| The most important task you should do if you are | | | | - How much money is there? |
| ever faced with the issue of care giving, is to | | | | - How can the money that is available be used |
| educate yourself. You will need to take a look at | | | | carefully to help both you and the person needing |
| what it will actually take for your given situation; to | | | | care? |
| take a look at your own health, skills and your | | | | - Is there long-term care insurance available? |
| limitations; to take a look at and review any and all | | | | - Are there any resources that can be accessed, |
| the available financial resources; and to look at and | | | | such as a real estate that could be sold? |
| identify any other resources available to you and the | | | | - Is there a possibility of a reverse mortgage? |
| person you are wanting to care for and their needs. | | | | It might be a good idea to enlist the help of a |
| This article will help you assess the care giving | | | | professional such as an elder-care lawyer, an |
| decision process, and it will give you some | | | | accountant, or a real estate agent. Not surprisingly, |
| suggestions on some of the ways to make your | | | | financial resources are usually the driving force of |
| care giving situation go smoothly for everyone | | | | care giving decisions. Unfortunately, how much |
| involved. | | | | money and insurance coverage a person has is what |
| 1. You will want to start off by looking at and | | | | is going to determine the type of help available. |
| identifying the real needs of the person or persons in | | | | Checking for Medicaid eligibility can help if your |
| need of care. There are some basic questions you | | | | finances are limited. It's a shame that finances play |
| will want to ask yourself if the person you will be | | | | such an enormous role in any caregiving decision but |
| caring for is older or disabled. | | | | the reality is, they do. |
| - Does the person need physical or hands-on care? | | | | 4. Educate yourself on the other resources that are |
| - Can the person you are thinking about caring for call | | | | available to you because they will play an important |
| 911? | | | | role in the care decisions. There are ways to |
| - Can the person you are thinking about caring for | | | | supplement care that is given at home, such as hiring |
| remember to take their medication? | | | | a part-time home health aide, or arranging for a |
| - If the person you are thinking about caring for able | | | | physical or occupational therapists to visit. Classes are |
| to tell you when there is something wrong? | | | | available from the Red Cross, hospitals and other |
| - Is it easy for the person you are thinking about | | | | organizations. You can get help from a geriatric care |
| caring for to take care of themselves when using | | | | manager with putting together a plan for care, |
| the toilet? | | | | including advice on how to properly equip your house |
| - Is the person you are thinking about caring for able | | | | or apartment for care giving. You can contact a local |
| to leave the house alone? | | | | hospital or Area Agency on Aging for more |
| - Is the person you are thinking about caring for able | | | | information. |
| to dress themselves. | | | | Be sure to look into something called respite care, |
| - Is the person you are thinking about caring for able | | | | which is there to give you a break or a brief vacation |
| to cook, clean, or balance their checkbook? | | | | from you responsibilities of care giving. When you |
| These questions will help you to clarify what you | | | | have arthritis these breaks are very important and |
| might have to do to take care of this person. | | | | necessary. Respite care can be a friend or relative |
| Different people have different needs and some may | | | | filling in for you for a couple of hours every day to a |
| even require you to check in only once a day to help | | | | few days a month, but you also have trained respite |
| them around the house. Others may need you to be | | | | care providers who can take over for you at |
| there on a regular basis. You will need to listen closely | | | | specific, planned times. Also, there are centers where |
| to the person needing the care and be sure you | | | | you can drop people off for a few hours; sort of an |
| include them as much as possible in the | | | | adult day care, this way you can spend some time |
| decision-making process. | | | | taking care of yourself. You won't be neglecting your |
| It's essential that you get the input of a health | | | | responsibilities, instead, you could look at it as taking |
| professional who is familiar with the situation or the | | | | the time to recharge your energy and reducing the |
| health issues involve and that the health professional | | | | stress that can come from care giving. |
| can do a complete evaluation of the physical and | | | | Learning about and visiting care giving facilities, even |
| mental health of the person needing care and | | | | if you want to keep the person you're caring for at |
| determine what is required. You will want to contact | | | | home can be a good idea. These visits can give you |
| doctors, social workers, nurses, physical therapists, | | | | and your loved ones a glimpsed into the possible |
| occupational therapists, and even speech therapists, | | | | future resources available to you. You have many |
| to talk to them about your own circumstances, | | | | options, including the many different types of nursing |
| because they work with care giving situations on a | | | | home care, apartments for seniors and/or the |
| regular basis. There is another option you have and | | | | disabled, assisted living facilities, continuing care |
| that is to consult with a geriatric care manager | | | | retirement communities, and Alzheimer units. The |
| (GCM), this is a person who is trained in conducting | | | | thing about some of these alternatives is that they |
| assessments of potential care giving situations and | | | | have terrific facilities and they can be more fun than |
| they can give you the help you will need to prepare | | | | staying home alone. |
| you for the role of caregiver. It's possible that there | | | | Other resources to explore are your family and |
| other public and private agencies that can offer | | | | friends. You can coordinate a family-and-friend |
| consultations. These include your Area Agencies on | | | | conference with a social worker to discuss how |
| Aging, your local hospitals or nursing homes, and your | | | | everyone might be able to help. If it's possible, make |
| city or your county agencies. | | | | sure that one person ends up coordinating the |
| Ask the health professionals to be realistic even | | | | efforts. There are so many ways that you can offer |
