Archive for July, 2019

Are You One of the 40 Million Americans Who Are Taking Care of a Loved One? Here’s What You Need to Know

It isn’t easy, but it’s important
Published in thriveglobal.com by BJ Miller, MD and Shoshana Berger

All over this country there are people like you who are driving out of their way to pick up a prescription after work, using coffee breaks to visit someone and make him lunch, missing out on dates with friends in order to make sure someone is safe before they go to bed, or taking trips to the hospital.

We see you (we are you), and you are not alone. In the United States at any one time, 40 million adults are caregivers. You are more likely to be a woman — especially if you’re doing the difficult work of bathing and toileting — though the percentage of male caregivers is on the rise: in 2009, 34 percent of caregivers were men; as of 2017 that number was 40 percent. On average you provide more than twenty hours per week of care for four years. It’s a hard job, but when they look back on the experience most people say they wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Courtesy of Africa Studio / Shutterstock

But, as the airline industry reminds us: in order to help others, we need to put on our own oxygen masks first. We’ll go even further — since someone in a predicament is relying upon you: it’s selfish to not take care of yourself. Self-care is a muscle you need to learn to flex so it becomes part of your routine, instead of a rare treat. It means paying attention to yourself, even when the only thing you want to pay attention to is your beloved.

Here are some ways to care for yourself.

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How Do I Make My Uncle Comfortable in Hospice Care?

Published in Collegian by Jacob Maslow
My uncle has a terminal disease, and after years of fighting, he has been given just a few months to live. He is going to be put in hospice care at-home, and I would like to make him as comfortable as possible. Do you have any recommendations on what I can do to make sure his last days are comfortable?

Hospice doesn’t mean that your loved one will be gone in a month or two. In general, hospice means that a patient will live for six months or less. But we’ve all heard stories of a person living for much longer than their doctors suggest. Doctors often underestimate the time a person has left to live, and if the person lives longer, no one generally complains.

The goal will be to keep your loved one comfortable.

Hospice care will help with pain management, and this is best left to the professionals. Hospice caregivers will come to the home and ensure that your loved one is giving the best pain medication and following their treatment plans. But you can help in other ways. As a person becomes weaker, they’ll have trouble with everyday tasks, even including eating and balancing. Independent living aids can help a lot.


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