Dr. Barry Jacobs: The steps families should take to plan for adult caregiving
Dear Readers: Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist, and family therapist, is a leading educator about family caregiving. One reason for his effectiveness is that he has been a caregiver himself. I sent Dr. Jacobs a note explaining a question that I’d received about preparing for caregiving and expected a brief quote in return. However, in accordance with his generous nature, he provided so much more. Therefore, this week, I’m honored to have Dr. Jacobs answer our reader who wondered how to plan for caregiving:
The fact that you are already thinking about caregiving and beginning to plan is half th...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 25, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Family Caregiver feels Guilty About Taking a Once-In-a-Lifetime Vacation
Dear Carol: My dad was a tireless caregiver to my mom until she died. Sadly, just a couple of years later, he started showing signs of dementia. Since then, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and eventually moved to memory care. They provide excellent, compassionate care, but he’s used to my daily visits. My best friend has an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation and has asked me to join her. Intellectually, I understand that I should grab this and go. Emotionally, I’m terribly conflicted, so guilt is lowering my expectation of having fun. Do I go anyway? – BC
Continue reading on Inforum for more a...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 24, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
When We Become Caregivers, Friends May Disappear
Photo credit Christian Fregnan
Most people have not personally provided care for a loved one and therefore cannot fully understand everything that goes into being a family caregiver. While this role can provide many gratifying moments and opportunities, the truth is that it’s often intense, exhausting and worrisome. Being on-call around the clock is both physically and emotionally draining. As a result, a caregiver’s other relationships can easily fall by the wayside. Friendships are usually the first to suffer as caregiving causes a person’s priorities and availability to change.
In situations where caregivers and...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 23, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
How to Be a True Friend to a Family Caregiver
Photo credit Natalia Figuredo
Family caregivers often find that their social circles shrink over time. Casual friends are typically the first to drift away because a caregiver is too busy to get together, but close friends may disappear eventually as well. These friends are not bad people, though. More than likely, they don’t know how to help a caregiver and they find it easier to share their time with people whose lives are less complicated. If you are just a casual friend to someone who is caring for an ill or aging loved one, then perhaps it’s best to remain that way. However, some of you want to do mor...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 22, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Digital Clothing, Biofashion And Smart Outfits – The Future Of Fashion
Fast fashion is not only unsustainable but also means an unbearable burden to the planet. The situation is ripe for change. Could lab-grown leather and other novel ways of synthetic garment production, biofashion or digital clothing show the way to an alternative future for the apparel industry? Is there a chance of improving our attitude towards clothing items by adding more value, new functionality?
From Burda to the unsustainable downward spiral of fast fashion
When our grandmothers in the 1950s wanted to dress according to the latest trend, they bought the Burda Magazine alongside some fabric and used the fam...
Source: The Medical Futurist - July 21, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Biotechnology Health Sensors & Trackers design digital future Healthcare wearables fashion fast fashion digital clothing digital clothes artificial leather artificial material synthetic biofashion Source Type: blogs
14 Phrases for Caregivers to Consider Along the Way
Photo credit Aaron Burden
Life isn’t easy for most people, and it’s not perfect for anybody. Sometimes, as we trudge through the days providing help for our care receivers, it’s nice to retrieve a thought or two that can encourage us to keep on doing what we do.
Below are a few suggestions that may help:
There is no such thing as a perfect caregiver. First of all, we are flawed human beings. Our care receivers are also flawed human beings who are likely unhappy about life events that have put them in a vulnerable position. Their wants and needs are ever-changing. We can’t be expected to know what ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 Compulsory Vaccination of Healthcare Workers and the Italian Constitution
Silvio Roberto Vinceti (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), COVID-19 Compulsory Vaccination of Healthcare Workers and the Italian Constitution, Annali di Igiene: Medicina Preventiva e di Comunit à (2021): On April 1, 2021, the Italian Government issued the Decree Law no.... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)
Source: HealthLawProf Blog - July 20, 2022 Category: Medical Law Authors: Katharine Van Tassel Source Type: blogs
Specialized Moving Services Ease Transitions to Senior Living Communities
Photo credit Alex Mecl
When an elderly parent transitions from their home to assisted living, independent living, nursing home, or a relative’s home, it can be a stressful experience. Mary Jo Zeller, a senior move manager at Gero Solutions in Chicago, says this move is a major life event. “It’s as monumental as getting married or having a baby, but emotionally, it is more akin to grieving a loss.”
