Caregiver Home | View Past Newsletters | View Past Carenotes |

Produced by Caregiver Media Group, publishers of  Today's Caregiver magazine and caregiver.com

Thursday May 5, 2011 - Issue #536

Welcome to the latest edition of the caregiver.com newsletter.

Please recommend caregiver newsletter to any other family or professional caregiver. It's a great way to show how much you care.

If you are receiving this issue of caregiver newsletter as a forward, and would like to get your own  subscription, click here.

If you cannot view this email correctly, please click here

From The Editor

Having Meaningful Conversations on Mothers’ Day

I recently spoke with my friend Harry about his 90-year-old mother, who lives two counties away. He described her as a fiercely independent woman who lived alone and was still driving. But recently, she had become noticeably frail and was not allowing anyone into her home.  On her recent Easter visit to his home, Harry noticed she hadn't changed or showered during the entire three-day stay. This was in distinct contrast to the fastidiously clean woman he had known his entire life. Harry told me he was worried about bringing the issue up with her because she might stop talking with him, as she had with Harry's brother after he had repeatedly attempted to communicate these same concerns....continued

Take care

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com

Today's Caregiver magazine Supports Your Conference
	Non-profit Organizations: Contact us and we will provide complimentary magazines for your conference attendees All you pay is shipping and handling. Don't miss this opportunity To sign up click here
Feature Article
Telehealth Moves from the Doctor's Office to the Home
By Sandra Ray, Staff Writer When many rural communities in the 1990s began to look for options to provide medical care to their area without a physician in residence, telehealth options surfaced and flourished. Patients could visit an office once or twice a week, have a traveling nurse take vitals, and then speak to a physician through a video relay service. For those areas who before had no health care, the programs provided much-needed access to individuals who otherwise may have gone without.....continued
View sample pages
Guest Column
Final Wishes
By Emily Jaschke    “I’m too ornery to die; I’m going to stick around forever to make everyone else’s life miserable.” Those were the only words of wisdom I had that alluded to her last wishes. My mother was dead. I did not understand why, and the responsibility of her final internment was placed upon my shoulders...continued
Caretips
What Did You Say? By J B Buckley Do you find the need to repeat yourself more often than not to the person you are caring for? Does your talking level closely resemble your yelling level just so your care recipient can hear you? Are you speaking so slowly that you end up losing your train of thought? It is possible that the person you are caring for is one of the 28 million Americans suffering from hearing loss...continued Share your tip, advice resource or observation. http://www.caregiver.com/sharing_wisdom/index.htm
Sharing Wisdom - Caregiver Tips
From M.M. in Tucson, Arizona With disposable plates, cups and cutlery, caregivers are not required to deal with dirty dishes, ever. If your person is incontinent, then layer at least three sheets with disposable pads on each so when there are accidents, you can easily remove a sheet with minimal effort. Velveeta melted on anything can make food easy to swallow. Low sodium V-8 juice is great; you don't have to add thickeners. If you are not set up for wheelchair access to an existing bathroom, then cut a hole in the screen for a hand-held shower outside.  If there is difficulty moving a person, request a lift from the insurance company. Demand a suction machine if a person has any difficulty swallowing food. This will save you a few trips to the ER for aspiration pneumonia. Above all, do not despair; there really is a solution to every challenge you are facing. Good luck; wind at your back! From Suzie in Massachusetts One thing I've been told by gerontologists is to try to keep my elderly clients awake during normal daytime hours—with maybe a one hour or one and a half hour nap at the most. Encourage fluids, decaffeinated beverages instead of caffeinated, and exercise like walking, range of motion exercises and housework. If you think something is unusual about your loved one, make a list to bring to the next doctor's appointment. You could write down what a typical day is and see what the doctor says. Also, tastebuds do fade, but the sweet tooth seems to last the longest. The best ideas and solutions for taking care of  your  loved one often come from other caregivers.  Please post your ideas and insights and we will share them with your fellow caregivers. http://www.caregiver.com/sharing_wisdom/index.htm
Caregiver.com Support Group Directory. Click here for information about any caregiver support groups in your area. Caregivers need your help. Please add information about your local support groups to our Support Group Directory. Include the name of the group, where and when it meets, city and state and support group leader contact information.
Have an idea for an article? We are always looking for contributing writers. For more information contact editor@caregiver.com Recommend Us Tell your friends about Caregiver.com!  If you have a friend who you think would benefit from our newsletter, complete and submit the form: recommend/index.htm Subscription Information If you received caregiver newsletter and are not yet a subscriber, and would like to begin receiving a complimentary copy of your own, please click here. Unsubscribe To unsubscribe from caregiver newsletter, simply  click on the 'manage your subscription' link at the bottom of this newsletter.   Privacy Policy Privacy Statement http://www.caregiver.com/privacy/index.htm
Copyright© 1995-2011 Caregiver.com Inc., All rights reserved by Caregiver.com and its subsidiaries.

www.caregiver.com

Inside This Issue:

From the Editor

Having Meaningful Conversations on Mothers’ Day

Feature Article

Telehealth Moves from the Doctor's Office to the Home
Guest Column

Final Wishes

Caretips

What Did You Say?
Sharing Wisdom

Visit the
Caregiver.com
Online Store for our specials and new products.

---

Let's Talk -

What financial support options have you found to help you with your caregiving?

Share your story

---

Digital version of print magazine

POST YOUR
 CAREGIVING
TIPS HERE

Educate yourself & other caregivers on any medication given to a loved one. The internet is wonderful to help you...continued

---

The Caregiver.com Newsletter Archive has a wealth of great articles and highlights from our  many Fearless Caregiver Conferences featuring celebrity keynote speakers such as... Clay Aiken, Clay Walker and more.

Fearless Caregiver
Channel