CARE GIVING: Cell Phone Use while on the job.

 
 Several elements about cell phone use while on a care giving assignments.

• "The caregiver is distracted by the phone call or the text. This is time you are paying for, but more importantly, during this time of distraction, your loved one could fall, take the wrong medication or just plain feel lonely and left out."
• "Many elders have hearing problems. They may think the carer is talking to them and get confused when they respond and don't get an answer."
• "Someone with dementia may become paranoid. They hear a person talking to someone who isn't there. This can lead the person with dementia to wonder who else is in the house and become an issue that lasts far longer than the phone call by the carer"

Ask Agencies about Cell Phone Policy Use 


 Add to your list of questions when interviewing a care agency, a question about cell phone use policy. A good agency should have one in place. If they do not and you bring it up, they should be honest and say there isn't one but there should be a policy by the time your loved one is added to their agency care list.

One of the complaints I had while managing care for family members was about cell use.  It can be very annoying to hear someone in the wee hours happily talking to someone in another country in a language you do not understand.

CHOOSING LYRICS & CARE GIVERS

I am musing on the fact that I enjoy Mariachi music.

  Why?
Perhaps because it moves me, stirring up certain emotions of happiness, sadness, and a rebellious sort of mood.
It conjures up memories of my earlier years,  of being woken up with the sounds of  “Las Mananitas” in the early morning, a traditional song used to celebrate birthdays. 

My Lady

The lyrics frequently describe country life and people of a particular region.  They often celebrate moments in the lives of the Mexican people.
Unlike other music, they do not have a lead singer.  Each singer is assigned a different song based on their talents.
Music, unlike any other activity, lightens and brightens the burdens of care giving.  Each care giver is assigned a different care talent and brings into the care equivalent a different perspective.  The tendency to have to high of expectancies can be a hindrance in the selection.   That can be good or bad.
A good grasp of a language that I understand is very important.  I often ask to speak to some one who’s American English  I understand.  With poor hearing, struggling with comprehension, and loss of cognitive abilities this is high on my list.
On the occasions where language has been an issue, then writing detailed instructions and requiring log entries will help.
I choose my lyrics with care.  It may not sound like a Mariachi concert but my singers will come with all sorts of unforeseen talents and blessings.

ALZHEIMER'S~ How Heavy Is Your Bag?

HOW HEAVY IS YOUR BAG?

I have decided that I need a new bag.  The looks of my present bag confirms that fact.
Becoming a care giver gives new meaning to the word “bag” and new meaning to the words “be prepared”.

As life changes, so does the contents of my bags.  Knowing the essentials to place in my bag helps me feel more comfortable in any situation.
Unexpected events will happen!  Plan on it!
What do I place in my care giving bag?
There is always the basic original items that may be needed depending on the needs and a few other things to make the adventure more comfortable:

Extra personal items
Tissues and wet wipes
Cloth drool wipers

Healthy snacks
Hand sanitizer
Mad money
Small bottles of water that can fit in your bag without taking up a lot of room or weighing it down.

So no matter what the size or shape of my bag, it is the contents and the way I carry it that makes a difference.
Be equipped to leave home by placing your bag somewhere by the front door.  There is no need to pack each time.  Be prepared!

ALZHEIMER'S: SWITCHING GEARS

LET’S SWITCH GEARS
My co-care giving husband often said to Gary “Switch Gears, Gary!”

 In awkward positions of resistance in public places, many times found us searching for ways to entice him back in to the car after an adventure.  The expression, to “Switch gears” became our motto.
Now if you can imagine trying to back up into a tight squeeze spot with the front facing out.  Now imagine an old lady trying to do it with many tries.

Most often “switching gears” meant
 change of speed, direction and backing up, walking around the car, turning the music on, and trying again just to get into the car.
We fight changes of speed, changes in direction,  In Alzheimer’s there is no backing up to what it was like.  They will never come back to our world so to keep sanity park in theirs.

Alzheimer's? You're Asking Me?

