Long-
Distance
Caregiving
A
nyone, anywhere, can be
a long-distance caregiver,
no matter your gender, in-
come, age, social status, or employment.
If you are living an hour or more away
from a person who needs your help,
you’re probably a long-distance care-
giver.
What can I really do
from far away?
Long-distance caregivers take on
different roles. You may:
Help with finances, money man-
agement, or bill paying
Arrange for in-home care —
hire professional caregivers or
home health or nursing aides and
help get needed durable medical
equipment
Locate care in an assisted living
facility or nursing home (also
known as a skilled nursing facil-
ity)
Provide emotional support and
occasional respite care for a pri-
mary caregiver, the person who
takes on most of the everyday
caregiving responsibilities
Serve as an information coordina-
tor — research health problems or
medicines, help navigate through
a maze of new needs, and clarify
insurance benefits and claims
38 WNY Family March 2019
Keep family and friends updated
and informed
Create a plan and get paper-
work in order in case of
an emergency
Evaluate
the
house
and
make
sure
it’s safe for
the older per-
son’s needs
Over time, as
your family member’s
needs change, so will
your role as long-distance
caregiver.
I’m new to long-
distance caregiving -
what should I do rst?
To get started:
Ask the primary caregiver, if
there is one, and the care recipi-
ent how you can be most helpful
Talk to friends who are caregiv-
ers to see if they have suggestions
about ways to help
Find out more about local re-
sources that might be useful
Develop a good understanding
of the person’s health issues and
other needs
Visit as often as you can; not only
might you notice something that
needs to be done and can be taken
care of from a distance, but you
can also relieve a primary care-
giver for a short time
As a caregiver, what
do I need to know
about my family
member’s health?
Learn as much as you can about
your family member’s condition and
any treatment. This can help you under-
stand what is going on, anticipate the
course of an illness, prevent crises, and
assist in healthcare management. It can
also make talking with the doctor easier
and more productive in the limited time
these conversations usually last.
Get written permission, as needed
under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, to re-
ceive medical and financial
information. To the
extent possible, the
family member
with permission
should be the
one to talk with
all healthcare
providers. Try
putting together
a notebook, on
paper or online,
that includes all the
vital information about
medical care, social services,
contact numbers, financial issues, and
so on. Make copies for other caregivers,
and keep it up-to-date.
How can I be most
helpful during my visit?
Talk to the care recipient ahead of
time and find out what he or she would
like to do during your visit. Also, check
with the primary caregiver, if appropri-
ate, to learn what he or she needs, such
as handling some caregiving responsi-
bilities while you are in town. This may
help you set clear-cut and realistic goals
for the visit. Decide on the priorities and
leave other tasks for another visit.
Remember to actually spend time
visiting with your family member. Try to