Article - Care-Sharing Made Easier

Most people who are aging or facing permanent disabilities want to be able to stay in their own home as long as possible. The notion of remaining independent and being surrounded by things that are familiar is very appealing and makes financial sense. In 2005 the average daily cost of a private room in a nursing home in the United States was $74,000 a year, or $203 a day, according to the 2005 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home and Home Care. Costs for staffing and maintaining a facility continue to skyrocket. The 2005 study also found that the average cost per hour of a home health care aide is $19 per hour nationally, which adds up to more than $400 per day.

Staying home with some family support is the preferred choice for many people. When a family selects this option, coordinating day-to-day caregiving becomes the next challenge they face.

• Work schedules need to be planned around caregiver availability and the patient's needs. You can't change shifts during the morning routine or when the patient needs to go for medical care.

• Communication and care procedures become critical. For example, too many hands on the medication routine can lead to errors and possible overdosing.

• Access to the home and knowledge of the local area are additional hurdles to plan for.

The staff at Dynamic Living has come up with a list of important products and ideas that can help caregivers share the responsibility.

Scheduling

While it may seem easy, scheduling is probably one of the more complicated tasks to maintain over time. When you have a circle of caregivers, it is common to have to rearrange schedules with some regularity.

• A large daily planning calendar can be a great visual way to maintain the schedule:

  - Post all of the caregivers' schedules.

  - Color coding blocks of time is helpful if it starts to get really complicated.

  - One person should have the responsibility to make sure that there is always coverage.

• Staple all of the patient's appointment cards to the appropriate page in the calendar or enter the appointment with a phone number in case you need to reschedule. Make sure that transportation has been arranged.

• You may need an occasional stand-in for the regular arrangements. Someone could get sick or have an emergency.

  - Be ready with a list of family, friends or an agency of professional caregivers who can be available on short notice.

  - Another potential back-up resource includes volunteers from the community. Check in with your church or synagogue, local public service groups or call your state Area Agency on Aging for ideas.

Communicating Amongst Caregivers

Caregivers need to have access to a variety of information in order to maintain routines and care for their charge. Find a place to record and store things like: Where's the pharmacy that is used for prescriptions? What are the emergency phone numbers? What medications are to be taken when?

• Keep Tabs On Caregiving: This specialized notebook keeps all important information in one place from emergency numbers to daily routines to the overall care plan. No caregiver will be searching for information when the kit is fully up-to-date.

• MedCenters and Pill Timers: These products allow one person to prepare medication for a day, week or month. The timer encourages the patient and all caregivers to remember to take/give the medication at the right time and ensures no medication is missed or duplicated. There are also lockable medication dispensers so that the patient cannot get to the medication prematurely.

• Keep a box or designated drawer with maps and directions to appointments, emergency rooms and other critical places.

Don't Forget The Details

• How will caregivers get into the home while still keeping some sense of security? You don't want lots of keys floating around.

  - A HomeOwner KeySafe stores keys for family or caregivers using a secure code. After they leave, the code can be changed so that they can't get in again without your permission.

  - Biometric Door Locks are terrific if you have a steady circle of caregivers. Access is given by fingerprint, no key is required.

• Even non-essential information can be important to the well-being and happiness of your patient. Be sure to keep the following lists handy and update them regularly:

  - Favorite foods

  - Favorite activities / TV shows / movies

  - Special schedules that give everyone something to look forward to, like Friday night is movie and popcorn night, Monday is the day to dress nicely and go for an outing.

  - Everyone likes and needs an outing once in a while. Make a list of places to go and compile maps and directions.

  • When the weather is poor, the library, the mall, a museum or art gallery and other inside destinations can be a good way to get out of the house.

  • When the weather is good, there are parks, nice local walks and other natural outings to take advantage of.

There are lots of ways to make caregiving and care-sharing a little easier on everyone involved. It is important to have all emergency information on hand and just as important to know how to get around and what makes living more fun for the patient. Be sure you also plan for the general things, like housekeeping and runs to the supermarket and to the pharmacy. Planning ahead not only makes sure that there are fewer unpleasant surprises for everyone, it also reduces general stress on the circle of care.

© Copyright 2008 Dynamic Living, Inc.
Dynamic Living Newsletter may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Written permission from the editor must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter.

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