| though it can be hard to hear just how much care a | | | | support to someone with physical and mental |
| relative or loved one may need. To make the best | | | | problems, even if you can't physically care for them |
| choice for everyone, it is important that you know a | | | | and looking at a list of those possibilities with family |
| history of strokes, paralysis, the inability to talk, the | | | | and friends could get them involved as well. You, |
| inability to be safe when alone, and the inability to | | | | friends and family could do one or more of these |
| get in and out of bed or to the toilet without help. | | | | things: shop, clean, or cook for the person, hire and |
| These things should be red flags as to the fact that | | | | oversee home health care aids, drive the person to |
| the person you are thinking about caring for may | | | | the doctor, help to educate the person about their |
| need round the clock care. | | | | health issues, help to sell the person's house, or do |
| There will be different issues if you are being asked | | | | the person's taxes. You can also offer companionship |
| to care for a child or children. | | | | and support by being a regular visitor. |
| 2. Step two is to assess your ability to provide the | | | | Legal responsibilities are another possibility but only if |
| kind of care that will be involved. You will want to | | | | the person needing care gives you a durable power |
| examine your own skills and limitations and determine | | | | of attorney which gives you the right to make |
| how your arthritis might affect the care you are able | | | | financial and legal decisions for that person, even if |
| to give. You will want to ask yourself some basic | | | | they become mentally incompetent. Or the person |
| questions such as these: | | | | may make you what is called a health-care agent or |
| - What about my life, would I have to change it or | | | | "health-care proxy," which entitles you to make |
| stop doing some of the activities or could I modify it | | | | health-related decisions for someone when they |
| if I took on this new responsibility? | | | | become unable to make their own decisions. There |
| - Am I in the best physical health possible to take it | | | | are rules that govern power-of-attorney and |
| on? | | | | health-care proxy documents that differ from state |
| - Do I need surgery, such as joint replacement, first? | | | | to state, so it would be wise to get an elder-care |
| - If caring for this person involves moving them from | | | | lawyer to draft them. Another role you might |
| a bed to a wheelchair, should I be doing that? | | | | assume is an executor of a person's will. |
| - If injections are needed, are my hands in good | | | | In conclusion, when you look back on these activities, |
| enough shape to give them without shaking? | | | | you can see that there are many different ways to |
| - Can I, if necessary, make my way up or down a | | | | help the person who needs care even though not all |
| flight of stairs? | | | | of these will be necessary, and many of then are |
| - Can I shuttle the person to medical appointments? | | | | less likely to put a strain on your physical health. You |
| - How tired does my arthritis make me? | | | | might even decide that it would be easier to keep a |
| - Would I be able to continue with the self-care | | | | job outside the home and just hire someone else to |
| activities that are so important for managing my | | | | help with the care giving. |
| arthritis? | | | | It's not uncommon for one person to assume and |
| - Could I do some of the care giving if someone else | | | | even be expected to do all the care giving for other |
| were willing to share the responsibility with me? | | | | family members. It seems that it is traditionally a role |
| You will also want to consider whether there will be | | | | that falls most often to the women in the family and |
| any kind of back-up plan, not just for the days when | | | | sometimes, there will be people older and younger |
| you are not feeling well but also to allow you time | | | | than you who need caring for. Most times you will |
| off to go out in the evening or to go on a vacation. | | | | have a family member who lives some distance |
| Be sure that you are honest with yourself about | | | | away who are the not involved in the day-to-day |
| what the impact of your arthritis will have on your | | | | activities that will want to have a say in how the |
| care giving. Also, keep in mind that if you develop | | | | care will be handled, be aware of these people, |
| any physical problems as a result of the care giving, it | | | | because they will have an opinion but they aren't |
| could have a negative impact not only on you but | | | | really interested in helping. When these opinions seem |
| the person you are caring for and on your family | | | | like they are going to make your life harder, you will |
| member who might have to care for you in the | | | | want to take a closer look at the idea and consider |
| future. | | | | asking the person making the suggestion to lend a |
| You will want to get the opinion of your doctor on | | | | hand. There will some instances where you may just |
| how much you are honestly able to do. To make | | | | need to be firm and just say No. Keep everyone |
| care giving with arthritis a little easier, your doctor | | | | informed and on track as much as possible, and even |
| might suggest a specialist such as a physical or | | | | though these communications can lead to some |
| occupational therapists, who can recommend some | | | | suggestions that will be unwanted, it will make it less |
| exercises, techniques, and other various other | | | | likely that someone will feel left out or ignored. The |
| self-help aids. You may, for example, be fitted for a | | | | person who is doing most of the work and has the |
| hand or wrist brace to make it easier for you to give | | | | most responsibilities, should be comfortable with the |
| injections or an occupational therapist may also be | | | | plan. |
| able to give you some energy saving strategies to | | | | Feelings of guilt and family pressure can lead you to |
| reduce your fatigue. | | | | take on more responsibilities for care giving than you |
| 3. Now that you have assessed the needs of the | | | | are really able to do, try not to let this happen. Try |
| person needing care and your own situation, you will | | | | to think carefully and examine all your options. There |
| want to explore the financial resources that are | | | | are few people who can do it all, and whether you |
| available. You will want to ask yourself these | | | | like it or not, how much you can do will be influenced |
| questions: | | | | by your arthritis. |