When first starting, it’s difficult to know what you need to do first or if something is a priority or necessity. New caregivers may need help in knowing how to assess their various needs. For example, how do they determine what supplies and equipment they need instead of renting or repurposing? How can they determine what physical or emotional needs their family member might have? Which symptoms are serious, and which ones are minor? Learn how to do a needs assessment to enable you to make better choices.
Learning How to Do a Health Assessment When I worked as a home health nurse and received a new patient assignment, I always did a health assessment the first time I met the patient. The purpose of the health assessment was to check out the patient from head to toe to see for myself if …
Feels Overwhelming. After first becoming a caregiver, one of the most difficult tasks is learning what to keep and let go. With caregiving, you acquired full responsibility for care, decision-making, finances, appointments, health monitoring, supplies, and, let’s not forget, entertainment for possibly someone who doesn’t want you telling them what to do. Yet, at the …
Did I Mean What I Said or Say What I Meant? When two people have a conversation, both come with preconceived ideas regarding how it will go. When getting started as caregivers and planning a difficult conversation about job duties, we sometimes have trouble saying what we mean. Instead of saying what we want to …
Caregiving is expensive. One way to avoid financial hardship is to establish a budget based on household and medical necessities as you begin planning care. When the need for caregiving becomes a reality, take time to look over all your financial needs and the possible resources available to help with medical expenses because caregiving is …
Helping someone who has trouble moving or helping themselves requires a lot of strength, flexibility, and energy. Many times, unexpected movements cause muscle strain or back injuries. Special transfer or moving equipment (often called durable medical equipment or DME) helps reduce the risk of these injuries, but the cost is high. Before buying …
Use Caution When Assessing Needs Caregivers enter their role with guarded expectations and mixed knowledge and skills. Assessing the needs of themselves or their family members is very foreign to them. Therefore, use caution in searching for information to avoid unreliable sources. When seeking information or training, seek reliable sources. Caregivers with no …
Starting Out as a Caregiver Starting out as a caregiver can make your head spin at first. You may even feel overwhelmed but take a deep breath and let me help you get organized. I’ve been a caregiver for more than thirty years and have some great tips to assist you in getting your feet …
Caregivers Need Preparation The more a caregiver knows about how to do things and what to expect, the better prepared they feel about facing what’s ahead when alone with the one needing care. When healthcare professionals send a patient home for a family member to provide care, they don’t expect expert performance. However, I don’t …
