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Become A First Aider And Make A Difference

Becoming a first aider is not a big deal, you give a small amount of time to learn knowledge and skill, but it could one day make a difference and save a life. This article gives one or two examples of where basic first aid knowledge, administered in a few crucial minutes has saved lives, dispels some common myths about first aid and how one charity is raising awareness through their “Be the Difference” campaign (including a neat iPhone app so you can carry first aid knowledge around with you). It finishes off with some advice on how to choose a first aid course and what to put in a basic first aid kit.

Don’t Assume You Know What to Do

Sadly, too many people have had no first aid training whatsoever. But perhaps just as alarming is that many people think they would know what to do, but when faced with the emergency would do the wrong thing. A UK survey commissioned by St John Ambulance in February last year found that although just over a quarter of respondents said they’d know what to do, when asked to describe what they would do in some specific scenarios, many would have done the wrong thing and even made things worse.

For example when faced with a man thrown off his motorbike and not breathing, 42% of respondents said they’d know what to do and then described the wrong thing. Of these, 43% said they would not move him for fear of spinal injury, yet if he’s not breathing and does not receive CPR, he will die.

In a second example, respondents were asked what they would do to help someone choking. Only 53% said they would bang them hard on the back with their hand: and a worrying 9% said they would put their fingers down the person’s throat to try and retrieve the obstacle, which is the wrong thing to do because this can push it further down the throat.

And in a third example, they were asked what they would do for a middle-aged man with chest pains. 9% said they would put him in the recovery position (lying horizontally on the side) while waiting for an ambulance. But if the chest pains signal problems with the heart, this position could increase the strain on the heart and worsen the condition. The correct thing to do is to sit him up in a comfortable position.

Be the Difference

To raise awareness of the importance of first aid, St John Ambulance launched a hard-hitting “Be the Difference” campaign depicting 5 common scenarios where first aid could make the difference between life and death.

The scenarios are: (1) Severe bleeding, (2) Choking, (3) Heart attack, (4) Unconscious, breathing casualty, and (5) Unconscious, not breathing casualty. They are summarized in the Five ways to be the difference section of the charity’s website.

St John Ambulance also invite you to test your first aid knowledge in a section that takes you through the five scenarios.

The campaign is hard-hitting because in the summary page for each scenario it describes what might happen if the casualty does not receive first aid, and it also describes a real case of a life saved as a result of correctly administered first aid.

One example of a life saved is the real case of 24-year-old Katryn Burgess who had a heart attack just after completing a half-marathon in Cheshire, UK. Fortunately, St John Ambulance volunteers were on hand and sprang into action. They began administering CPR and using a portable electronic device (automated external defibrillator or AED) gave her a shock to bring her heart back into rhythm and then they took her to hospital.

The UK is not the only country with low awareness and training in first aid.

A Pfizer Health report from 2007 describes a similar lack of first aid skills in Australia, where more than 90% of people are unsure of their ability to help in an emergency, despite 73% saying learning first aid is as important as learning to swim and 17% saying it is more important.

The report says more than 10% of Australians have been faced with an emergency where someone required first aid but could do nothing to help, and only 6% claim to be completely confident they would be able to do the right thing.

Confidence Matters

Once you have your basic training it is important to keep it topped up. This boosts confidence, reduces your sense of panic, and also, because new knowledge is emerging all the time, you keep up to date with new procedures.

St John Ambulance Australia recommends that everybody do a refresher course in general first aid at least every three years. And they urge first aiders to do their CPR course every year.

The Red Cross is another organization that offers a range of first aid courses. Young Hannah Niesser, a schoolgirl from North Wales, saved a man’s life at a bus stop thanks to the confidence and skill she learned on one of their courses.

Hannah, was waiting for a bus to take her to school to sit a GCSE exam (public exams youngsters in the UK take at around age 16), when the man standing next to her suddenly collapsed.

Bystanders lay him down on the ground, but they didn’t know what to do next. Hannah said she remembered feeling a “bit of a shock” when she realized she was going to have to save someone’s life.

