This sweet lady read to my mother and played bingo with her. She even washed dishes and helped tend to Mom’s personal needs.

We caregivers sometimes are reluctant to share our burdens with others. At times this reluctance is based on an unreasonable belief that we must shield the patient from scrutiny by others. At some point we must let go of our pride and apprehension.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association and various medical journals, caregivers have an increased rate of depression, and often die before the patients they serve. Caregivers with chronic illnesses are especially vulnerable.

Now that you are aware of additional resources, you can begin to care for yourself before there is no one left to care for your loved one.

© 2007 – 2010, Unmasked Communications™. All rights reserved.

In our area, AAA provides respite and homemaking services and asses charges on a sliding scale according to the total household income. They also provide Meals on Wheels for seniors whose incomes are below a certain level. For more information, visit the Website of the National Assocation of Area Agencies on Aging.

The National Family Caregivers Association also maintains a Website that that lists extensive resources, including sources of respite care. The organization conducts workshops and sponsors the Caregiver Community Action Network (CCAN) of local volunteers who may be able to give you personal guidance.

The local or regional chapter of the support group for your loved one’s illness also may provide help. Our regional office of the Alzheimer’s Association pays for a few days of adult day care. That brief respite may provide enough time to search for a long-term solution. The Alzheimer’s Association also maintains an extensive library of resources on caregiving and sponsors the Safe Return program, which provides IDs so you and your loved one can be identified if you become incapacitated while on an outing with them or your loved wanders away.

My last post featured Medicare as a source of short-term help. My next post will address often overlooked sources of help that are closer than you think.

© 2007 – 2010, Unmasked Communications™. All rights reserved.

As an only child recovering from severe fatigue and helping to care for a mother who has Alzheimer’s, I’ve struggled to find the right balance between personal, professional, and family responsibilities. Childhood friends envied me because I don’t have brothers and sisters. Until recently, I’ve envied them because they have help in sharing the load.

Where do you turn when you don’t have enough family members around to help, and your friends are as sick as you used to be? What if you haven’t been able to work for years because of personal and/or family illness? And what if your family has too little income to pay for extra help but too much to meet the income qualifications of most federal programs, qualifications that haven’t been adjusted to deal with the real cost of living? Start with Medicare.

Because of recent budget cuts, Medicare is a temporary solution at best, but it pays for a variety of short-term and intermittent (ceasing for a time) services. These services are geared toward training family members to provide care more efficiently.

The home health agency that provides our services initially has created a new set of challenges. A small army of new caregivers–a nurse, a physical therapist, and a personal aid–has descended on our apartment for short visits that require us to participate and learn new techniques. We have seen rapid results, however, in their lessons on streamlining necessary tasks and encouraging patient independence. You can access similar services by contacting your loved one’s primary care provider.

In future posts, I’ll address other ways to get help with caregiving duties.

© 2007 – 2010, Unmasked Communications™. All rights reserved.