Monday 21 July 2014

Resources & Information For Caregivers

By Rue Nichols


If you are caring for an elderly parent or perhaps a spouse, you are not alone. There are more than 90 million senior citizens in the United States and while most are fully independent, millions do need some level of care or extra help. Often this help is performed by the adult children of the senior or perhaps the spouse. If you are a caregiver, here is some information that might prove helpful.

Sometimes, a senior needs only minimal help with a few household chores or perhaps having someone drive them to a doctor's appointment or to a social event. However, some seniors need help with a variety of tasks during the day, including grooming, bathing, dressing and even going to the bathroom. Sometimes a caregiver must be there throughout the day and night to make sure the elderly person is safe and secure.

Taking care of the needs of other persons can be very challenging and this is a fact, although caregivers surely want to help. These people have their family to take care and also their work, and caregivers surely have many other responsibilities. Asking the help of others can be of great help, to lighten the load that is carried. Various tasks can also be shared sometimes by other members of the family. For instance, perhaps one family member offers to run errand, while another goes over and does some laundry and cleans up a bit. Making life easier can also be achieved when a part-time home caregiver is hired to help.

A big challenge often faced by caregivers is caring for an elder person who has dementia of some level. This is a situation that can become difficult in handling and can become stressful. There are times when a person with dementia is violent and can also be abusive. There are also times when even those without dementia are also difficult to handle, and this is a time when caregivers can become overwhelmed because of tasks piling up. This is a situation where joining a support group can be of help because others can give help especially if they have the same problems. Advice can be given by these people and also sympathy and they can help you from feeling lonely. Online support groups are there to help and they offer information to other caregivers.

A family or even a spouse can feel sometimes the heavy burden and load of caring elders. If your elder has Alzheimer's disease or any form of dementia, the load can be heavy and this is true because your elders also might have great physical needs. You may want to have other options, if you are in this situation. Nursing homes and other nursing facilities that can handle residents needing special medical supervision are there, and these are the skilled care given. There are board and care homes and also assisted living facilities and those having specialties in handling elders with memory issues that can be the options, and these are available to those with few medical needs.

The search for eldercare can seem daunting, but there is help available. Using a placement service, such as Care Placement, can make it much easier to find facilities that match the needs of your loved one and also fit within the budget. So if you are looking for a San Diego assisted living community, assisted living in Carlsbad, assisted living in Del Mar or anywhere else in San Diego County or Orange County, contact Care Placement today.




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