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
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
Helping an Older Loved One Stay Cool at Home During the Summer Heat With summer temperatures reaching 90 degrees or over in certain parts of the country, COVID-19 guidelines that recommend staying at home may seem like a blessing. After all, it’s easier to keep cool in a well air-conditioned room than it is outside in the blistering heat. However, staying cool at home isn’t always as easy as it sounds, especially for older adults. According to the CDC, people aged 65 and older are at an increased risk for heat-related health problems such as heat stress, heat intolerance and difficulty regulating body temperature. Read more
Coping with Challenges as Sandwich Generation Caregivers Sandwich generation caregivers manage multiple responsibilities, including work, childcare, household duties and care tasks for their parents, in-laws or other aging relatives. The COVID-19 pandemic has made these responsibilities far more challenging, as we may be dealing with work, teaching our children at home and managing household duties. At the same time, we may also be doing more distant caregiving due to social distancing recommendations if our loved ones don’t live in the same household, and especially if their immune system is compromised. Read more
Homebased Supports for Adults with Alzheimer’s or Dementia During COVID-19 As we continue to live with the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are trying to get used to our “new normal.” This can be especially difficult for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and their caregivers. The familiarity of a daily routine provides comfort and may be able to help a person with ADRD cope with short-term memory loss. Establishing a predictable pattern of events can help transfer the schedule of a daily routine into the long-term memory portion of the brain, helping a person retain their ability to perform activities of daily life. Read more
Helping an Older Loved One Eat Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic Food, besides being a necessity of survival, is also closely tied to protection from certain diseases and conditions, which is where the expression “food is medicine” comes from. By eating well, we can decrease our risk of the kind of chronic conditions that put us at risk for viruses like COVID-19, such as heart disease and diabetes, and increase our bodies’ supply of necessary disease-fighting vitamins, minerals and proteins. On the flip side, if we don’t eat well, our risk for heart conditions, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, along with other diseases and chronic condition increases, which also increases our vulnerability to viruses. Without essential vitamins and minerals, our immune systems might weaken. Read more
How to Keep an Older Loved One Supplied with Necessities during the COVID-19 Pandemic With staying at home and practicing social distancing being recommended as two of the most important methods of “flattening the curve” and keeping safe during the current COVID-19 pandemic, most of us have had to rethink the ways we go about our day-to-day lives. Even basic trips to the convenience store or supermarket involve new levels of preparation and caution than before. This can be an additional challenge for those who have to think about providing for a vulnerable loved one, whether they are caregivers or just taking on a bigger role to assist their loved one and keep them safe at this time. Read more
Keeping the Kitchen Safe for a Loved One with Late Stage Dementia The kitchen is the heart of most families' homes. If we have a loved one living with dementia at home, especially in the later stages, we will want to do everything we can to help keep their kitchen as safe as it can be. Read more
Using Team Meetings to Develop a Dementia Care Strategy for a Loved One An individual with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease often requires a village of caregivers to help take care of their needs during different stages of the disease. Whether they be family caregivers or providers, caregivers must always be vigilant to make sure their loved one is well cared for and protected. Read more
Eating Well With Alzheimer’s Eating well is essential to good health, but when we are caring for an older loved one with a memory disorder, it may be challenging to be sure they have access to well-balanced and appetizing meals. It can be a struggle as well to ensure that they are eating these meals when they may be experiencing a loss of appetite or difficulty remembering and sticking to established routines as the illness progresses. As caregivers, it’s important for us to rise to these challenges and find solutions to prioritize nutrition and healthy eating in a loved one’s life as key element of maintaining their overall health. Read more