She said at first she panicked, but then became calmer as she remembered what to do. The man had stopped breathing and was beginning to turn blue, so she gave him chest compressions and he began to respond. Someone had called an ambulance that arrived in ten minutes, by which time the man was breathing again.

When the bus arrived shortly after, Hannah got on it and went to sit her exam, happy in the knowledge she had put her first aid skills to good use. She was clearly recomposed by the time she got to school because she passed her exam with flying colours.

Janice Kinsella, event first aid coordinator with the British Red Cross, said Hannah was one of their very young volunteers and it was “great that her training stood her in such good stead when this man really needed it. Hannah’s attended lots of first aid duties over the last few months and shown her steel at those too. She’s a complete all-rounder and we’re just so proud of her.”

First Aid Help On Your Phone

As part of their “Be the Difference” campaign, St John Ambulance have also launched a first aid app for the iPhone that gives life saving advice designed to be easy to absorb quickly under pressure. This app is a very good example of a developing market of mobile phones applications that help both health professionals and patients with managing health and giving first aid.

First Aid in Action

My earliest memory of first aid in action was as a child in the 1960s. It was a hot day, and I was in the shallow end of a busy outdoor pool when suddenly there was a piercing scream: I looked round, as did dozens of other children and adults, to see a very distressed mother clutching her little girl’s still, blue body. To our horror it appeared she had drowned in our midst. We stared, stupefied, not knowing what to do.

Then, we noticed a man in the distance race towards us, leap the fence around the pool, and dash into the shallow water. Approaching the desperate mother, he gently took the lifeless child from her arms, lay her on the ground, and proceeded to do what for me was an extraordinary thing: he raised her arms, then pushed them down on her chest, several times, like he was trying to make her fly. After what seemed like a long time, but was probably only a minute or two, the little girl vomited some watery fluid, then started crying, and the colour came back to her body.

The rescuer asked for a towel, wrapped the child in it and returned her to her mother murmuring something about keeping her warm and getting her to a doctor straight away. He was a shy man who withdrew quietly without a fuss when he saw the mother had friends now helping her.

That hero was my father. I was so proud of him, not just because of what he did, but because he seemed to be the only person who knew what to do. As I got older, I began to realize that second part should actually be a cause for concern.

(The method my father used was the old chest-pressure and arm-lift technique he learned as a schoolboy in the 1930s; that approach has since been overtaken by the mouth to mouth breathing and chest compressions of cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR.)

Later, as a teenager, when I took my bronze life-saving course, I wondered if I would ever be called to save a life, like my dad. So far, I have not had to do so, and hope like he did, I would not panic and remember my training.

As the decades have slipped by, other opportunities to learn first aid came up and I took them. These included some half day courses in a large company I worked at, and in my 40s, I took the bronze life-saving course, including a CPR refresher, again. The most recent course was a session with St John Ambulance in the UK about three years ago, geared toward first aid for walkers and hikers.

Currently selling at a special price of $2.99, the first aid app covers the same five scenarios as the web-based “Be the Difference” campaign, such as how to deal with choking, severe bleeding, heart attacks, breathing and unbreathing unconscious casualties.

By April 2010, only two months after the launch, it had been downloaded 10,000 times across the globe, despite no marketing or promotion.

It is now at version 1.3, and has been updated to reflect recent revisions to the European Resuscitation Council protocol. It also shows you how to use an AED, and how to help a drowning person.

The app has a simple, clear, attractive and intuitive graphic interface. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (requires iOS 3.2 or later).

St John Ambulance point out that the app doesn’t replace the benefits of learning first aid on one of their courses, nor is it as in depth as a full first aid manual:

“But when there is an emergency, it will help you to know what to do to in those few crucial moments when basic knowledge of first aid can make the difference.”

The app covers other areas of first aid too, such as hyperventilating, cold, heat, diabetes, allergic reactions, and bites and stings.

Choosing a First Aid Course

Choosing the right first aid course can be rather daunting, just a few minutes browsing the internet soon shows the wealth of specialist courses available from various providers.

The British Red Cross site has a web page that takes you through a series of questions to help you decide which course is most appropriate for your needs. And it differentiates between work-based and general public courses and whether you are looking to train from scratch or refresh your skills.

