Determining Wants and Needs (Part 2)
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For the Support Network:
- What kind of support are you able to offer? What specific practical issues, such as chores and transportation are you willing and able to provide? What about emotional support?
- Can you sometimes provide a respite for me as the primary caregiver? How often? For how long?
- How are we going to handle financial and legal matters, such as power of attorney and bill paying?
- How often can you provide this support? Can you provide it on a regular basis?
- What do we do if there's a crisis, such as a fall, a sudden deterioration in the recipient's health, etc.? Can we all come up with a crisis management plan?
- How often and in what way (online, by phone, in person) will we communicate?
Certain conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and cancer, are often more common in older people. If the care recipient has one of these conditions, that may influence care decisions. This is the time to learn about conditions that may affect the recipient now or in the future.
Learning More About Conditions:
- Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia affect the brain. There is generally loss of memory, reasoning, language skills, and the ability to perform routine tasks. There also may be personality changes, disorientation, and anxiety. Someone with dementia will require more constant caregiving and may require a supervised care environment. As the disease progresses, the challenges can become overwhelming emotionally, financially, and physically for informal caregivers. Care planning may need to be reviewed frequently, and professional support is important.
- Diabetes is a disease with which the body doesn't produce or use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar into energy. Genetics and environmental factors, such as obesity, play a role. Type 2 diabetes is more common in adults and becomes more prevalent with age. Diabetes is associated with heart disease, kidney disease, and eye disease. A care recipient with diabetes will need to control diet and medication schedules carefully, and may also need to monitor blood sugar levels.
- Stroke occurs when there is a lack of blood flow to the brain. Often this is due to a blood clot. Some stroke risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Stroke can sometimes be very disabling, and a care recipient may need nursing home care, home nursing, and/or an assisted living situation after a stroke.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that leads to inflammation of the joints. It's a chronic condition, but there may be flare-ups when the symptoms become worse. These include swelling, pain, stiffness, warmth, and redness. Care recipients who have arthritis may require assistive devices (e.g., adapted kitchen tools, Velcro clothing fasteners, walkers) and home adaptations (e.g., raised toilet seats, bathtub handrails, voice-activated lights). These can ease life for the care recipient and simplify caregiving.
- Cancer can affect people of any age, but is more common in older people. With cancer, abnormal cells divide and multiply at a fast rate. Care adaptations will depend on the type of cancer, the severity, and the treatment. Many people with cancer are able to remain at home with support-and informal caregivers need emotional and practical support, too.
Resources:
Many national, regional, and local organizations and associations can provide
support and more information about these diseases. Health professionals and
other professionals also are excellent resources.
Professional health organizations/associations
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