Understanding Different Types of Dementia When most people hear the word “dementia,” one of the first things that comes to mind is “Alzheimer’s.” However, Alzheimer’s is just one cause of dementia, which is the umbrella term for decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills that significantly impacts daily life. If a loved one is experiencing memory issues, Alzheimer’s could be a potential diagnosis, but there are four other common types of dementia that should also be considered: Lewy body, frontotemporal, vascular and mixed. Read more
Self-Esteem Boosting Tips for Older Adults Self-esteem is a person’s evaluation of their own worth. Simply put, it is what someone thinks of themself, whether positive or negative. Our concept of self-esteem begins in early childhood and is formed by the image we build for ourselves through experiences with people and different situations. The things we experience as a child initially form a foundation in shaping our self-esteem. Successes; failures; and how we are treated by members of our families, teachers, religious authorities, friends, etc., contribute to a basic sense of self. Read more
Identifying Risks and Preventing Falls for Older Adults Winter weather can be beautiful, but along with the picturesque snow comes the less ideal increase to falls caused by ice and slush. While falls can be dangerous for people of all ages, they are a particular risk to older loved ones. According to the CDC Injury Center, around 25 percent of adults aged 65 and over will experience a fall over the course of a year. These falls are the cause of more than 2.8 million injuries that require hospital treatment, such as hip fractures and traumatic brain injury, resulting in over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,700 deaths annually. Read more
It’s Okay to Feel: The Emotional Side of Caregiving Let’s get real about the emotional side of caregiving. As a caregiver you may feel many different emotions: stress, fear, anger, resentment, joy. It’s important to remember that your feelings are valid and important, whether they’re good or bad feelings. This webinar will offer tips on coping with the various emotions you may face as a caregiver. Read more
Owner quality of life, caregiver burden and anticipatory grief: How they differ, why it matters The study investigated veterinary clients' experiences of caregiver burden, anticipatory grief and quality of life (QoL). The constructs of caregiver burden, anticipatory grief and QoL are not interchangeable and may differentially impact owner decisions and behavior regarding pet care. Read more
Update on the status of effective programs to help dementia family caregivers in the U.S.: Observations from the search for programs to include in Best Practice Caregiving Although many programs to help family caregivers of people with dementia have research-based evidence of effectiveness, they are not available in most US communities and caregivers have difficulty finding the kinds of assistance they need. One reason for this problem is that healthcare and community organizations as well as funders that might provide or pay for one or more programs are not aware of them. Until now, there was no readily accessible source of information providers or funders could use to select programs that fit their organizations’ mission and resources. Best Practice Caregiving, a free, searchable database of comprehensive information about effective and feasible programs was released in early 2020. In this chapter, we describe our search for programs to include in Best Practice Caregiving, discuss our resulting observations about the current status of such programs in the United States, and identify several difficult issues that continue to interfere with increased awareness, availability, and use of the caregiver support programs. Read more
The Need to Add Caregiver Support to Your Employee Benefits Plan: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly exposed gaps in access to needed community-based supports for many people, and terms such as “social isolation” are now a part of the daily vernacular. Families continue to struggle with balancing full-time employment with care for older loved ones and children who are suddenly learning from home. The spotlight now shines brightly on the plight of those who are truly sandwiched in the middle. The questions are: why does it matter and what can we do as employers? Read more
Preparing Your Home for Hospice If the loved one we care for is in the advanced stages of a disease and we’ve decided that we would like them to be in as much comfort as possible in familiar surroundings, home hospice may be the right choice. However, arranging a loved one’s home or our own for a hospice stay takes some thought and preparation. We likely don’t want the place to look like a hospital, but we need to have all of the necessary equipment the loved one we care for requires. Read more
Coping Strategies for Caregivers After the Death of a Loved One Everyone grieves in their own way after the death of a loved one. There is no normal timeline for grief. We may feel sadness, frustration, guilt or even failure and anger. We may want to be loud or quiet; alone or surrounded by community. We may experience insomnia, loss of appetite or even have difficulty breathing. There are a lot of normal reactions to grief, both physically and mentally. We should give ourselves permission to express our grief however we are feeling it, whenever we are feeling it. Grief is messy, but as we navigate the grief of losing a loved one, it is important to connect with resources that can help us through this time. Read more
Preparing for Taking on Caregiving Responsibilities When preparing for big life events, many families like to come up with a plan. But when it comes to caregiving, many families are not as proactive, even though over 34 million Americans provide unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older. In fact, many families wait until a crisis happens to begin important discussions, which can leave them scrambling to figure out care options. When planning for our future caregiving responsibilities, or preparing our loved ones to take on our own care as we age, we should hold discussions about finances, as well as values and preferences to help develop a successful caregiving plan. Read more