Perhaps a good place to start is to have some basic training, a two-hour or half-day course, to learn the basics of first aid. As well as practical hands-on skills, you need to know simple principles such as how to make a quick assessment of the casualty, what resources you are going to need and have, and how to get help.

Also, consider where you are most likely to be needed as a first aider: what are your hobbies, where do you work, do you travel a lot by car, bus or train, do you do voluntary work with children or the elderly, and so on.

Then go in search of a course that builds on the basics, and after that, make sure you keep up to date.

You may also find that various charities, like St John Ambulance, are amenable to angling their training towards specific needs. I was lucky to have met David, who works for St John Ambulance in the UK, at our local gym. We got talking about first aid for walkers and hikers. David is a keen walker himself, and was happy to put together a special 2 hour refresher for our group that covered areas such as how to deal with minor and major emergencies, including adminstering CPR.

He also gave us a list of what to carry in addition to the usual first aid kit. As well as the usual plasters, sting relief, bandages, lint, wound cleaning fluid, he recommended a whistle, a roll of duct tape (eg for emergency strapping around a limb), a large pair of safety scissors (to cut quickly through clothes), a thermal bag (to keep casualties warm), some Kendal Mint Cake (or other high energy rations), a torch (with spare batteries), and water purification tablets.

The Ramblers charity also has a comprehensive webpage on Health and Safety for Walkers.

First Aid Kit

One of the first things you should do as a first aider, is put together first aid kits for your home and your car and familiarize yourself with the contents: read the manual and learn how to use them.

You can buy ready made first aid kits from a good chemist, or you can make them to your own personal specification, depending on the purpose. For example, if taking one on an outing, make sure it is big enough for the party of members and the type of activity, and perhaps take a second one that is carried by another member of the party.

Keep all the contents in a waterproof box with a secure lid. Check and restock the kit regularly.

The website traveldoctor.co.uk also suggest you include some vinegar for jellyfish stings (those little sachets you get in roadside cafes are just the right size for one application).

The British Red Cross online shop sells a variety of ready made first aid kits, from small kits to carry on your person, to full kits for motorists, coaches and camper vans.

The British Red Cross has co-written a comprehensive first aid manual with St John Ambulance and St Andrew’s Ambulance Association. It is available in A5 format, and is fully illustrated with photographs and anatomical drawings. It is a useful first aid reference book for the home or the workplace.

Source: MedicalNewsToday.com

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New Video Gaming Technology Helps To Detect Illness, Prevent Falls In Older Adults

Many older adults lose their independence as their health declines and they are compelled to move into assisted care facilities. Researchers at the University of Missouri and TigerPlace, an independent living community, have been using motion-sensing technology to monitor changes in residents’ health for several years. Now, researchers have found that two devices commonly used for video gaming and security systems are effective in detecting the early onset of illness and fall risk in seniors.

Marjorie Skubic, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the MU College of Engineering, is working with doctoral student, Erik Stone, to use the Microsoft Kinect, a new motion-sensing camera generally used as a video gaming device, to monitor behavior and routine changes in patients at TigerPlace. These changes can indicate increased risk for falls or early symptoms of illnesses.

“The Kinect uses infrared light to create a depth image that produces data in the form of a silhouette, instead of a video or photograph,” said Stone. “This alleviates many seniors’ concerns about privacy when traditional web camera-based monitoring systems are used.”

Another doctoral student, Liang Liu, is collaborating with Mihail Popescu, assistant professor in the College of Engineering and the Department of Health Management and Informatics in the MU School of Medicine, to develop a fall detection system that uses Doppler radar to recognize changes in walking, bending and other movements that may indicate a heightened risk for falls. Different human body parts create unique images, or “signatures,” on Doppler radar. Since falls combine a series of body part motions, the radar system can recognize a fall based on its distinct “signature.”

“Falls are especially dangerous for older adults and if they don’t get help immediately, the chances of serious injury or death are increased,” said Liu. “If emergency personnel are informed about a fall right away, it can significantly improve the outcome for the injured patient.”

Both motion-sensing systems provide automated data that alert care providers when patients need assistance or a medical intervention. The systems currently are used for monitoring residents at TigerPlace in Columbia. Skubic says the system allows residents to maintain their independence and take comfort in knowing that illnesses or falls may be detected early.

