Whole Family Approach Archives ⋆ Cathy Cress

What Are the Postive Outcomes of a Caregiver Assessment ?

September 14, 2019

What Does a Caregiver Assessment Give to a Caregiver

A caregiver assessment finally gives a family caregiver a voice.As human beings. they have been hidden in the welter of soiled of adult diapers they may find repulsive to change, hospital beds they have no idea how to use and the miasma of their own stress, feelings of inadequacy in a job they never expected, had no training for, have no job description for and in their wildest dreams would never have willing taken -but now do out of love or resignation.

The Whole Family Approach for Care Managers

620-amy-goyer-juggles-work-and-caregiving-mobile-technology.imgcache.rev1382542973676.web.jpg To keep the aging family and client whole, in the middle of swirling care crisis, the care manager must first recognize that there are multiple clients including the person who gives or supervises care. In a health care insult, family members who give care are often referred to by the inanimate wooden term “ resources”. They have also been referred to as “ informants “.This means having the Whole Family approach.

This stripping of personhood denudes caregivers of their status as individuals and melts them into the caregivers, thus breeds professional ignorance, like the crowd who watched the emperor with no clothes. We are blind to caregiver’s humanity and thus their own needs.

A Caregiver Assessment Offers An Ear

A caregiver assessment gives the family caregiver an ear- someone’s ear to listen to them. You the care manager usually come to the home and spend most of your time with the care receiver . Few if any actually want to listen to the caregivers needs , their psychic pain, their physical pain, their repulsions at tasks they may absolutley hate to do , yet do out of love or filial duty, their depression at having their life vanish is the 24 hour care of of a husband , lover, father ,mother or at times parent, who never cared for them.

A caregiver assessment opens up a whole world the family caregiver never knew existed – help is on the way -resources that , not being a care manager, they never knew about. You bring them Meals on Wheels, support groups so that they can vent their pain to others who feel the same angst and maybe have answers for to share.

Find Out More About Caregiver Assessment

Find out more about how to do a caregiver assessment by checking out my GCM Operations Manual , that contains a not 0nly the step by step procedures to do a Caregiver assessment but 13 other Geriatric Care Management products or services for you to offer and get more clients plus position yourself ahead of your competition.

Loneliness& Isolation in Seniors =Health Risk of Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day

March 3, 2018

The AARP Foundation’s Connect2Affect has called social isolation a “growing health epidemic” among older adults. It equates the health risks of prolonged isolation with smoking 15 cigarettes daily. Adding a Quality of Life Program to a geriatric care management practice can help serve independent seniors who do not need hands-on care but do need more community and a way to help themselves overcome loneliness and social isolation.

In a recent study loneliness in seniors between the ages of 65 and 86 led to a 64 percent increase in the risk of developing dementia, an extraordinary spike in odds highlighting the importance of fostering meaningful relationships at all stages of life. Helping seniors, through a quality of life services, find new human connections and community, can give an older person a greater sense of happiness and joy. But as this study shows critically- better health.

Quality of Life of the older client can be important to the older person’s family. If the family is involved, which it often is, even if the senior is living alone, the care manager can assist families by beginning the dialogue to open discussions on preferences and values of the older client and the family. What would give the older person joy in their life? Would it be art, going to baseball games, being in a knitting group, having a tea for friends at their home, volunteering with a group?

Quality of Life issues that the care manager should assess is the individual’s need for social interaction or privacy; the value of family; proximity to cultural stimulation; and adaptability to change. These are just some of the many quality of life considerations.

A Care Management Agency can even develop a Quality of Life programs. Sage Eldercare in Northern California has developed a unique activity kit called Joyful Moments that helps family members, care managers, and caregivers. Joyful Moments, unique activity cards that give “the tools to re-engage older adults in life—and turn every visit from mundane to memory making. Nina Herndon the director of Sage Eldercare is also an expert in quality of life for seniors and authored a chapter on how care managers can develop that skills with seniors Handbook of Geriatric Care Management

Choice is important with seniors When values and preferences differ between elders individuals, in the family, it is important to identify how the differences may impact all involved in the process. What if the older person wants an electric scooter so she can shop at Safeway, the store she has used since she was a young mother and wife? At the same time what if the adult son or daughter will only shop at organic, health food markets and wants her mother to shop there. On top of that, the daughter feels the electric scooter is unsafe and the aging mother feels she is safe. How do you solve this quality of life dilemma?

Care Managers can be so valuable in not only helping a senior create a path out of loneliness and isolation by assisting in removing barriers to quality of life that family members may, out of care and worry, put in the elder’s way.

Loneliness/Prolonged Isolation in seniors =Health Risk of Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day

March 3, 2018

The AARP Foundation’s Connect2Affect has called social isolation a “growing health epidemic” among older adults. It equates the health risks of prolonged isolation with smoking 15 cigarettes daily.Adding a Quality of Life Program to a geriatric care management practice can help serve independent seniors who do not need hands-on care but do need more community and a way to help themselves overcome loneliness and social isolation.

In a recent study loneliness in seniors between the ages of 65 and 86 led to a 64 percent increase in the risk of developing dementia, an extraordinary spike in odds highlighting the importance of fostering meaningful relationships at all stages of life. Helping seniors, through a quality of life services, find new human connections and community , can give an older person a greater sense of happiness and joy. But as this study shows critically- better health.

Quality of Life of the older client can be important to the older person’s family.If the family is involved, which it often is, even if the senior is living alone, the care manager can assist families by beginning the dialogue to open discussions on preferences and values of the older client and the family. What would give the older person joy in their life? Would it be art, going to baseball games, being in a knitting group, having a tea for friends at their home, volunteering with a group?

When values and preferences differ between individuals, in the family, it is important to identify how the differences may impact all involved in the process. What if the older person wants an electric scooter so she can shop at Safeway, the store she has used since she was a young mother and wife? At the same time what if the adult son or daughter will only shop at organic, health food markets and wants her mother to shop there. On top of that, the daughter feels the electric scooter is unsafe and the aging mother feels she is safe. How do you solve this quality of life dilemma?

Care Managers can be so valuable in not only helping a senior create a path out of loneliness and isolation but assisting in removing barriers to quality of life that family members may, out of care and worry, put in the elder’s way.

How To Use a Whole Family Approach to End Of Life

February 21, 2016

Join me on my Free webinar February 25th 11 AM PST

· Deliver a Good Life to The End – Add Death and Dying to Your Care Management Agency

Tools of the Geriatric Care Manager -Partnering 2

July 5, 2013

Partnering 2

Through Jane, our care provider , in the Geriatric Care series on You Tube , we have followed on Jane’s mother Gertrud Sterling and her adult children .Jane the caregiver, did not change overnight. When Ms. Full Charge the GCM opened the case,she built a relationship with care provider Jane as well as her mother Mrs. Sterling. After introducing self-care for Jane in Ms. Full Change’s GCM care plan, the geriatric care manager, coached Jane to continue and give up some of the exhausting care she was giving her Mom. She introduced a paid home care worker to come in and do this care and the GCM visited once a week. The is called partnering.

The next step in partnering was to suggest a monthly telephone conference between the adult siblings. Jane had some anger about what she felt was her brothers lack of support while she felt stuck” as the dutiful daughter. So the care manager waited until Jane felt stronger by attending yoga and having some care in the home.

When Jane was ready, the GCM care manager offered to facilitate the first family meeting. On the telephonic family meeting, Ms Full Charge also suggested that Jane join a support group for adult children. The meeting became a blessing to Jane and she was excited to go each week.