Caregiver Community

  • Caregiver Community
    2313 member(s)

    A place where Caregivers come together to share common experiences, challenges,and resources. 

    Caregivers are truly experts in patient management and can help each other because of their intensive experience in patient care at home. Caregivers can ask questions to others on this forum going through a similar caregiving experiences. They can start topics and discuss things like ways to manage daily tasks, where to find doctors, nurses, and other health services, how they manage stress, and any other topics related to caring for their loved one and for themselves. It is a great place for Caregivers to come and chat about the issues that affect them on a day to day basis and take time to focus on their own needs and health.

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  • Image: Backs of woman in a white dress with a man in a black suit and black hat in a cemetery mourning passing of a loved one
    Life After Caregiving: The Beginning In the End
    Loss of a loved one especially after an extended period of caregiving can result in complicated expressions of grief.  Dr. V. Sridhar, consultant psychiatrist, Dementia Care and Nirupama Natarajan, Psychologist from SCARF (DEMCARES), Chennai talk about a caregiver's grief and the healthy ways to grieve. At some point in our lives, we are expected to undergo the loss of a loved one, while at other times we extend support to our friends and relatives who have experienced a…
  • Person with haemophilia, Vinay Nair in a brown kurta with his wife in a red and gold sari holding baby girl in green and white dress in arms
    Children Would Refuse To Play With Him Because Of His Muscle Bleeds
    The growing up years of Vinay Nair, 32, who has haemophilia, was largely marked with moderate or severe bleeding episodes. His mother, Indira, compliments her son’s positive attitude and steadfast determination that have helped him face his health challenges exceptionally well.   When Vinay was 6 months old, he started developing strange blue patches on his hands and legs, quite similar to the blue-black patches that appear when you have been bruised or pinched. These patches though…
  • Image: Suparna, caregiver of mother with cancer in a scenic setting
    Journey As A Single Caregiver To My Mother with Cancer
    Suparna Mazumder has been a single caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with metaplastic carcinoma of the ducts. She recounts her journey  – as an organizer of treatment, as a physical and mental care giver, as the only earning member of the family, as a single parent with a child The Diagnosis It all started in January 2004. 17th January, 11pm. While I was reading the newspaper, my domestic help told me that my mother had been feeling her breasts in the afternoon and had said…
  • Image: Older Man in warm clothing
    Tips To Keep The Elderly Happy During Winter
    Small tips to keep the Seniors happy and comfortable during winter can go a long way in keeping them well-cared for during the difficult months. A look at a few helpful pointers: Amid the winter months, things can be exceptionally troublesome for seniors, not only in light of the frosty but also the unforgiving occasional temperatures. Potential threats are all over the place, hence home care services might be just what your elderly friends and family require. Listed below is an expert curated…
  • Image: Stock pic that says Advanced Medical Directive and shows treatment options
    Patients Have The Right To Have Their Advanced Medical Directives Honoured: India SC Rules
    India's Supreme Court has upheld the right to die with dignity and ruled that people have a right to refuse medical treatment and having their advance directives honored. Are there any concerns?  PatientsEngage reached out via e-mail to Dr. M.R Rajagopal, Chairman, Pallium India and Director, Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Policy on Access to Pain Relief) "The judgement of the Supreme Court…
  • Mariyam with her father in a nice outside setting
    It Brought Perspective To My Father’s Illness and Its Impact On My Life
    Talking and writing about health related experiences is still not common in Asia.  This International Women’s Day, we reach out to three dynamic women who share their experience as patient or caregiver to understand their motivations. In the last part of the series, we feature Mariyam Raza Haider.   1)    Why did you choose to blog? My strongest reason for blogging was to bring perspective to my father’s illness and its impact on my life. As I began writing about…
  • Sangeeta reliving memories with her father with Parkinson's
    It Was Cathartic and Fun To Relive Old Memories
