helping Hands and find out how much it costs to
have someone come in three times a week.)
Household
Chores:
Helping Hands will come twice a week (Tuesday and Friday) to help Mom with
cleaning, shoveling snow, and other tasks. Have Mom make a list of what
needs to be done.
Safety: Stan to put in
handrails and grab bars in bathroom before Mom goes home. Also remove all
throw rugs and check house for general safety. Move chest freezer
upstairs so Mom doesn’t have to go up &
down stairs.
Finances: Ask Mom if
there is anything that needs to be taken care of, tell her John will help her
in sending out her bills. (Note: Tell John to call Human Services
to find out if Mom is eligible for financial assistance with bathing and
household chores.)
Regular
Contacts:
Mom’s neighbor, Pat, said
she would call each morning at 8:00 AM to remind Mom to check her blood sugar
and take her insulin. James will call in the evenings to do the
same. (Note: Contact Mom’s Church to advise them she is homebound.)
Other:
Get together insurance and income information
from Mom.
Ask the nurses at the hospital if they can set
up a pillbox for Mom before she is discharged.
Ask the discharge planner if Mom qualifies for
home health services.
Set up meetings and tours of the two assisted
living facilities we told Mom about.
Talk to Mom about filing a Power of Attorney
for Healthcare and an Advanced Directive.
Call Health Services to find out what to do
with old syringes.
Make a list of emergency contacts for Mom to
have close to her at all times.
Note: Everyone’s care plan will be different, but this is a
good start to a basic plan. You want everyone to have a clear idea of
what will be happening, when and what their responsibilities are.
Idea: It can be
helpful to have a caregiving notebook or binder available as a communication
tool. Many times, there are several people providing care in one form or
another, this can make communication between all parties difficult. It
also helps those who are not primary caregivers to keep abreast on what has
been happening. Some helpful sections to include may be: phone
numbers, medical appointments (calendar), a notes page where people can write
observations, and others as you see fit.
Respite care is when someone gives the regular
caregiver some "time off" from their duties. This can last from
as short as a couple of hours to as long as a couple of days. The
following facilities listed below offer respite care services.
Bethel Home & Services, Inc. offers
in-home and respite outside of the individual’s home. The others listed below offer respite outside of
the individual’s home. Contact
the Vernon County Department of Human Services at (608) 637-5210 for certified
Adult Family Homes that would be willing to provide respite. Any of the
Community Based Residential Facilities (CBRFs) will provide respite if they
have a vacant room.
Community Based Respite Facility
|
Respite Facility |
Address |
Phone Number |
|
Bethel Home & Services, Inc. |
|
(608) 637-2171 |
|
St. Joseph’s Community Health
Services |
|
(608) 489-8000 |
|
|
|
(608) 637-5400 |
|
|
507 S |
(608) 637-2101 |
Adult Day Care is community-based group
programs designed to meet the needs of functionally and/or cognitively impaired
adults through an individual plan of care. These structured, comprehensive
programs provide a variety of health, social, and other related support
services in a protective setting during any part of a day, but less than
24-hour care. Adult Day Care centers generally operate programs during normal
business hours five days a week. Some programs offer services in the evenings
and on weekends. If you have a loved one in need of this service, the
following location offers this service in our area:
Care
Cove
Bethel Home & Services, Inc.
(608) 637-6369
Home Delivered Meals
Details available in the “Senior Nutrition” section of this resource manual.
Do you or a loved one need help with chores around the house? Is it getting to be too much for you to move the couch every time you want to vacuum?