Ready to Care: Useful Considerations for Caregivers

​Ready to Care: Useful Considerations for Caregivers
 
As our loved ones age, the reality of their evolving needs comes into view and that may include playing an advanced role in their care. You may already know from personal experience that family caregivers are essential contributors to the healthcare system. In fact, it is estimated that 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. provide unpaid care to a family member or friend, many of whom are given little to no advanced notice. In order to help manage stress, expectations and provide the best care possible, you can anticipate the call to care by considering the following tips, resources and self-care advice.
 
Becoming A Caregiver
 
Patience is often the most important—and toughest—practice in caregiving. Keep in mind your loved one’s emotional needs and focus on/promote their dignity and independence as much as possible. Be an active listener and be attentive to your loved one’s verbal and non-verbal cues. Researching their diagnoses and speaking with their doctors (when appropriate) about their condition can help you to better understand what is needed from you in the management of their care.
 
Assess what is needed in terms of time management and organizational needs, including coordinating doctor’s office visits and household maintenance. If your loved one has more than one caregiver, define the roles of each contributing person, keeping in mind distance, time, resources and skills/experience. This can help you prioritize and anticipate the management of certain items and avoid future conflicts.
 
Document everything, including your loved one’s routines, diagnoses, medications, healthcare professional care team, emergency contacts and other important phone numbers, and upcoming appointments. You may consider keeping a care journal to organize these items. In addition, it will be important to organize medical records and legal documents (such as power of attorney documents, medical directives and wills) in one place.
 
Among the approximately 53 million Americans in caregiving roles, 70% offer unpaid elder care assisting adults aged 65 and older. However, in certain circumstances, one can be paid to provide caregiving to a family member.
 
Adult daycares and home healthcare programs may be available to support the person you are caring for. Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits or private health insurance may pay for a portion or all of the costs depending on income, degree of disability and other factors.
 
You may also be able to enroll the person you’re caring for in long-term care insurance, which covers the costs of care for individuals who are no longer able to care for themselves and/or have cognitive impairments. Long-term care options may include home care, assisted living, skilled nursing care facilities or residential facilities. Consult with your loved one’s insurance agent to determine if they qualify for long-term care insurance.
 
For end-of-life care, hospice is excellent at providing durable medical equipment (DME) and nursing (in some instances, care time may be limited). Patients usually incur little-to-no out-of-pocket costs for Hospice care, but insurance coverage varies across networks and among individuals, so be sure to research costs.
 
Organizing Yours and Your Loved One’s Affairs Ahead of Time
 
It is not uncommon to find your loved one’s affairs in disarray or organized in a fashion that is only meaningful to them. You can get ahead of the entanglement of affairs with Advance Care Planning. The National Institute on Aging has an excellent resource to aid in advance care planning, with checklists and information to help you get organized before caregiving becomes necessary. I also addressed advance care planning in greater depth in my June 2023 blog, which you can find in my blog archives.
 
An often-overlooked consideration for caregivers is access to password-protected devices and social media accounts. If you do not secure those early on, you may need a court order to access them in the future. Apple devices allow a legacy contact designation.
 
And if you anticipate becoming a loved one’s Power of Attorney, research or speak with an attorney about the laws in your state regarding Power of Attorney designations.
 
Taking Care of Yourself
 
As with the oxygen masks on an airplane, we must prioritize our own wellbeing in order to properly care for others. Studies show the degree of a caregiver’s psychological, emotional and physical stress varies by gender and age, with women and caregivers 50 and under experiencing greater stress. Depending on your personal circumstances (like distance from the person you’re caring for, your employment and finances, for example) as well as the severity of disease or disability of the person you are providing care for, caregiving can take many forms and have varying impacts. Being prepared and staying organized can help you to manage the stressors you may encounter.
 
In addition to the usual self-care advice to sleep, move, eat right and keep your doctors’ appointments (be sure to schedule your exam with me each year and contact me for any other health concerns that arise!), decide what you need for yourself to keep going. Whether it’s a daily walk, a phone call with a friend or a coffee date with friends, try to schedule time for yourself each day. Planning that “me time” into your schedule will help you to actually take the time for yourself, and it may help to reduce any associated guilt you may otherwise experience.
 
Moreover, friends and family members may offer you help. While, for many, your first inclination may be to say, “No, thank you,” I would implore you to consider a genuine offer of help. Accepting help with remedial tasks that take up time and energy (like driving to doctor’s appointments, picking up prescriptions, cooking hot meals, walking the dog, etc.) could help to ease your mental or physical burden.
 
Looking for outside support to help you cope with a loved one’s new diagnosis and/or your new role as their caregiver? Take this quiz to discover the endless free and fee-based resources available, ranging from mental health professionals, group therapy sessions, faith leaders and senior centers, to the VA or AARP. And, of course, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns about your own health and wellbeing.
 
Becoming a caregiver can be incredibly rewarding yet exhausting. To manage your stress, it can be helpful to focus on the tasks at hand, taking it one day at a time, and determining the best way to break down priorities with a special focus on your loved one’s safety, health and emotional needs, as well as your own.