Here is something that the AMA put out (American Medical Assocation). After you've scored yourself, if you want to make changes in your life, read the earlier posts on stress, or send me an email.
Caregiver self-assessment questionnaire
HOW ARE YOU?
Caregivers are often so concerned with caring for their relative’s needs that they lose sight of their own well-being. Please take just a moment to answer the following questions. Once you have answered the questions, continue scrolling down to do a self-evaluation.
Answer the following questions yes or no.
During the past week or so, I have ...
1. Had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing?
2. Felt that I couldn’t leave my relative alone?
3. Had difficulty making decisions?
4. Felt completely overwhelmed?
5. Felt useful and needed?
6. Felt lonely?
7. Been upset that my relative has changed so much from his/her former self?
8. Felt a loss of privacy and/or personal time?
9. Been edgy or irritable?
10. Had sleep disturbed because of caring for my relative?
11. Had a cry spell(s)
12. Felt strained between work and family responsibilities?
13. Had back pain?
14. Felt ill (headaches, stomach problems or common cold)?
15. Been satisfied with the support my family has given me?
16. Found my relatives living situation to be inconvenient or a barrier to care?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “not stressful” to 10 being “extremely stressful”
Please rate your current level of stress
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “very healthy” to 10 being “very ill”
Please rate your current health compared to what it was this time last year
Self-evaluation
To determine the score:
1. Reverse score questions 5 and 15.
(For example, a “No” response should be counted as “Yes” and a “Yes” response should be counted as “No.”)
2. Total the number of “yes” responses.
To interpret the score
Chances are that you are experiencing a high degree of distress:
• If you answered “Yes” to either or both questions 4 and 11; or
• If your total “Yes” score = 10 or more; or
• If your score on question 17 is 6 or higher; or
• If your score on question 18 is 6 or higher
Next steps
• Consider seeing a doctor for a check-up for yourself
• Consider having some relief from caregiving
(Discuss with the doctor or a social worker the resources available in your community.)
• Consider joining a support group
Valuable resources for caregivers
Eldercare Locator
(a national directory of community services)
(800) 677-1116
www.eldercare.gov
Family Caregiver Alliance
(415) 434-3388
www.caregiver.org
Medicare Hotline
(800) 633-4227
www.medicare.gov
National Alliance for Caregiving
(301) 718-8444
www.caregiving.org
National Family Caregivers Association
(800) 896-3650
www.nfcacares.org
National Information Center for Children and
Youth with Disabilities
(800) 695-0285
www.nichcy.org
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Take The Oxygen First, pt. two
If this is first time you are looking at my blog, please go back and start with the first half of this article.
These stubborn caregivers have made up their mind, sometimes decades earlier, and they are not about to listen to anything that challenges their preconceived notions...
But there are some very good reasons for being open-minded about assisted living. For example there comes a time, especially with Alzheimer’s disease, that the care needs of the sufferer are greater than the caregiver’s ability to provide for them. Given this circumstance, it would be a terrible disservice to the loved one, to keep them at home with inadequate care.
Unfortunately, when their care needs are this advanced, the only placement option is going to be a nursing home. The care required at that stage are medical not custodial, and therefore surpass the services offered by assisted living or board and care.
I want to propose a better course of action. If the caregiver relents, and a placement is made into an assisted living, they now have a home-like environment that will be safe, comfortable, and friendly towards the disabled family member. The caregiver is still able to oversee their loved one’s care. And as I will explain in a moment, the impaired family member can age in place and the assisted living will continue to provide care as demands increase, even end-of-life care.
The difference is this – an assisted living will accept a client that meets their resident profile, and when they do they generally make an unwritten commitment to their families. They will always provide the necessary care, and they will monitor the resident’s decline and keep the family and the doctors properly informed.
Generally the first level of care in assisted living is bathing assistance, medication management, and personal laundry. Nevertheless, as more care is need they will provide care and supervision, incontinence care, wheelchair transfers and escorts. The care in Assisted Living can increase to keep pace with the resident's decline. And when the end of life is approaching they can introduce the family to hospice, which in turn can provide the maximum amount of comfort measures to insure a peaceful passing.
So, if you approach board and care or assisted living while your loved one fairly high functioning, chances are they will keep your parent or spouse no matter how much they decline, thus permanently avoided a nursing home placement. Saddly, if you wait too long, no assisted living will touch them. Not so much because they don’t want to, but because the State regulations that govern them have strict admission criteria. The State wants to insure that board and cares and assisted living communities do not take high accuity that belong in a nursing home. However, once a client is admitted to assisted living, the same State regulations protect the resident’s ability to remain in the facility, thus aging in place.
