Caregiving

These screws and bolts come with a set of home improvement tips.
5 Home Improvement Tips for Caregivers

Contributed by Madison Engle

Taking care of an elderly loved one can be time consuming and stressful, but it is important not to let their assets fall to the wayside. This is especially important if they own an older home, as it may have been neglected while your loved one’s health deteriorated or other life events became a higher priority. Try to take as much pride in their hard-earned assets as you would take in your own. Follow these five home improvement tips to make sure your loved one’s home is safe and comfortable for them and one less source of stress for you.

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A hand reaching out, like a family caregiver reaching for help.
The Assistance Desperately Needed for the Family Caregiver

For 80% of people who have chronic or long-term health problems, family caregivers aren’t just a convenience but an incredible gift. Aging individuals are able to remain in their own homes, return home earlier following hospitalization, and save money as opposed to using a home care agency service or a long term care facility. There’s just one problem: while the family caregiver is taking care of the physical, mental, and emotional needs of the disabled or chronically ill individual, she is failing to take her own needs into consideration. 

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Learn how to write a will and get your documents organized.
4 Ways Online Calendars Make Life So Much Easier

Contributed by Nathan McVeigh

Busy caregivers use online calendars, email reminders, day planners, and a slew of other tools to keep themselves in the right place at the right time. The same can definitely be said for anyone with multiple children, a pair of aging parents, or any other group of important people who have to organize certain needs. With such a responsibility placed on one person, there is a way to make sense of when to accomplish what: online calendars.

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A mother leans against her daughter showing that kids help, too.
Kids Help, Too: How to Support Young Caregivers

Contributed by Michelle Hassler

When discussing options for family caregivers, spouses and adult children often come to mind. However, the stresses of caregiving extend beyond more traditional caregivers. In fact, many children take on the responsibility of caregiving in the home with statistics that are staggering. Currently, well over a million children in the U.S. meet the criteria of being a caregiver. According to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, “1.3 million children spend their time caring for a family member who suffers from a physical or mental illness or substance abuse.” The study also concludes that “on average, children caregivers spend about 2.5 hours per weekday and 4 hours on weekend days caring for their loved ones.” When you think about it, that is a lot of time – especially for a child or teenager.

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A woman preps her meal with a friend in order to learn how to save time in the kitchen.
How to Save Time in The Kitchen

Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg

When you are juggling the many responsibilities of being a caregiver, mealtimes can be absolutely overwhelming. With three meals a day, not including snacks and drinks and other kitchen incidentals, it can seem like all your time and energy is spent there – cooking, cleaning up, and starting it all again. If you feel like you are spending all your time in the kitchen, just to stay on top of meal preparation, here are a few tips for how to save time and get back to everything else you love – or maybe even put your feet up for a bit.


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A grandfather and grandson practice internet safety while surfing the web on their tablets.
Scam Season: Teaching Kids and Seniors Internet Safety

Contributed by Nathan McVeigh

Just 20 years ago, “internet safety” wasn’t part of your vocabulary. Today, during the dawn of the digital age, everyone accesses the internet for a variety of reasons. If you’re young, you learn from it. If you’re older, you connect with it. If you’re in the middle, you work through it. If you’re human, you use it for all three reasons often all in one day. So while the internet affords great benefits for seniors, adults, and children, it’s also a double-edged sword— sometimes with a very sharp edge. As a caregiver, how do you teach internet safety to kids and seniors?

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While this person peels a sweet potato, they are planning a way to take a meal to a sick friend.
Do Not Disturb: How to Take a Meal to A Sick Friend

Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg

When your friend is sick, a home-cooked meal may be just what the doctor ordered. If you are planning to take a meal to a friend who is under the weather, plan your delivery to ensure you bring comfort, rather than added stress. Put together a menu of diverse, healthy meals, with heart-healthy fats and lean proteins to facilitate healing. Plan ahead, with strategic delivery, to make sure your friend has the foods he needs at the right time.


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As a grandmother sits with her grandchildren, it's important to help children learn about dementia before it's too late.
How to Teach Children about Grandparents with Dementia

Contributed by Haley Burress

Caring for your aging parent can be full of challenges and meaningful moments. If you add raising children into the mix, certain situations can get even more difficult to handle. If you are struggling with how to teach children about dementia, or why Grandma is confused, you are not alone. Over five million people currently live with Alzheimer’s disease and this number only increases when adding in the older adults with other types of dementia. Teaching your kids, or other children in your family, about dementia can be challenging. However, it can also be a positive shifting point in their relationship with their grandparent. Knowledge is power, right? So empower your kids by learning how to teach children about the dementia process. Here are a few tips to get you started.

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As two women talk over coffee, spending time with friends is one of the recommended ways to save your sanity while caregiving.
5 Ways to Save Your Sanity While Caregiving

Contributed by Christine Binney

Serving as a caregiver for a loved one is a rewarding experience, but it can also lend itself to high levels of stress and anxiety. Sometimes, the pressures of caregiving can leave you feeling overworked and overwhelmed. You may have moments where you wonder how you can effectively care for someone else when your own well-being is at risk. Luckily, there are some tried-and-true ways to save your sanity while caregiving. By following these tips, you’ll be able to remain a devoted caregiver who can keep cool and calm under pressure.

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