Stone’s study, “Evaluation of an Inexpensive Depth Camera for Passive In-Home Fall Risk Assessment,” won the best paper award at the Pervasive Health Conference, in Dublin, Ireland in May. Liu’s study, “Automatic Fall Detection Based on Doppler Radar Motion,” received the best poster award at the conference. Liu’s paper was a collaboration with GE Global Research and co-authored by Tarik Yardibi and Paul Cuddihy. TigerPlace is a joint project of the Sinclair School of Nursing and AmErikare, a long-term care company.

The research is part of Mizzou Advantage, the five unique areas that set MU apart from other universities. The project contributes to the “Managing Innovation: Navigating Disruptive and Transformational Technologies” initiative that will touch on virtually every part of the university to explore areas in which existing technologies are changing rapidly.

Source: MedicalNewsToday.com

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Emotional and Financial Strain Suffered by Caregivers

Family members or friends caring for aging or disabled individuals in California are under both financial and emotional strain and are likely to face even greater burdens, given recent cuts in state support for programs and services that support in-home care, write the authors of a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

The study looked at California’s estimated 6 million-plus informal caregivers of all ages and found higher levels of serious psychological distress and negative health behaviors, such as smoking, compared with the general population. Of particular concern are an estimated 2.6 million caregivers between the ages of 45 and 64 who may be setting themselves up for an unhealthy future due to higher rates of poor health behaviors, compared with both non-caregivers in the same age range and older caregivers.

“This is the ‘sandwich generation,’ the group of people struggling to meet the needs of both growing children and aging parents, often alone and while holding down full-time jobs,” said Geoffrey Hoffman, the brief’s lead author. “Caregivers need help, especially as baby boomers age and place even greater strains on their and their families’ abilities to cope.”

Using data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the authors found that California caregivers provide an average of 20 hours of care per week for a friend or relative who can no longer do certain things for themselves, such as bathing, shopping, managing medications or paying bills.

Few caregivers are paid for their work or use state services that might help alleviate both financial and psychological burdens. And with the U.S. Census projecting that the population of those 65 and older will more than double in the next 30 years, the magnitude of largely uncompensated care by family and friends will rapidly increase.

“We may be seeing an association between caregiving and stress, where caregivers are both more likely to be seriously depressed and to exhibit certain health behaviors that put them at risk,” Hoffman said. “These effects on caregivers’ overall health merit attention from policymakers.”

Among the findings:

• Caregivers under stress

  Mental health: More than 1 million caregivers report moderate or serious distress levels, with almost one-third reporting that their emotions interfere a lot with their household chores (29.9 percent) or their social lives (32.9 percent).

  Middle-aged caregivers struggling: Compared with both older caregivers and non-caregivers of the same age, middle-aged caregivers are more likely to binge drink (25.5 percent), smoke (15.9 percent) and/or be obese (30.1 percent).

  Stress and smoking: Caregivers of all ages who reported serious psychological distress were 208 percent more likely to smoke than non-caregivers with serious psychological distress – an exceptional amount.

• Middle-aged caregivers lack support

  Nearly one-third (29.0 percent) of middle-aged caregivers are single, divorced or widowed, and more than two-thirds (67.1 percent) hold down full- or part-time jobs. Nearly one-quarter (22.5 percent) are low-income.

• Caregiving is time-intensive

  Approximately one-third of caregivers who live with care recipients spend an average of 36 hours on caregiving – almost as much as a full-time job. A majority (62.0 percent) of caregivers of all ages work full or part time.

• Caregivers of all ages under financial strain

  Only 7.4 percent of informal caregivers reported being paid for the help they provide. Moreover, nearly 20 percent spent $250 or more of their own money on caregiving in the past month. The strains of caregiving may be alleviated by respite services (short-term temporary relief from duties), yet only 13.5 percent of caregivers report ever using any respite care.

The authors note that recent cuts to California’s In-Home Supportive Services program and the scheduled Dec 1. elimination of the Adult Day Health Care program will likely place even greater burdens on informal caregivers.

