Caregiver Community

  • Caregiver Community
    2318 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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  • Stop Your Child Smoking
    Why your child is at risk and what to say to him or her. By Dr Shital Raval Patel. When you think of a smoker, you don’t think of a 10-year-old. But 67% of smokers in India start the tobacco habit between the ages of 9 and 15. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2006), more than one third of students aged 13 to 15 years (36.8%) reported initiating tobacco use before the age of 10 (Sinha et al., 2008). This could be cigarettes, bidis (which have three times the amount of nicotine and…
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    Organising your Personal Health Record
    Dr Choo Wei Chieh tells you why it’s important and what information it should carry. Patient empowerment means being engaged with your health and making your own health decisions. In order to do this properly (not to mention safely), one’s health information should be well organised. This means keeping an accurate record of your health such that you can access it whenever necessary, wherever you are, and to share it with whoever necessary (family, healthcare professionals, caregivers, etc.).…
  • Managing my mother: From frustration for all to peace in the house
    Mrs. Kalyani talks about her 85-year-old mother and what it took to keep everyone happy. My mother, Vijayalakshmi, is 85 years old and her behaviour can be like that of a young child. She has mobility problems. She needs to be monitored 24x7, mainly to protect her from falling and injuring herself. My mother needs to be taken to the bathroom every 1 ½ hours to 2 hours without fail. Otherwise she would wet the bed or go in the room. While eating she wants the TV on and she will be so engrossed…
  • 2 elderly women at a kitchen table
    Elder-friendly Homes Modifications
    Rehabilitation specialist Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan suggests small changes around the home that make a big difference to the quality of life of the elderly.    Having worked in the rehabilitation field for more than 15 years and having been a caregiver to four elders above the age of 80, I kept coming across the need for adaptations in daily living activities. The idea is to keep the elders as independent as possible and maintain their dignity. अब हिन्दी में पढ़ें: घर को बुजुर्गों…
  • Turning a home into a hospital
    The idea of hospice care in my home overwhelmed me. I was very afraid of witnessing her physical deterioration and her death. At age 99, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Because of her advanced age, there was little to do except make the last months of her life comfortable. Her doctor arranged for home hospice care. But part of me wanted to place her in a nursing home.  When would she no longer be able to bathe herself ? When would she be bedridden ? Incontinent. Read on about how…
  • A treatment decision in Singapore
    While conscious but not knowing her life was at risk, the patient was against amputation. Lawyer Lyn Boxall presents a case of doctors acting in the best interest of the patient when only an amputation could save her life.  Mdm LP, a diabetic, consulted Dr Tan at the Gleneagles Medical Centre in October 2005 complaining about pain in both feet1.  She said she had been told by doctors at Singapore General Hospital and at Tan Tock Seng hospital that her right leg had…
  • How to avoid Swine Flu or H1N1
    By Dr. Shital Raval How to avoid Swine Flu or H1N1 Wear a face mask when stepping out of the house. Avoid crowded places. Stay away from people who have a cough or cold. Practice good hand hygiene, wash hands often. Carry a hand sanitizer with you always. Avoid catching a cold by taking a multivitamin daily, avoiding stepping out early morning and late night Eat healthy.   Drink plenty of water and fluids. Use disposable tissues instead of towels or handkerchiefs. Ask your doctor about…
  • 10 Rules on being a Caregiver's friend
    Your friend is a caregiver and you don't know how to help...here are 10 tips  1. Don’t say, “What can I do to help?”. Just do it. 2. Remember me before I was a caregiver  3. Please don’t stop including/inviting me. I need to know I am wanted. 4. Don’t try to fix my situation. Don’t stop being the listener you always were. 5. Let me know you think of me – Many days I feel forgotten by the world.  6. Follow my lead – There are times I need to talk. Sometimes I just…
  • 5 Biggest Issues That Sabotage Family Caregivers
    By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com contributing editor Caring for an aging parent or other loved one in your home usually begins with the best of intentions. Over time, however, a good thing can disintegrate into a tough, tense situation. Knowing the top trouble spots can help you make changes that can delay or avoid the need to move on to out-of-home placement. Here are five big "sore points" that undermine family caregiving -- and what to do about them: Sore point #1: Lack of privacy…
  • 30 minute nap can reverse effects of sleep deprivation
    Sleep deprivation is rampant. A 30 minute nap is beneficial to your health!  This article specifically talks of the negative effects of sleep deprivation in caregivers :  forgetfulness, lowered alertness,premature aging,  decrease creativity, lower immune system, increased risk of stroke, diabetes, unwanted weight gain and increased possibility for a heart attack. Caregiver statistics show caregivers are often exhausted at the end of the day. Many  find that they…
What to do when you've reached your breaking point as a caregiver
I came upon this list of great advice from caregivers on what to do when you feel like you have reached your "breaking point" or a point of true exhaustion or frustration as a caregiver. What are some tips you would give others when they reach this…
Dutch students choose to live in nursing homes rent-free (as long as they keep the residents company)
Read the article here...http://www.thejournal.ie/help-the-aged-1814698-Dec2014/ Would something like this work in an Asian context ? I think its worth a few experiments for sure.      
Share your caregiving story!
I moved the Chennai 3.5 years ago to take care of my beloved grandma who developed breast cancer. Being a caregiver for her was a life changing experience for me. It showed me that even when we are caring for someone we love and even if we enjoy our…
What is your biggest caregiving challenge?
We all experience many joys and many challenges as caregivers. Sometimes talking about the tough aspects of caregiving is a good way to make sure we are not keeping our frustrations and diffficulties bottled up. The more we internalize the stresses…
What do you do to take a break from Caregiving?
One of the most important things that Caregivers need to do for themselves and their loved ones is to take breaks. It is so vital to take time to focus on oneself, recharge, and get some rest. If a Caregiver does not take breaks, it can lead to…
Home nursing options
How do you go about finding the right nurse for the patient or the elderly? What level of knowledge of English is important ? What are the top 3 things you look for ?    
Welcome to the Caregiver Community!
Hello fellow Family Caregivers! It is exciting to have an online forum where Caregivers from India and around the world can come together to share and learn from each other. This is a space where you can pose questions, share your story, and just…
Stores dedicated for senior citizens in India and Singapore
I came across http://www.oldisgoldstore.com/ recently. They have retail outlets in Chennai and ship to the southern states. Do you know of stores like these in other cities ?  We would like to add this information in our Resources centre  

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