Caregiver Support Services

Dear Candid Caregiver: As far back as I can remember my grandmother has had a dog. For the last 10 years, this dog has been Tippy, a small, male, mixed-breed that has been an ideal companion. The problem is that Grandma is getting less able to care for herself — let alone Tippy — and she is going to need to move to an assisted living facility (ALF). I’ve checked around, and while some local ALFs will let people bring their cats, none locally will allow them to keep a dog because dogs need to be let outside, among other excuses. I’d take Tippy...

Read the full article on HealthCentral about the difficulties involved when an older adult must leave a pet behind:

Carol Bradley Bursack is the Candid Caregiver

MedicareFAQ – Medicare Resource Center

Support a caregiver or jump-start discussion in support groups with real stories - for bulk orders of Minding Our Elders e-mail Carol  

...A double whammy here is that chronic stress is a problem for most caregivers and stress can be a trigger for many people who live with chronic migraines. It is for me. The fact is that whether caregivers have migraines, severe arthritis, asthma, or any other ailment if they are still functioning better than the person or people for whom they care, they carry on. It’s what we do.

Read the article on HealthCentral about the challenge of being a caregiver when you have a chronic condition - and what to do:

Carol Bradley Bursack is the Candid Caregiver

MedicareFAQ – Medicare Resource Center

Support a caregiver or jump-start discussion in support groups with real stories - for bulk orders of Minding Our Elders e-mail Carol  

Photo credit Freestocks.org

Dear Carol: My mom lives with emphysema and has been on oxygen for more than two years. She needs several medications to manage this awful disease, which I understand. It’s her other medications that make me wonder. I’ve asked her current doctor to consider lowering doses or taking her off some of them, and he’s made it plain that her life-expectancy is quite limited no matter what so he doesn’t want to “rock the boat” by making changes. Meanwhile, Mom is becoming foggier in her thinking, and her memory and balance are bad. Maybe this is just age and poor health, but I do wonder if she still needs some of these older prescriptions that haven’t been changed for decades. How does anyone figure out what drugs an older person needs and what is actually causing more harm than good? – RG

Read the full article on HealthCentral about the need to update medications as people age:

MedicareFAQ – Medicare Resource Center

Support a caregiver or jump-start discussion in support groups with real stories - for bulk orders of Minding Our Elders e-mail Carol