“Family members and friends supporting loved ones in need provide the bulk of personal assistance services and often absorb the high costs of caregiving, both financially and emotionally,” said Dr. Bruce Chernof, president and CEO of The SCAN Foundation, which provided funding for the analysis. “Programs that support family caregivers can help them create and sustain vulnerable elders in community settings, which promotes the values of dignity, choice and independence as loved ones grow older.”

The authors urge support for the Community Living Assistance and Supports (CLASS) program, a voluntary, consumer-funded long-term care insurance program proposed under health reform, which would provide a cash benefit that could be used to compensate informal caregivers and to purchase needed respite or mental health services.

Other provisions in the health reform law also offer a range of initiatives to provide in-home care to seniors and people with disabilities and reduce dependence on high-cost Medicaid nursing homes, according to the authors. Programs like the Community First Choice Option, which provides community-based attendant supports and services to disabled individuals requiring an institutional level of care, as well as proposed new Medicaid funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers, could significantly lift the burden off of family and other informal caregivers, the researchers say.

Source: MedicalNewsToday.com

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than one in six Americans who work a full- or part-time job also report assisting with care for an elderly or disabled family member, relative, or friend.

Caregivers in the U.S. are diverse, with between 13% and 22% of American workers across major socioeconomic and demographic groups reporting that they fulfill a caregiver role.

These findings are from more than 200,000 surveys of employed Americans collected from January 2010 through June 2011 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

The 22% of middle-aged American workers who report being a caregiver is the highest of any group. The 13% of 18- to 29-year-olds who report the same is the lowest percentage across the various groups.

Blacks (21%) and Hispanics (20%) are also among the most likely to act as caregivers. Seventeen percent of white workers say they are caregivers.

Additionally, the lower income and less educated an American is, the more likely he or she is to be a caregiver. Twenty-one percent of Americans with an annual income of less than $36,000 report that they are caregivers compared with 15% of high-income ($90,000 or more per year) households. Similarly, 20% of Americans with a high school education or less fulfill a caregiver role versus 15% of college graduates and 16% of postgraduates.

The relatively lower percentages of high-income and highly-educated American caregivers may be a reflection of their ability to pay for professional care instead of having to fulfill the role themselves. Alternatively, the pattern may be due, at least in part, to those with higher incomes and higher levels of education tending to be younger.

Women are also slightly more likely than men to be caregivers — 20% versus 16%, respectively.

Caregiving even affects seniors, with 16% of those aged 65 or older reporting they help care for an elderly or disabled family member, relative, or friend.

Bottom Line

More than 1 in 10 American workers in all major demographic and socioeconomic groups report that they are a caregiver. Caregiving is most prevalent among those who are middle-aged, low-income, black, Hispanic, or less educated.

Previous Gallup research has also already shown that caregivers have worse emotional and physical health compared to non-caregivers.

Source: Gallup.com

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Working American caregivers — those who work at least 15 hours per week and help care for an aging family member, relative, or friend — report that their caregiving obligations significantly affect their work life.

The majority of caregivers say that caregiving has at least some impact on their performance at work. Based on a five-point scale, where five is a great impact and one is no impact, 10% of caregivers choose five and 44% pick somewhere between two and four.

Additionally, 24% of caregivers say that providing care to an aging family member, relative, or friend keeps them from being able to work more.

Most caregivers also report missing entire workdays as a result of their caregiving responsibilities. Thirty-six percent report missing one to five days per year because of caregiving duties, while 30% say they missed six or more days in the past year.

Overall, caregivers reporting missing an average of 6.6 workdays per year. With approximately 17% of the American full-time workforce acting as caregivers, this amounts to a combined 126 million missed workdays each year. This absenteeism costs the U.S. economy an estimated $25.2 billion in lost productivity per year. Including caregivers who work part time in the equation would cause absenteeism costs to climb even higher.

These findings are from a special survey of Americans who self-identified as caregivers in Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveys throughout 2010. Gallup recontacted those self-identified caregivers and interviewed 2,805 who were also employed at least 15 hours per week for a Pfizer-ReACT/Gallup poll specifically about caregiving. All respondents answered affirmatively to the question, “Do you currently help care for an elderly family member, relative, or friend, or not?”