    Talking and writing about health related experiences is still not common in Asia.  This International Women’s Day, we reach out to three dynamic women who share their experience as patient or caregiver to understand their motivations. We kick off the first in a three-part series with Sangeeta Murthi Sahgal.  1)    Your father had Parkinson's Disease. Why did you choose to talk and share about your father's condition? When I took over my father's care-giving, I researched the…
  • Do I need to call an ambulance?
    When Do I Need To Call An Ambulance?
    Do you know when you need to call an ambulance or when you can drive or take your loved one in a cab? Dr. Shital Raval talks us through the decision criteria of making the right choice.  During a medical crisis, getting immediate medical help is critical! In cases of emergencies, often it may seem that driving to the hospital may be faster than calling an ambulance. Although this may be true, let’s examine the reasons why and when, calling an ambulance is the best choice. When to call the…
  • Shital Bhatkar with Aarya Bhatkar, with LSD Neimann Pick Storage Disorder
    You are Left out in the Cold with Rare Diseases
    When a child is diagnosed with a rare disease, it is most agonising and traumatic for parents, especially because they are left alone and helpless. Shital Bhatkar, whose son Aarya succumbed to Niemann-Pick Disease, narrates her long, harrowing time trying to save her son and the need to include rare diseases in public health policies. When my son, Aarya, was born, my husband and I considered ourselves blessed. We had two beautiful kids now – a daughter and a son and felt our family was complete…
  • Omkar who has Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) climbing a tree
    He Thinks Blood Tests, Medications and Restrictions Are A Way Of Life
    Deepa Kannan, who has an 8-year-old son suffering from a rare condition called Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), bares her heart and mind about all her family has been through in trying to cope with the disorder and also about how she is spearheading an awareness movement for affected parents in India. Please tell us a bit about your son Omkar’s condition? Omkar has a condition called salt wasting Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. It is an Autosomal Recessive disorder, where both parents are…
Patient not discharged from ICU despite repeated requests
In the last couple of weeks, I have heard of two different cases in India where the hospital kept a patient in ICU on life support for weeks on end. In one case, even after the family asked for the patient to be transferred to a normal room, the…
Counsellor in Ahmedabad
Query from a caregiver Does anyone know a counsellor in Ahmedabad who can go to a patient's home. Patient has had a couple of strokes and even though there is no paralysis believes he is paralysed and does not use his limbs and keeps falling.…
Walking with quad cane assistance
Here is a question from one of our members: My father is 89. He used to walk regularly twice a day and used a simple walking cane. But now he has had a few falls. Doctor says he must use a cane with 4 legs(quad cane) but he refuses to do that. Now…
A family torn apart by illness
When treatment started failing 66 year old Siew Ching, the family became divided into different camps. Some wanted her to stay in hospital so that she could receive maximal supportive care. Others wanted her to be discharged so she could go…
My 95 year old father
My 95 year old father lives with my sister. She takes very good care of him. Normally he is fine. Can manage most daily activities with some help. But he is sometimes very paranoid about domestic helpers coming into his room and trying to harm him…
Tips for Caregivers
We found a great list of tips (in the link below) to help ease the challenges of being a caregiver and help caregivers with self-care - take a look at this list and share with us if you have ever used any of these and how! The tips include:…
Sleep - A big challenge for Caregivers
A lack of sleep or feeling tired is one of the biggest challenges that Caregivers face. Often times we have to wake up at night to check on our loved one, or we have trouble falling asleep because our mind is preoccupied. What are some of your…
How do you ask for help?
As Caregivers we often take on a lot and can get exhausted. It is important to learn how to ask for help - maybe other family members, friends, or neighbors can help take on some tasks and make life a little easier for the Caregiver. For many of us…
Restlessness in semi mobile senior
My MIL is a little bit over weight @ 94, and is able to walk only with a walker very slowly.She is addicted to watching TV whether she understands anything or not, but cannot sit for a long time. WE give her TV time, once a day for 2 hours. For…
Sharing Caregiving Duties Among Siblings or Family
I recently came across a great article that spoke about the importance of sharing caregiving duties among family or siblings. Often, the caregving duties falls upon one sibling or family member, and  this can cause resentment or…

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