Caring for someone that is seriously ill is difficult and time-consuming. For the new caregiver, taking on this new responsibility in the already hectic life of a caregiver can be overwhelming. This article offers some organizing strategies that will reduce time and effort required to complete the tasks required and help to reduce your stress .
Communication
During my caregiving experience I found that communicating with family and friends for updates was an overwhelming task. Sharing the same information repeatedly times takes time. If you want to share information with an even larger, but more curious group of people think about creating an online blog or sending out an e-mail to update information once rather than multiple times. Responding to blog comments or e-mail replies can happen at a time that is convenient for the caregiver rather than each time the phone rings. Controlling the need for communication can reduce anxiety and stress caused by multiple interruptions throughout your day. I discovered that using a blog to facilitate communication also reduced the issues related to the misinterpretation of information when it goes from one person to the next. The blog or e-mail serves to be the "single source" of truth.
Medical History
A person who is severely ill usually needs frequent visits to specialists, doctors and hospitals. One of the most frequently asked questions from health professionals was about medications that the patient takes. The most frequent were questions regarding other health providers, insurance prescriptions, surgeries, pharmacy visits, and allergies. Recording this information into an organized location, whether manually or electronically, makes sure you have all the information easily accessible when you need it. If maintained, it helps to reduce medical mistakes. Recalling information at a hospital or during an emergency can be difficult. It often leads to omission of critical information or sharing incorrect details. The other benefit is reduced stress level on the caretaker.
Medication List
A seriously ill patient often requires multiple medications. Once again, if you track all medications in one place along with a dosing schedule it helps to prevent mistakes with medication. This also lets you share the responsibility of providing medications to other people when required which allows you to delegate that burden and address other tasks. When maintained the medication list will allow an easy recall of information needed by health care providers or emergency personnel.
Medicine Information
When you take multiple medications, the chance of side effects is significantly increased. Pharmacies offer medicine information sheets for the medication they dispensate. The information on medicine is also available on the Internet. Keeping the medicine information together in one place allows you to locate quickly the information you require, in the event that you suspect someone you take care of has issues with their medications. With a serious illness you find that a variety of doctors are prescribing medication. The list helps you keep your doctors up-to-date to help avoid issues from the onset. If a side effect occurs, doctors usually are able to find other options for treatment.
Calendar
The patient who is severely ill usually requires a number of health appointments. I recommend using a calendar to track all appointments. It does not really matter whether it's either paper or electronic. A calendar that is available reduces the problems with scheduling too much in one day, or creating multiple appointments.
None of the suggestions I share are revolutionary, however each of these little organizing Elderly tips will add up in time. Our minds are powerful, but often overwhelmed when we try to tackle too many subjects at one time or try to recall too many details. Freeing the mind from the details lets you focus on the truly important issues or other tasks. Freeing the mind of the details can also help reduce the anxiety you experience when taking care for your loved one.
Suddenly a Caregiver
Sharing a family's experience as well as lessons learnt to guide you deal with the unanticipated obligation of becoming a family caregiver.