Most Working Caregivers in Professional Roles

Nearly one-third of all working caregivers are in a professional occupation, with another 12% each in service and management roles. Less than 5% of caregivers work in other professions such as installation/repair, transportation, and construction.

Most caregivers (71%) indicate that their employer is aware of their caregiving status, but another 28% believe that their employer is unaware. Furthermore, an analysis of knowledge of workplace support programs shows that about one-quarter or less of working caregivers have access to support groups, ask-a-nurse-type services, financial/legal advisors, and assisted living counselors through their respective workplaces.

Source: Gallup.com

If you or a loved one would like more information about home care services in Sterling Heights, MI, and surrounding areas, please contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today!

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The large majority of employed American caregivers — people who work at least 15 hours per week and help care for an aging family member, relative, or friend — are looking after an elderly parent. Specifically, 72% say they provide care to a parent and separately 67% say the person is 75 years of age or older.

There is no one specific ailment that afflicts the majority of people being cared for in the United States. Rather, these people suffer from a wide array of diseases or conditions. However, the 15% of caregivers who report that the person they care for has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is more than mention any other specific sickness.

These findings are from a special survey of Americans who self-identified as caregivers in Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveys throughout 2010. Gallup recontacted those self-identified caregivers and interviewed 2,805 who were also employed at least 15 hours per week for a Pfizer-ReACT/Gallup poll specifically about caregiving.

In general, the findings from the survey reveal that caregiving has a significant impact on the life of the person providing care, including taking up a large portion of their life and a significant amount of time on a daily and monthly basis.

The majority of caregivers (55%) in the study said they have been providing care for three years or more. Another 31% reported giving care for between one year and less than three years. The remaining 15% had been providing care for a year or less. These data reveal that caregiving is generally a long-term commitment.

Errands and Day-to-Day Tasks Dominate Caregivers’ Work

Caregivers report spending a lot of time on different tasks related to looking after their aging family member, relative, or friend. Caregivers appear to be spending the most time on errands and general day-to-day tasks such as going shopping, doing laundry, and providing transportation. Caregivers spend an average of 13 days per month handling these types of tasks.

Caregivers spend far fewer days — six per month on average — performing personal tasks such as helping the person they are caring for eat, get dressed, and go to the bathroom. This is likely tied to the finding that the majority (64%) of caregivers say the person they care for does not live with them.

Caregivers are also spending considerable time on administrative-type tasks. They report spending an average of 13 hours per month doing things like researching care services or disease needs, coordinating physician visits, and managing financial matters.

Beyond the actual work and chores of caregiving — errands, personal items, and administrative tasks — caregivers are fulfilling a companionship role. On a typical day spent giving care, caregivers report devoting an average of five hours providing companionship or supervision.

Source: Gallup.com

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By 2012, an estimated 14 million people will serve as distance caregivers to
family members who live across the state, across the region, even across the
country.

“No longer are families living just around the corner from each
other,” says Polly Mazanec, an assistant professor at the Frances Payne Bolton
School of Nursing and an advance practice oncology nurse at University Hospitals
Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center.

The distance presents a
challenge as family members work to gain information about their loved ones and
participate in their cancer care. But it’s also challenging to the
local caregivers nurses, doctors and local family members who must adapt
short-term to these remote caregivers’ special needs. In hospitals across the
country, such challenges have prompted distance caregivers to be labeled
“seagulls” and “pigeons” references to family members who fly in, make a mess
and fly out.

Distance caregivers are gaining in numbers, according to
Mazanec, who is lead investigator on the study, “Distance Caregiving a Parent
with Advanced Cancer.” In the Oncology Nursing Forum article, “Lack of
Communication and Control: Experience of Distance Caregivers of Patients,” she
reports on the qualitative findings from the study.

Mazanec says what she
and her fellow researchers found requires a change in the way information is
delivered to distance caregivers. Nurses, she says, can have a role in easing
some of the emotional stress experienced by distant family
members.

The majority of the distance caregivers are secondary caregivers
with local family members relaying patient information secondhand and often by
phone, Mazanec says.

