Did you ever wish you could just pick up the phone and call someone who can assess your situation, help you access the right services, counsel you and your family to help resolve some of your differences, then monitor your progress with an eye toward channeling your energy and abilities as effectively as possible?
If your answer is “yes,” you are not alone. Having the help of a care coordinator or care manager could make all of our lives easier, less lonesome, and help us be more capable family caregivers. While most of us may not have access to a care coordinator, we can all learn how to think and act like one, thereby reaping numerous benefits for our loved ones and ourselves.
What Is Care Coordination?
Although every case is different, the care coordination approach usually involves:
• Gathering information from healthcare providers
• An assessment of your care recipient and the home environment
• Research into available public and/or private services and resources to meet your
loved one’s needs;
• Ongoing communication between all parties to keep information up to date regarding
services that are appropriate and effective.
Unfortunately, an assessment of your abilities and needs is not necessarily a standard part of the process, but it should be. A complete view of the situation cannot be gained without considering these factors. The objective analysis of your health, emotional state, as well as other commitments are key elements in determining how much you can and cannot do yourself and what type of outside support is needed to ensure yours or your loved one’s health and safety.
Become Your Own Care Coordinator
By learning and applying at least some of the following care coordination techniques and ideas, you will be in a much better position to develop an organized course of action that will help you feel more confident and in control — a goal well worth achieving.
Educate yourself on the nature of the disease or disability of your care recipient
Reliable information is available from the health agency that deals with your loved one’s
condition as well the National Institutes of Health. When using the Internet, stick with well known medical sites. Understanding what is happening to your care recipient will provide you with the core knowledge you need to go forward. It will also make you a better advocate when talking with healthcare professionals.
Write down your observations of the present situation including:
• Your loved one’s ability to function independently, both physically and mentally.
• The availability of family and/or friends to form a support network to share the care.
• The physical environment: Is it accessible or can it be adapted at reasonable cost?
• Your other responsibilities — at work, at home, and in the community.
• Your own health and physical abilities.
• Your financial resources, available insurance, and existence of healthcare or end-of-
life documents.
This assessment will help you come to a realistic view of the situation. It will let you know which questions still need answers. It can be a handy baseline for charting your caregiver journey and reminding you just how much you have learned along the way.
Hold a family conference.
At least everyone in the immediate family should be informed about what is happening.
A meeting can set the stage for dividing responsibilities so that there are fewer misunderstandings in the future when more help may be needed. A member of the clergy, a professional care coordinator, or even a trusted friend can serve as an impartial moderator. A family meeting is a good way to let everyone know they can play a role, even if they are a thousand miles away. It can help you, the primary family caregiver, from bearing the brunt of all the work all of the time.
Keep good records
Emergency numbers, doctors, daily medications, special diets, back-up people, and other pertinent information relating to your loved one’s care should be current and accessible. Update as necessary. This record will be invaluable if something happens to you, or if you need to make a trip to the ER. If you can maintain a computer-based record, it will make updating all that much easier and it might even allow you to provide the medical team with direct access to the information.
Join a support group
Or find another caregiver with whom to converse. In addition to emotional support, you’ll likely pick up practical tips as well. Professionals network with each other all the time to get emotional support and find answers to problems or situations they face. Why shouldn’t family caregivers?
Start advance planning for difficult decisions that may lie ahead
It is never too early to discuss wills, advance directives, and powers of attorney, but there comes a time when it is too late. It is also vital that you and your loved one think through what to do if you should become incapacitated or worse. It can happen.
Develop a care team to help out
Especially during emergencies, or over time if the situation is very difficult. In an ideal world there will be lots of people who want to help. More likely you will be able to find one or two people to call on in an emergency or to help with small chores. The critical thing is to be willing to tell others what you need and to accept their help.
Establish a family regimen
When things are difficult to begin with, keeping a straightforward daily routine can be a stabilizer, especially for people who find change upsetting and confusing.
Approach some of your hardest caregiver duties like a professional
It is extraordinarily difficult to separate your family role from your caregiver role, to lock your emotions up in a box while you focus on practical chores and decisions. But it is not impossible to gain some level of detachment some of the time. It requires an almost single-minded approach to getting the job at hand done as efficiently and effectively as possible. It takes practice, but it is worth the effort.
Warmest Regards and a Happy New Year at Home,
Catherine Stelianoudakis Prochaska, CSA
Email: homefront67@live.com
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