What to Know for Medicare Open Enrollment Every year, Medicare’s Open Enrollment period runs from October 15 to December 7. As a caregiver, you undoubtedly know how important insurance coverage is to securing your loved one the affordable care they need when they need it. What can be less certain, however, is knowing which exact program and options your loved one is qualified for and would most benefit from. As much as you want to help them through the process of enrolling in Medicare, you may be struggling to understand it yourself. The good news is that by learning the various benefits covered by different plans, you can put yourself in a better position to care for your loved one’s health needs and find the right plan for them. Read more
Helping a Loved One Navigate Medicare Open Enrollment October 7 virtual program for caregivers from Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Read more
Understanding and Coping with Ambiguous Grief as a Caregiver Loss is not an unfamiliar concept, as we all experience it in some form through relationships with people and changes in our health. Grief is described as a process that we go through to cope with, move through and move on from a significant loss. However, there is a type of loss and grief that caregivers experience that has its own unique properties. Read more
Building and Supporting Dementia-Inclusive Communities According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 50 million people are living with dementia worldwide. To combat the impact that dementia has on people living with the disease and their caregivers, the Dementia Friendly America initiative was launched to create communities where everyone could provide support and understanding to these individuals. The initiative aids the residents who are living with dementia and their caregivers in the community by raising public knowledge about the disease, supporting people living with dementia and their caregivers and connecting health systems with community-based organizations. Read more
What Does Dementia Look Like? "My dad had lots of good days, days filled with laughter and conversations about his favorite memories of my childhood and his, days where he remembered many of the “little things” in my life that made me feel like he wasn’t aging at all. There were other days, though, when Dad was not as sharp. In fact, there were days when Dad really wasn’t Dad." Read more
Helping an Older Loved One with Housekeeping As caregivers, we may need to step up and lend a hand with keeping the household tidy, especially if clutter becomes a tripping hazard or important areas of the house such as the kitchen or bathroom are becoming unsanitary. However, we should also be sure to empower a loved one to continue doing the household tasks they are still capable of doing by trying different strategies that allow them to stay both safe and independent. Read more
Bathroom Safety for a Loved One with Late Stage Dementia These days, about 80 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) stay in their own homes with the support of family and friend caregivers rather than move to long-term care facilities. While aging in place can provide a loved one with a familiar, comforting space, it can also lead to challenges related to the safety of the home environment. Things around the house like stairwells, area rugs, medicine cabinets and knife blocks that were once a normal part of a loved one’s living space may now present new dangers with ADRD. Read more
Transitioning Away from Working—and Caregiving—at Home During COVID-19 While the pandemic has been challenging for many people, those who are already stretched thin have been pulled even more so. Just when we think we have mastered the juggling and multi-tasking, school in some form has begun again, employers are talking about transitioning back to on-site work environments, and we may not be able to help the older loved one we care for navigate their own time staying at home during the pandemic in the same way. Read more
How to Find Respite as a Caregiver During COVID-19 Carving out time in our day dedicated to ourselves with no outside distractions is challenging enough during the best of times. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these distractions are coming from inside—and with ‘inside’ being the safest location to be, it may feel next to impossible to get away from them. Those who are sandwich generation caregivers may be juggling work tasks with 24/7 parenting and managing the care of an older loved one, leaving no moments of the day set aside for personal time and self-care. For others, loved ones may need more frequent support if their adult day programming or senior center activities are still canceled or reduced. Or, many of us may simply be struggling to find avenues of self-care and respite when the relaxing activities we previously enjoyed—going to the spa, scheduling a vacation—may not be as simple as they once were. Read more
“I’m Not There Yet” or “I’m Not There, Yet”: The Comma Makes a Difference How do we respond when someone talks with us about services for older loved ones? Are we receptive, or do we run away? Are we prepared for the reality that we are all getting “there” – to that point where we may need to provide care for an older loved one – or are we still struggling to admit that a loved one is showing signs of aging? And if we are not “there” or cannot envision ever being “there,” what is it that’s getting in the way? Read more