With sparse how-to information available to help
these individuals, Mazanec first wanted to understand what bothered these
caregivers and then develop an intervention to bring them into the loop of
patient care.

The study, part of a larger look at distance caregiving,
involved telephone interviews with caregivers for patients with advanced lung,
gastrointestinal and gynecologic malignancies. Each interviewee lived 100 miles
or more away from their family member and answered three open-ended questions
that were taped and later transcribed.

Common themes were a lack of
control and information, but what emerged beyond those key concerns were the
following:

– Distance caregivers struggle emotionally about the right
time to visit or call their family members. Many caregivers have families with
young children and possibly limited financial means to travel.

–
Uncertainty about what was happening with their family members also concerned
the caregivers.

– Even though the caregivers were highly educated and
many sought information online, they still wanted more information from the
health care professionals.

– Even though parents of these caregivers
were ill, they still wanted to protect their children by withholding information
that sons and daughters wanted to know. Likewise the children withheld
information to protect or lessen the stress of their ill parent.

–
Caregivers felt it was important to stay connected.

Mazanec says that
with new technologies available, she hopes to design a program that closes the
distance gap.

Collaborating on the article were: Barbara Daly, the Oliva
Perkins Professor in Oncology; Maryjo Prince-Paul, assistant professor, at the
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing; and Betty Rolling Ferrell, research
scientist at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte,
Calif.

The study had funding from a National Research Service Award from
the National Institute of Health.

Source: Case Western Reserve University

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How does having a family member with dementia affect children? The answer: It depends on the age of the child, the severity of the memory loss and the child’s relationship to the person with dementia. The better you understand how the disease affects your loved one, and how you handle your own process of loss and adapting to change, the better you can help your child.

Depending on their age, children understand only what they are developmentally capable of understanding. But they will also benefit by knowing the truth—as described in their terms. Accepting and acknowledging the truth requires that we allow ourselves to experience feelings of loss. When caring for a person with dementia, the feeling of loss is quite complicated and is often called “ambiguous loss”—it is unclear and indeterminate. The ambiguity comes from needing to recognize that the person might be here physically, but absent psychologically and cognitively. Often our greatest paradox as caregivers is the paradox of letting go of the person who used to be, and holding on to the qualities of the person who is present now. How you meet this challenge will significantly influence your child’s ability to find a pleasurable connection–throughout the disease process–with the person they love.

Children and teens often receive less attention, have their routines disrupted and may have to help with caregiving responsibilities. Children’s grief comes out differently than adults’ grief, depending on their developmental stage. When children don’t have information, they make up explanations for the things happening around them. They might experience sadness, confusion, fear, worry, anger, frustration, guilt, jealousy, resentment and embarrassment. They may feel unloved, that they are not normal and/or their family is not normal, concern that the illness or disability is “contagious,” and even that they caused this disease to happen.

Children may have difficulty understanding and accepting the disease, particularly a disease as confusing as dementia. They might withdraw from or lose patience with the person with dementia or spend more time away from home or not invite friends to the house if the person with dementia lives with you. Often they express vague physical complaints like a stomach ache or headache, show regressive (younger) behavior and you might see a decline in their school work. Sometimes children quietly worry that the disease will “happen” to them or mommy or daddy, and if so, who will take care of them.

Maintaining Communication

Parents need to maintain open lines of communication with children, explaining the disease more than once and answering questions truthfully. Children need comfort and support and the opportunity to express their feelings. Normalizing their feelings by naming them and accepting them keeps the channels of communication open. It also helps children if the adults in their lives express their own feelings, to show them that feelings are ok and there are appropriate ways to express those feelings.

Preschool children and young children will express themselves best through play and art activities. They often sense something is wrong but have no way of asking what it is, so it’s best not to pretend all is well. Use simple and concrete explanations such as, “If grandma doesn’t remember things as well as she used to, we may need to help her.” Or “Grandma’s brain is having trouble remembering and the doctors are trying to help her.”

