Cathy Cress

Expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management

Have you Gotten a Gift for a Caregiver-The People Paid Little or Nothing But Are the Meaning of True Love??

 

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What can we do for family caregivers for valentine’s day? Valentine’s day is about love. Can we count the ways family care givers caring for an aging family members represent the heart and soulful  love of Valentines Day.

What can you give a caregiver on Valentine’s Day?

Loving gifts, including chocolate which we all covet but comes in handy to relieve stress and of course added to respite maybe  a few hours off, maybe on valentine’s day itself would be sweet gift.

Another gift is the simple act of thanking them for all they do at such a cost to themselves that they rarely voice . Here is another list of gifts including pampering  caregivers and a way to find the right spa  . AARP has its own terrific list with aromatherapy and bath essentials

 

If you have an aging parent caring for a spouse they can experience most fraught filled valentine’s day. The person who you gave all your heart to – at times for many decades- is there but not there in a way they can be a classic valentines love  . So, taking the couple out for dinner or  giving respite to the spouse and taking her to a special valentine’s brunch or event- so she can share the love you have for him or her. This can be a soulful warm gift for someone spending time with the love of their life who is not able to share the romantic day any more.

 

Can’t make a gift yourself and want an idea. Pinterest has a whole board of gifts for caregivers in including valentine . Amazon has a whole list and if have a prime membership you can order today and they will deliver it

Finally, AARP has a tech list for caregivers that has good ideas

Caregiver Burden- Whose Problem Is it?

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Whose Problems is it?

After climbing through the barbed wire of who is my client the care manager faces, whose problem is it. Many times caregiver’s seek help from a care manager or other professional, asking them to fix the care receiver’s problems. But even though caregiver or person who asked the care manager to find a solution to the problem, the care receiver or patient may deny anything is wrong. So when the care receiver or patient won’t work with the care manager the care manager may have to “ fix” the person who asked for help in the first place, the caregiver. Steven Zarit points out that this is often the case with patients Alzheimer’s disease.

 Rarely does the dementia clients seek help for themselves. Instead often the family member approaches the aging professional, on behalf of the “ patient”. Usually this is because problems have begun to erupt in the caregiver’s life related to care receiver.

The problems that come up for the family caregiver are dependent on how the family member appraises the situation and then take responsibility for the older person. In the meantime the older family member with the problem usually does no acknowledge that there is any problem at all

 

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