Ask NAN blog
Teachings and tips for family caregivers navigating the needs of their aging loved one.
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Enjoying the Holiday Season as a Caregiver
During the holiday season it is crucial for caregivers to make time to take care of themselves. Here is some guidance for your self-care during the holidays, and a link to a worksheet that can help you organize your thoughts and plan.
A Workbook for Planning Your Self-Care During the Holiday Season
During the busy and sometimes stressful holiday season, it is crucial for caregivers to make time to take care of themselves. Here is a workbook to help you think through and plan your self-care during the holidays.
Traveling with Your Loved One
Travel can be an especially challenging activity for your loved one. Still, with careful planning and consideration, you can make the journey safe and comfortable for you and your loved one.
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders: What Are They, and Should I Discuss Them With My Loved One?
Many family caregivers identify taking on the role of medical decision maker for a loved one as one of their greatest challenges. Here are some steps that a family caregiver can take to confidently support their loved one’s wishes for end-of-life medical decisions.
How To Do Relaxation Breathing
If you're feeling anxious, the first step to take is to break your body's stress response cycle. Relaxation breathing is a powerful technique to achieve this.
The Basics of Adult Day Centers
Adult day centers offer supervised care and activities that are tailored to meet the needs of people living with Alzheimer's. Adult day services can help provide respite to caregivers, while at the same time ensuring that your loved one receives safe, compassionate, and attentive care. Here’s a guide to how to find the right fit for your loved one.
Time Management for Caregivers
While there isn’t a way to create more time in the day, there are methods that can help you get the most out of every minute. Here are some strategies to help manage time effectively and free up time for yourself.
Caregiver Burnout: How to Cope
Caregiving for someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most challenging jobs in the world, and it comes with a risk of what is known as “Caregiver Burnout.” With caregiver burnout, you are in a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may also be coupled with a change in your attitude towards your caregiving role, from one of positive, caring, and rewarding to one of feeling negative, unconcerned, and resentful.
Motivating Your Loved One to Do Physical Activity
Exercise can have enormous benefits. However, keeping your loved one with Alzheimer's disease motivated to exercise and do physical therapy can be a real challenge. After all, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that leads to loss of memory issues, mood swings, and multiple physical limitations. Here are some strategies you can use to encourage them.
Is It Safe To Leave My Loved One Alone in the House?
One of the biggest responsibilities that comes with caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease is keeping them safe. This can be challenging as Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, and so it can be hard to know when your loved one’s capabilities have declined to the point that you can no longer leave them safely alone by themselves. Here are some signs that indicate it is no longer safe to leave your loved one alone in the house.
Traveling with A Loved One with Parkinson’s
Caring for a loved one with Parkinson’s disease should not keep you both from traveling. With some careful planning and following some simple guidelines, you and your loved one can enjoy a stress-free traveling experience. Here’s how.
Communicating with Your Caregiving Village
As the primary advocate for your loved one, you need to feel confident and comfortable adding your voice to the conversations about their care. Here’s how to communicate with your healthcare providers.
Communicating With Your Loved One
Communicating with a loved one with Alzheimer's can be challenging, as the illness robs your loved one of their abilities to remember and process information during a conversation. But there are ways you can make it easier for both of you to communicate effectively.
Getting Help With Your Filing Your Income Tax Returns
It is never too early to get organized with your finances and get ready to file your taxes. For many people this can seem to be a complicated, confusing, and daunting topic. Fortunately there are several services available for you to help you get through the maze. Here’s how to start.
A Checklist for Moving With Your Loved One
Planning a move is stressful. It can be overwhelming when thinking of all the entities that need to be notified. However, being proactive and utilizing checklists can help minimize that stress and ensure the various services and systems your loved one has come to rely on remain smoothly operating. Here is a list to help guide you.
Planning for a Funeral
It’s a curious aspect of American culture that while it is inevitable that everyone will die at some point in their life, no one seems very eager to plan for that eventuality. But, talking to your loved one now about funeral plans, no matter how far off, will save you a large amount of aggravation and uncertainty in the future.
Managing Incontinence
Many caregivers say that coping with incontinence is one of the most challenging parts of their duties. But with patience, compassion, and the latest tools, you can manage this challenge while preserving your loved one’s privacy and dignity.
Managing the Stress of the Holidays
Holidays are traditionally a spirited, happy time, but they can be challenging for caregivers, their loved ones, and their families and friends. There are ways to help maintain the enjoyment of the holiday time, however, and let everyone focus on the family ― even if one of the family has Alzheimer’s Disease. Here are some tips.
Overcoming Difficulties in Bathing or Showering
No personal care activity is more challenging than helping your loved one bathe or shower. Because bathing is such a uniquely private activity, your loved one may not want your help. But for most of our loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, the time will come when they need some assistance. To ensure success with this important activity, tailor your support to match your loved one’s ability.
Coping with Auditory or Visual Hallucinations
Hallucinations can be caused by diseases like Alzheimer's, which change the way the brain interprets what is seen or heard. Hallucinations can be very convincing, with the result that our loved ones have a false understanding of what they are seeing or hearing. Here’s how to cope.
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