As a new caregiver, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you need to take in at one time. Indeed, you have a lot to learn, and you likely received it in random order making it difficult to figure out what goes with what. First Steps provides an organized approach to getting started as a caregiver. How to assess your situation to create a plan begins the process. Once you have a plan drafted, you move on to implementing it.
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 […]
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Accessibility to Public Areas Outdoors People with physical limitations have difficulty accessing and using public areas effectively or with the same level of enjoyment or success that non-disabled individuals can. Posted signs declaring a facility or public grounds “Wheelchair Accessible” often misrepresent the truth. Unfortunately, after arriving on-site, they often discover “Wheelchair Accessible” pathways too
Immobility – It’s a Big Deal for Lots of Reasons The human body works best when it’s in motion. In fact, some part of us is in motion almost all the time when our muscles, nerves, and skeleton function properly. All that movement is called mobility. It’s mobility that gives us the ability to eat,
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
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Living with Mobility Challenges My husband has primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Though he can move both arms and legs, he can move none of them well enough to accomplish tasks. Nerve damage from MS, along with muscle spasms, and weakness from lengthy hospital stays, contributed to his current state of powerchair dependency. As a
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
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