In addition to difficult emotions, the seniors and their family members face a whole host of challenges. What can they bring to their new home? What do they leave behind? What happens to belongings they can’t ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 19, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Should Your Elderly Loved One Move in With You?
Photo credit Alex Pavloff
Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents built a new house that could accommodate all the different generations and afforded some privacy for all. Grandma moved in, and the arrangement worked. My mom did not work outside the home, so there was nearly always someone home with Grandma. I was also a born caregiver and gladly did what I could to help with both my toddler sister and my grandmother.
These days, having an aging loved one move in is still an option for some families, but it has become more compli...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 18, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
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Photo credit Alex Pavloff
Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents built a new house that could accommodate all the different generations and afforded some privacy for all. Grandma moved in, and the arrangement worked. My mom did not work outside the home, so there was nearly always someone home with Grandma. I was also a born caregiver and gladly did what I could to help with both my toddler sister and my grandmother.
These days, having an aging loved one move in is still an option for some families, but it has become more compli...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 18, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
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Photo credit Alex Pavloff
Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents built a new house that could accommodate all the different generations and afforded some privacy for all. Grandma moved in, and the arrangement worked. My mom did not work outside the home, so there was nearly always someone home with Grandma. I was also a born caregiver and gladly did what I could to help with both my toddler sister and my grandmother.
These days, having an aging loved one move in is still an option for some families, but it has become more complica...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 18, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Conflict with Mother Complicates Daughter ’s Efforts to Help Dad
Photo credit Tuva Mathilde Loland
Conflict with mother complicates daughter’s efforts to help dad
Dear Carol: My mother’s always been mean to me, her only daughter, so it’s not surprising that we have a strained relationship. I’ve had years of counseling and continue with maintenance. My concern is that my dad has dementia and is under my mother’s care. She’s impatient with him and is, in general, a terrible caregiver. She won’t listen to me when I mention resources for her, and she has no interest in learning how to work with his disease. Though he’s always been intimidated by her, he's a sweet, kind per...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 17, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Conflict with Mother Complicates Daughter ’s Efforts to Help Dad
Photo credit Tuva Mathilde Loland
Conflict with mother complicates daughter’s efforts to help dad
Dear Carol: My mother’s always been mean to me, her only daughter, so it’s not surprising that we have a strained relationship. I’ve had years of counseling and continue with maintenance. My concern is that my dad has dementia and is under my mother’s care. She’s impatient with him and is, in general, a terrible caregiver. She won’t listen to me when I mention resources for her, and she has no interest in learning how to work with his disease. Though he’s always been intimidated by her, he's a sweet, kind perso...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 17, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The Aftermath of Long-Term Caregiving: Is Stress the New Normal?
I believe caregiving changes us forever. Much of the change is positive. We become more compassionate toward those who have physical and mental difficulties. We become more understanding when we see a person who is trying to cope in public with an unruly child or an adult who has dementia. We become larger people because we've experienced more difficulty. We've gone the distance, doing what we can to improve another's life, and we are better for it. The hard part can be letting go of a crisis state of mind even when it no longer relates to our new reality.
Yet, when we don't learn to let go of the stresso...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 16, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The Aftermath of Long-Term Caregiving: Is Stress the New Normal?
I believe caregiving changes us forever. Much of the change is positive. We become more compassionate toward those who have physical and mental difficulties. We become more understanding when we see a person who is trying to cope in public with an unruly child or an adult who has dementia. We become larger people because we've experienced more difficulty. We've gone the distance, doing what we can to improve another's life, and we are better for it. The hard part can be letting go of a crisis state of mind even when it no longer relates to our new reality.
Yet, when we don't learn to let go of the stress...
Source: Minding Our Elders - July 16, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
