“How do I handle the problem of getting my Mom to accept some help in her home?” asks the concerned daughter. I receive numerous phone calls from adult children about this dilemma. Adult children are faced with the task of persuading a parent to have some assistance in their home. The difficulty is broaching the […]
Keeping your domestic help happy and harmoniously working together for your benefit can be quite a challenge! The task seems multiplied exponentially by the number of workers you have in your home. When the head of the household is physically or mentally impaired, or not feeling well, then the opportunity for the hired help to […]
There was a shocking news report recently about a Boca Raton woman, who tried to kill her invalid mother, in order to eliminate her burden of taking care of her mother. Yikes! This gives a whole new definition to the term “caregiver burnout.” The daughter attempted to set her mother’s bedroom on fire, and prevented […]
Ring…ring…ring…For the past three hours Lucy’s mother had not answered her phone. Lucy knew her mother was home. What was preventing her mother from picking up the phone? Just yesterday Lucy had put her mom on a plane, heading back to Florida. In spite of Lucy’s objections, her mother insisted that she was well enough […]
Independence, autonomy, self-directed: all attributes we associate with the Fourth of July. These same character goals not only apply to our nation, but also to each one of us. Independence is especially precious once it is diminished or lost due to illness or incapacity. In fact, dependence has a negative meaning at any age. Dependence […]
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’d like to encourage Seniors to have a “heart-to-heart” talk with their immediate family members about their future “care wishes.” It is very important for any Senior to verbalize his or her preferences for how he or she wants to be taken care of. Otherwise, family members or “others” in […]
“CAREGIVER CLING” is the newest phrase in the home health care field. It describes the phenomenon of a dependent person who feels severe separation anxiety whenever his or her primary caregiver is away. This can happen even if the caregiver is simply in another part of the home, which is out of sight from the […]
Are you the primary or sole caregiver for a loved one? If so, then you must have a backup plan, in the event that you are unable or unavailable to serve as caregiver. It is a big responsibility to have someone dependent on you for his or her care and well-being. The needs of the […]
In years past, the emphasis in caring for sick and frail seniors has not been on receiving home health care. In the majority of cases, family members have shouldered the burden of all assistance provided, and nursing homes have been the only place to turn when skilled nursing care became a necessity. And, yet, how […]
Many elderly individuals perceive hospitalization as a one way trip. In other words, they stringently avoid going to the hospital for fear of dying there. If you, or a loved one, are faced with inevitable hospitalization, then do plan on having someone stay with you at the hospital. It is easier to face a fearful […]