School-aged children often want a lot of detail about the disease and might respond well to pictures of the brain of an Alzheimer’s person. They might be particularly upset by the many mood swings and behavior problems of someone with dementia. They need us to help them identify their feelings, discuss their reactions to the person with dementia without judgment, and help them understand why their beloved grandparent is behaving the way he or she is. Give the child the opportunity to help in problem solving, such as “How can we help grandma not be scared when she goes outside?” It is also important to not give children responsibilities beyond their capabilities (e.g., taking grandma to the bathroom). The school-aged child needs reminders that the person with dementia still loves them even if he or she doesn’t say so or even remember the child’s name.

For teenagers, the many mood changes of the person with dementia may be similar to the ones they themselves are experiencing. Adolescence tends to be a self-centered time and it might be hard for the teenager to be patient with the changes in their loved one and with the accommodations necessary at home to care for someone with dementia. Listen and be understanding and tolerant of their negative feelings. Bring your teenager into the planning process so they feel they have some control. As with all children, information is important. Teenagers can understand a more complex explanation of the disease. Work with your teenager on schedules to accommodate their needs and yours, and give them some control on what chores they might have. Having specific tasks to do for the person with dementia can help the teenager to feel more comfortable, e.g. reading a story, looking at photo albums, folding laundry, etc. “Fitting in” is of primary importance to many teenagers and having someone with dementia in the home may be a source of profound embarrassment. These feelings need to be acknowledged and accommodations made to allow the teenager to socialize with as much dignity for him or herself and the person with dementia as possible. They may need to help finding words to explain the disease to friends.

It is important in all families and for all children that there be sources of support, whether it be extended family, friends, religious community or counselor. It is very easy to be consumed by the responsibilities of being a caregiver. As a family, make sure you plan fun activities to do together (sometimes, at least, without the person with dementia) and have alone time with your child as often as possible. Doing research on the web or reading books together on dementia is another way to help everyone in the family gain knowledge and share their feelings and experiences.

Source: Family Caregiver Alliance

If you would like more information about home care services in Grosse Pointe, MI and surrounding areas, please contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today!

Desperate though caregivers may be for a temporary respite from their care
responsibilites, many care recipients are resistant to strangers coming into
their home to help. The help may be perceived as an invasion of privacy, a loss
of independence or a waste of money. Yet in-home assistance is often critical in
offering caregivers a break and time to relax and rejuvenate.

There are ways to make this transition easier. Here are some tips for making
your loved one feel more comfortable with in-home help:

1. Start gradually. Begin by
having the aide come only a couple of hours each week, then add hours as your
loved one builds a relationship with the helper. If you feel comfortable with
the attendant running errands or preparing meals that can be brought to the
house, you can start with those services, which can be done outside the
home.

2. Listen to your loved one’s fears and
reasons for not wanting in-home care. Express your understanding
of those feelings. If possible, get your loved one involved in choosing the
aide. He or she will feel more invested and comfortable with the decision.

3. “This is for me. I know you don’t need
help.” Expressing the need as yours, rather than the your loved
one’s, helps maintain her sense of dignity and independence. You can also add
that having someone stay at home allows you not to worry while you are gone.
Make it clear that you will be coming back.

4. “This is prescribed by the
doctor.” Doctors are often seen as authority figures and your
loved one may be more willing to accept help if she feels that she is required
to do so.

5. “I need someone to help clean.”
Even if this is not the real reason, often people will allow someone in to clean
when they “don’t need” care for themselves.

6. “This is a free service.” This
strategy may work if other family members are paying for the home care or if it
is, in fact, provided without charge. Your loved one may be more open to using
the service since she does not feel that she is spending money for it.

7. “This is my friend.” By
pretending that the attendant is a friend of yours you are relating the home
care worker to the family. This can help with establishing trust and rapport.
You can also say that your “friend” is the one who needs company and that by
having him or her over your loved one is helping him out.

8. “This is only temporary.” This
strategy depends on the condition of your loved one’s memory. If she often
forgets what you say then she may also forget that you said this. By presenting
the situation as short-term you will give some time for your loved one to form a
relationship or become comfortable with home care as part of her daily routine,
and give you a chance for a well-deserved break.

Source: Family Caregiver Alliance

If you would like more information about in-home care for your loved one in Grosse Pointe, MI and surrounding areas, contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today!