Providing sources of useful information and expertise to educate our community and connect people in need to available resources.
Caring for Someone with Memory Loss
The role of caregivers caring for loved ones diagnosed with dementia or other related memory impaired issues perhaps have the toughest tasks to learn of all. This can often be more stressful compared to the care needed for loved ones who only have physical disabilities. Depending on the specific disease- such as Alzheimer ' s, Parkinson ' s, or vascular dementia- the caregiver must take a proactive role in getting an early evaluation and correct diagnosis for the care receiver. The caregiver must learn how to monitor safety issues and learn how to avoid the hazards that increase the risk of injury to the care receiver. The caregiver must address issues at the early stages of the disease when the care receiver still has the capacity to be involved in their health care decisions. They must also monitor changes in the care receiver and report changes to their doctor. Changes in sleep patterns, behavior and social situations, and how the care receiver reacts to and recognizes family and friends should be reported to their doctor or specialist to help with their prognosis and care plan. An excellent resource for caregivers can be found on the website PA Care Kit at pa. gov / carekit.
The Caregiver Role as Decision Maker
Caregivers must make many difficult decisions as the needs of care receivers increase. Some of these decisions include hiring in-home help or moving the care receiver into a professional care setting, determining if the care receiver is still safe driving, making legal or financial decisions regarding the care receiver, transitioning and end-of-life issues. All of these require the caregiver to make the best possible decision on the care receiver ' s behalf. This may require the caregiver to reflect on past caregiving decisions and learn from past experiences to prevent repeating mistakes. The caregiver must gather information, evaluate their options, create a plan, act on the plan, and then reassess the plan. Making sound decisions is a skill that caregivers must learn through experience. There are no perfect or easy answers. Every caregiving situation is unique.
The Caregiver’ s Role in Experiencing Loss
Finally, caregiving and experiencing loss often go hand in hand. Many losses for the caregiver and care receiver occur along the way. Some of the losses include loss of time, money, body image, dreams, and friends. Unfortunately, grief comes with each loss. Part of the caregiver ' s role is in dealing with grief. Recognizing those who are truly supportive and taking advantage of the help they offer, planning realistically for the future and exploring new avenues for healing and growth, and examining spiritual issues brought on by the caregiving experience are just a few of the coping mechanisms the caregiver may utilize.
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