Blog
Our blog is provided in reverse chronological order.
September 21: Hiring an Elder Caregiver
There are many things you will likely want to
consider before hiring a caregiver for your loved
one.
First, you will need to establish the caregiver's job
criteria.
Will you be hiring the caregiver for:
1. Social companionship
2. Household care, such as cleaning, cooking,
and shopping
3. Personal care, such as feeding, toileting,
and bathing
4. Health needs, such as administering
medications, providing physical therapy, etc.
You also have to consider how you will pay for this
care. Does the elder have enough funds, will you &
your siblings need to chips in, or is your loved one
eligible for Medicare and grants or other state aid?
There is a lot of funding available if you know of the
right places to look. We are establishing federal and
state resources on our website, but the database is
not fully ready yet. Please check back.
Once you place an ad in your local newspaper, you
may want to create a list of over-the-phone or in-
person interview questions. The person you are
interviewing should also provide references that you
should check, and you should always do a full
background check. Most caregivers are good, but
some are not, unfortunately. Do your homework
now to save yourself headaches later.
Possible interview questions might include:
1. Why do you think you'd be a good fit for this
position?
2. Which areas of this job are you most skilled
at?
3. Which areas of this job would you not be
willing to do?
4. What would you do in case of an
emergency?
5. If you became ill on the job or before work,
how would you handle that?
6. What is your view of nursing homes? (This
is especially good to know if you do not want
your loved one in a nursing home.)
It is good to have multiple caregivers, as often
caregivers will call in due to sickness or other
commitments, and then you or someone else will
have to cover their shift. Always plan ahead. It's
often a good idea to prepare for the worst to make
this situation the best one possible.
Finding someone to care for your loved one when
you cannot be there can have some bumps in the
road. However, if you are prepared and able to go
with the flow, you should be able to keep your loved
one in their home for many years to come.
October 21: The Great Pumpkin
"D" is a younger elderly lady (in her 70s) for which
my family and I provide care. Wanting to get her in
the festive mood, we bought her a pumpkin for a gift.
We knew that, given the loss of strength in her
hands, she could not carve it, but we figured that
she could draw a face on it with a magic marker and
enjoy it for Halloween. We did not expect that, when
we gave her this gift, she would scowl at it and tell
us that she did not like it and wanted it gone from
her home. We told her we'd let her think on it
overnight, and if she did not want the gift, we'd
remove it from her home the next day. Her reaction
was certainly unexpected.
Later that evening, she called us and explained that
it was a lovely gesture and it was not the pumpkin
that made her mad. She explained that she was
frustrated because it reminded her that she could no
longer carve a pumpkin, which is what she used to
like to do. She did not want to change what she did
with a pumpkin by drawing a face on it. That
seemed silly to her. Pumpkins were meant to be
carved! Therefore, she asked us if we'd carve it for
her. The next day, that is exactly what we did, and
she now loves her pumpkin.
That really made me think. Often, while we are
caring for elders, we may not understand their
reactions to some things, such as the dislike of this
uncarved pumpkin. We, as caregivers, thought we
were giving her a nice gift. She, as an elderly
person unable to carve a pumpkin, was reminded of
the things she can no longer do.
That is truly food for thought. The next time your
elder does something that hurts your feelings or you
cannot understand, certainly, you have the right to
feel badly about it and wish things could be different.
At the same time, that might be exactly what your
elder is feeling. They are frustrated and wishing
things could be different; they are longing for their
youth. Try to remember to see it from their side of
things, as well, to try to better understand what is
going on in their minds.
September 24: The Beginnings of Project BEA
Due to much eager anticipation, the message board
support group forum got launched ahead of
schedule. While we only have a small group of
members at this time, we plan to market to many
more people in the near future. Please let your
friends know about this FREE resource, and be sure
that you, too, check out our Elder Care Support
Group Forum for questions, answers, advice,
support, and other insight.
We are in the process of building our caregiver
directory. This will take some time. We hope to
have the directory fully launched soon. Stay tuned!
Please check back here for future updates on the
growth of Project BEA! We sincerely appreciate
your support!