I was recently asked to consider writing a “corner” of vignettes for our Alzheimer’s Support newsletter at church.  The goal being to draw upon my nine years of Alzheimer’s care giving experiences.
My first inclination was to decline, however, as my thoughts drifted toward the journeys, and adventures I have had and what blessings they have been, I thought it best to reconsider.
I have blogged about many of these adventures in past blogs, however, I will attempt somehow to invite you to read between the lines so to speak and perhaps give you more of a picture of the drama and challenges that may occur behind the care giving journey.
I have also been considering as to the content, drawing from my experiences and observations, and repetitive questions (Not from Loved Ones) raised during our support meetings.
This will be a challenge to me because it will require me to decide on what would be most helpful to my audience.  Some of them will be on the practical side of care giving and little helps here and there as to making it a little easier and perhaps touching on some behavior issues.
As my thoughts continued to sift through as to what my first blog (I guess this is my first blog) on this particular topic would be, I was considering which specific part of care giving is on my top priority list for today.
I came up again with the topic of walking, running a race and preparing for it.
Care giving is not a sprint either.  It IS a marathon!  It IS a relay race!A mistake in care giving is the tendency to jump into the race after a few calls from the emergency room or a diagnosis and get caught in emotional drama.
“It is wise to pace your-self--ASK FOR HELP,  and look at the big picture and make short and long-range plans.”
Once you have reached out attempt to accept that help.  You have no idea how it will all work out.  Time and time again I have observed those who are too proud to ask or accept help or advice that would make things simpler for them, sending one to the burn out zone or denying a blessing to those who have time to devote to your family.  And yes, I have been turned down many times too.
So it looks like as I just randomly pull my thoughts together, the first focus is on ones attitude and drama that one will face, and the family will face it sooner or later.
When the five minute terror of that diagnosis hits you that your loved one has Alzheimer's, YOU WILL NEED SUPPORT!

The word SUPPORT denotes the idea to “bear the weight of especially below, keep from falling, sinking or slipping, give confidence and comfort”.
Putting it bluntly, the care giver can have more issues with the family than the actual loved one has in some cases.  I fortunately have had care giving positions for very loving and appreciative families in the past, for which I am grateful.

The Church Faces up to Alzheimer's and Dementia | Grace Community Church

The Church Faces up to Alzheimer's and Dementia | Grace Community Church

CARE GIVER JOURNEY: Oo-De-Lally Day

CARE GIVER JOURNEY:
Oo-De-Lally, what a day!!

As I was listening to this song from the Disney movie, Robin Hood, and watching these two “merry men” I got to contemplating as to what exactly was meant by “merry men” and found it to be a term for any follower or companion of an outlaw.
Not in the terms of outlaws, these two defy anything that smacks of normal, what ever that is.  As one perhaps ends his journey another one may be beginning.
One I have known intimately for 40 yrs. and the other for three yrs. of care giving, and about 30 yrs. of acquaintance as he guided my “merry” man in re-wiring the electrical at our house years ago.
These two “merry men” kept me moving
Care giving is a very rewarding but stressful life.

A piece of advice:  “Don’t fall into LONE-SOLDIER” mode.  Gather up your “merry men”, saddle up and call on the posse.  Accept help.

The 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease Through a Caregiver's Eyes

A CAREGIVERS JOURNEY and Welcomed Surprises

A CARE GIVERS JOURNEY: Welcomed Surprises?


Welcomed surprises or not?
Some welcomed surprises come when least expected and if pictures are worth a thousand words then let me explain that my co-care giver, my husband, had a knack for catching me in not so gracious and anxious moments.
He managed to capture moments of a physically tired care giver who was mentally and emotionally exhausted from managing our adventures.
I will be the first to admit to my shortcomings and to witness the predictably unpredictable in my companions of the day.
When my body was screaming sit down and rest my loved ones were rapidly forging on ahead at a pace I found difficult to keep and maintain. the pace they had set, each one of us with a goal in mind.  Be it to get on with the adventure or search for a place to rest.
 The calm, quiet, serene surroundings of Friendly Valley with a view of the golf course were a perfect back drop for this care giver.
God’s ways are perfect when the choice is his.
I have been blessed by this experience.

WALKING: In the manner WORTHY of your calling