To summerize, we now have a strong argument in favor of placement for your loved one, and preferably sooner than later.
Granted no employee of an assisted living knows or loves your parent or spouse the way you do, and no one understands them or their needs the way you do. There is not a person or facility that can replace you. So it behooves you and your loved one that you take proper care of yourself, so that you are around for the rest of their life. But as I described in part one of this article, I have seen many a late-stage Alzheimer's patient with no family, per se, to oversee thier care, because the primary caregiver has passed away themselves.
So let this be one more reason for considering assisted living: There is only one of you. You prepare and provide meals, you ensure a safe and secure home, you provide transportation, you are the eyes and the ears for the doctor, and you provide medication management. You also provide socialization and human contact and interaction. You make sure they have emotional stability, and feel loved. You provide entertainment. You do the laundry and make sure they bathe. You see to their grooming and you make sure they are dressed appropriately. You are burning yourself out.
However, if you were to place your loved one in a nice assisted living community, all these activities of daily living will be handled by their staff. This in turn frees you up to not only spend time on yourself, but to also spend quality time with your parent or spouse. Again, I suggest you take the oxygen first. If you do that your health will improve, you will extend your life, and you will always be there to care and advocate for your loved one.
These stubborn caregivers have made up their mind, sometimes decades earlier, and they are not about to listen to anything that challenges their preconceived notions...
But there are some very good reasons for being open-minded about assisted living. For example there comes a time, especially with Alzheimer’s disease, that the care needs of the sufferer are greater than the caregiver’s ability to provide for them. Given this circumstance, it would be a terrible disservice to the loved one, to keep them at home with inadequate care.
Unfortunately, when their care needs are this advanced, the only placement option is going to be a nursing home. The care required at that stage are medical not custodial, and therefore surpass the services offered by assisted living or board and care.
I want to propose a better course of action. If the caregiver relents, and a placement is made into an assisted living, they now have a home-like environment that will be safe, comfortable, and friendly towards the disabled family member. The caregiver is still able to oversee their loved one’s care. And as I will explain in a moment, the impaired family member can age in place and the assisted living will continue to provide care as demands increase, even end-of-life care.
The difference is this – an assisted living will accept a client that meets their resident profile, and when they do they generally make an unwritten commitment to their families. They will always provide the necessary care, and they will monitor the resident’s decline and keep the family and the doctors properly informed.
Generally the first level of care in assisted living is bathing assistance, medication management, and personal laundry. Nevertheless, as more care is need they will provide care and supervision, incontinence care, wheelchair transfers and escorts. The care in Assisted Living can increase to keep pace with the resident's decline. And when the end of life is approaching they can introduce the family to hospice, which in turn can provide the maximum amount of comfort measures to insure a peaceful passing.
So, if you approach board and care or assisted living while your loved one fairly high functioning, chances are they will keep your parent or spouse no matter how much they decline, thus permanently avoided a nursing home placement. Saddly, if you wait too long, no assisted living will touch them. Not so much because they don’t want to, but because the State regulations that govern them have strict admission criteria. The State wants to insure that board and cares and assisted living communities do not take high accuity that belong in a nursing home. However, once a client is admitted to assisted living, the same State regulations protect the resident’s ability to remain in the facility, thus aging in place.
To summerize, we now have a strong argument in favor of placement for your loved one, and preferably sooner than later.
Granted no employee of an assisted living knows or loves your parent or spouse the way you do, and no one understands them or their needs the way you do. There is not a person or facility that can replace you. So it behooves you and your loved one that you take proper care of yourself, so that you are around for the rest of their life. But as I described in part one of this article, I have seen many a late-stage Alzheimer's patient with no family, per se, to oversee thier care, because the primary caregiver has passed away themselves.
So let this be one more reason for considering assisted living: There is only one of you. You prepare and provide meals, you ensure a safe and secure home, you provide transportation, you are the eyes and the ears for the doctor, and you provide medication management. You also provide socialization and human contact and interaction. You make sure they have emotional stability, and feel loved. You provide entertainment. You do the laundry and make sure they bathe. You see to their grooming and you make sure they are dressed appropriately. You are burning yourself out.
However, if you were to place your loved one in a nice assisted living community, all these activities of daily living will be handled by their staff. This in turn frees you up to not only spend time on yourself, but to also spend quality time with your parent or spouse. Again, I suggest you take the oxygen first. If you do that your health will improve, you will extend your life, and you will always be there to care and advocate for your loved one.
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