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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  • Role of the family and caregiver of a MS patient
    Multiple Sclerosis or MS is a disease that can easily lead to feelings of isolation. Typically, at some point, it leads to significant physical disability and forces people to leave paid employment. It is particularly difficult as MS hits patients when they are young, just starting a family or developing their career.  The spouse or other family member has to take on the responsibilities of caring for the patient, children and supporting the family financially. As the…
  • Old photos helping trigger memories in people with dementia
    Pictures taken by a little-known photographer between the 1930s and 1960s have found a new use helping to trigger memories and reminiscences among people with dementia. "In the dementia care world reminiscence is up there as one of the leading groups of therapeutic approaches," explains Prof Bob Woods, an expert in the clinical psychology of older people at Bangor University. "Essentially it's a good way of facilitating communication, and so it helps people to feel more socially integrated and…
  • Alzheimer's patients can still feel emotion long after memories have vanished
    A new University of Iowa study further supports an inescapable message: caregivers have a profound influence -- good or bad -- on the emotional state of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Patients may not remember a recent visit by a loved one or having been neglected by staff at a nursing home, but those actions can have a lasting impact on how they feel. The findings of this study are published in the September 2014 issue of the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. "Our findings…
  • The Last Days
    What kind of end-of-life care do you want? Don’t leave the burden of such decisions on your loved ones. Make a living will, which will speak for you when you are unable to, says lawyer Lyn Boxall. About two years ago, I answered a phone call from my sister. She lives in my home town, Adelaide in South Australia, and I’ve lived in Singapore for many years. “Mum was found unconscious on the floor of her bathroom this morning and now nothing she’s saying is making any…
  • "Our first clue that something was wrong was in 2012, when she started saying the same thing again and again"
    It may not seem like much, but for Maya, the daily battle over the bath is a sign of further deterioration as her 69-year-old mother slips deeper into her dementia, her personality changing, her memories fading, and simple everyday tasks becoming insurmountable hurdles.  http://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/wellness/world-alzheimer-s-day-lack-of-help-care-in-india-for-patients/article1-1266659.aspx
  • A Marriage to Remember - a filmmaker explores how Alzheimer’s disease has revealed the strength of his parents’ marriage
     "The experience of caring for someone with Alzheimer's can be incredibly isolating, at a time when you need support the most. We are grateful that this process has helped us come together as a family and as a community to celebrate that most precious gift of all : our memories"   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/opinion/a-marriage-to-remember.html?emc=edit_th_20140826&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=53809129&_r=0    
  • Caring for someone with Dementia
     Family members, friends, and colleagues want to support persons with dementia, but are unsure how to proceed. Swapna Kishore, who was a dementia caregiver for well over a decade, offers guidance and insights.  http://swapnawrites.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/caring-for-someone-with-dementia/
  • Asthma - will childhood asthma recur?
    Dr. Kavita Chowdhary talks about childhood asthma and shares tips on how to stay healthy  Some children with asthma appear to shake off their condition in their teenage years. But there’s a 50 per cent chance of asthma making a re-appearance once they hit their 30s. Boys are at greater risk than girls. The reason behind this is still unclear.  However, asthma is a chronic condition. Once a person's airways become sensitive in asthma they remain that way for life.…
  • Stock pic of a daughter with her mother and the text what I learnt caring for my mother
    Mothering your mother with dementia
    Paro has been caring for her mother, 86, who has dementia, for the last six years. She is frequently found in doctor’s waiting rooms and has their numbers on speed dial. She tells us what she has learnt from the experience. • Above all else, patience • Flexibility: Every day is different and brings different challenges that require different responses. • When she hallucinates, I do not contradict her as that confuses and upsets her, leading to temper tantrums, even violence…
  • Stock pic of Image of family
    Role of family / friend in treatment of cancer patient
    In the words of Kamini Pradhan, a featured Ovarian cancer crusader Family and friends have a major role to play in the treatment of a cancer patient. A cancer patient can be supported in the following ways :- MENTAL / EMOTIONAL  SUPPORT 1.  Acceptance – Do not be in denial mode. Know and understand the implications of the disease so that you can help the patient in getting the best treatment. 2.  Positivity   -  Please remember in this…
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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