I’m the Man (and the Caregiver) All of us caring for aging loved ones face unique challenges. Societal expectations about who handles these responsibilities – and how they should be handled – make some of these challenges ever more difficult for male caregivers. After all, when we think and talk about family caregivers, most of us immediately envision a woman, usually a wife or a daughter, and it is with this image in mind that most caregiver support programs have been created. And yet, according to a recent AARP study, 44 percent of family caregivers for older adults—or six million caregivers—are actually men, and 28 percent of these men are millennials Read more
Planning for the Future after a Dementia Diagnosis: Why Working Together Is Important If we are caring for a loved one who has recently been diagnosed with dementia or a related disorder such as Alzheimer’s Disease, it can feel devastating. Often, families avoid having discussions with their loved one about what the diagnosis could mean for their future out of fear. As the disease progresses over time, we may find ourselves as a caregiver in the position of making important care or health-related decisions for a loved one in a time of crisis, even if we have never previously discussed with our loved one what kind of care they would prefer. As a result, we may feel guilty about having to make decisions on our loved one’s behalf, without prior knowledge of their care values and preferences. Read more
Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Older Adults It may strike some as surprising, but the rates of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in older adults are rising. Older people who are sexually active may be at risk for diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, genital herpes, hepatitis B, genital warts and trichomoniasis. Read more
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease and What Comes After As your loved one ages, you may grow concerned about the possibility of them developing Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. However, you may not know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of the disease, how best to discuss your concerns with your loved one, or how to care for them if a diagnosis is made. If you are looking to take some initial steps to assess your loved one’s condition, consider these common questions regarding Alzheimer’s disease to help you better understand the disease and its symptoms and what steps you can take to prepare yourself and your loved one for a diagnosis. Read more
Protecting A Loved One From Self-Neglect It can be challenging to ensure the needs of an older family member, or a loved one living with a disability are met. It can be especially difficult if they are living alone or cannot care for themselves because of physical or cognitive declines, such as dementia. In some cases, a loved one’s health condition or social isolation can put them at risk to self-neglect. Read more
The Impact of Caregiving on Family Members and Friends Family members and friends provide an average of 80% of the help needed by older adults who are unable to independently complete all their daily activities due to an illness or disability. While assistance from professionals or paid helpers may also be beneficial, most of the time, family members and friends are the main source of support, with one or more assisting and serving in the role of caregiver. Read more
Caring From a Distance Do you have to travel over 60 minutes to reach your loved one? Does this distance sometimes interfere with your caregiving responsibilities or prevent you from giving the care your loved one needs? If so, you may be considered a long-distance caregiver. Providing care from afar can complicate the caregiving experience, but there are tools, resources and new technological advancements that can help us all approach the distance in a more effective way. Read more
Managing Caregiver Stress Though caregiving may bring us many positive opportunities to spend time with and provide support for a loved one, we may also regularly encounter stressful situations and struggle to find that elusive work-life balance. In fact, research shows that being a caregiver is “among the most stressful, emotionally burdensome and physically demanding roles a person can take on.” At times, the uplifting feelings of helping someone may ease the energy-draining emotions of caregiving. But caring for someone with a chronic illness can impact all aspects of life, from medical and physical health to financial and relational well-being. Read more
Why Caregivers and their Loved Ones Deserve Respite It is likely that at some point in our lives, most of us will be involved in providing care for an older loved one. A commonly requested type of caregiver assistance among family caregivers is respite, accounting for 15% of all assistance requests according to a study by the Family Caregiver Alliance. A variety of situations may give rise to requests for this type of assistance. For example, if we have a career of our own, the addition of caregiving responsibilities may leave us with very little time to manage our personal needs and day-to-day tasks. Or we may be a caregiver in the “sandwich generation” and care for both children and adult loved ones, which may increase our need for respite, due to the amount of our caregiving responsibilities. Read more
4 Tips to Help Loved Ones Use Computers and Smartphones For much of the world, computers and smartphones are a necessity in everyday life. But for our older loved ones, these devices can provoke anxiety, hostility and resistance. To some older adults, learning how to use a computer or smartphone can seem like a very daunting task, but there are benefits to embracing technology and using devices. Read more
