How to prevent caregiver burnout
(Family Features) While caring for an older family member – whether it be a spouse, parent or grandparent – can be a rewarding experience, it can also be a difficult and overwhelming task. This is especially true if your loved one lives with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-related illnesses.
Whether it’s out of love or obligation, caring for a chronically ill or disabled family member (and potentially his or her financial and legal interests) can come at the expense of the caregiver’s quality of life. In addition to maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle outside of care giving responsibilities, it is important for those caring for a loved one to learn ways to avoid health hazards and stay well-informed of any changes in their loved one’s condition. Add work and children to care for to the equation and it’s a formula that can lead to stress, exhaustion and even potential health issues.
The additional duties often required to provide care for a loved one can lead to physical or emotional fatigue, often referred to as “caregiver burnout.” If you’re caring for an older adult, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America recommends these tips to help manage stress before care giving leads to burnout.
Know the signs of burnout. By the time many caregivers suspect signs of burnout, they’re likely already suffering symptoms related to their responsibilities. Being aware of some of the warning signs can help caregivers properly manage stress and protect themselves. Warning signs include:
Overwhelming fatigue or lack of energy
Experiencing sleep issues
Significant changes in eating habits or weight
Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
Neglecting personal physical and emotional needs
Becoming unusually impatient, irritable or argumentative
Having anxiety about the future or a feeling of hopelessness
Suffering from headaches, stomachaches or other physical ailments
Experiencing depression or mood swings
Having difficulty coping with everyday tasks
Lower resistance to illnesses
Educate yourself about the disease. It’s likely the loved one you care for has several health problems, takes multiple medications and sees multiple health care providers to manage his or her conditions. As a first step in learning more about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses, visit alzfdn.org or nia.nih.gov/alzheimers for information. Support groups, educational workshops, community resources and professionals can also help increase your understanding of the disease and what to expect so you can be a better-informed and prepared caregiver.
Be prepared for important decisions. Take care of financial, legal and long-term care planning issues early on to help reduce stress later. Try to involve the individual in decision-making if he or she is capable, and consider personal wishes regarding future care and end-of-life issues.
Build your care skills. Key skills for any caregiver include communication, understanding safety considerations and behaviors, and managing activities of daily living such as bathing, toileting and dressing. Some organizations and local hospitals may even offer classes specific to your loved one’s disease that can aid you in the process.
Develop empathy. Try to understand what it is like to be a person living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Put yourself in the affected person’s shoes while also recognizing your own losses. Manage your expectations of your loved one and remain patient.
Ask for help when you need it. Reach out to medical and mental health professionals as well as family and friends. They can assist you when things get tough. In addition, there are typically programs, agencies and organizations in your community that can help manage the challenges of caring for older parents, grandparents, spouses and other older adults.
Advocate for and connect with your loved one. Take an active role in the individual’s medical care. Get to know the care team, ask questions, express concerns and discuss treatment options. Also remember to connect on a personal level through kindness, humor and creativity, which are essential parts of caregiving and can help reduce stress.
Think positive. Focus on the capabilities and strengths that are still intact and enjoy your relationship with your loved one while you are still together. Look for ways to include him or her in your daily routines and gatherings to make as many memories as possible.
Find more caregiver resources and tips at alzfdn.org.
Tips for Managing Caregiver Stress
Stress can affect anyone and caregivers may find themselves faced with additional stressors. To help manage stress and avoid caregiver burnout, keep these tips from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America in mind:
Maintain a positive attitude
Be flexible and accept the circumstances
Be honest and open about your feelings
Take it one day at a time
Get a good night’s sleep
Incorporate stress management techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing, as well as exercise into your daily routine
Drink plenty of water and eat a healthful diet full of fruits and vegetables
Set realistic goals and go slow
Getting Help with Care giving
Everyone needs a break from time to time, even caregivers. Look into respite programs for a chance to care for yourself. Types of respite include:
Home Care
Home care is often initiated by a doctor’s order or hospital stay and administered by medical professionals who come into the home and help with personal care and housekeeping functions.
Medicare covers some home health services.
Adult Day Programs
Social-model programs offer stimulation, socialization and therapeutic activities in a community-based group setting and often include meals.
Medical-model programs (adult day health care programs), offer health-based services as well as social activities in a group setting.
Some programs include assistance with activities of daily living and transportation.
Adult day services charge per hour and may be covered under some long-term care insurance policies.
Medicaid covers some adult day health programs.
Facility-Based Respite
Provide a short stay for your loved one in a nursing home or another facility.
Facilities typically charge for each day your loved one is in their care.
Medicare or Medicaid may cover some costs of an inpatient facility.
Family and Friends
Identify responsible family members and friends who can lend a hand in providing supervision for your loved one and create a rotating care schedule, if possible.
Enlist the help of family members living in different states by assigning them tasks such as legal or financial paperwork.
Photos courtesy of Dreamstime (Couple walking)
Source: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
Feeding America® and The Great American Milk Drive makes it easy to pour more milk for local kids in need
(Family Features) More than half of kids 9 and up fall short on essential nutrients they need to grow strong – calcium, vitamin D and potassium. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans identified them as nutrients of public health concern because many Americans, including kids, are not consuming enough of these nutrients.[i] When school lets out for summer, that risk may be even greater for over 22 million kids who are served by free or reduced-price meal programs during the school year.
For most kids, summertime means months filled with playing in the sun, swimming at the lake or
baseball in the park – but for many, the start of summer marks the end of regular access to nutrient-rich foods including basic staples like milk that help their bodies and minds grow strong.
Although some programs like the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) help to deliver meals when school is out, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) do not reach children during the summer months.
“Milk is the top food source for calcium, vitamin D and potassium – three of the four nutrients kids are most likely missing,” said Dr. Tanya Altmann, best-selling author and nationally recognized pediatrician. “With 9 essential nutrients, including 8 grams of high-quality protein per serving, milk is an easy and affordable way to provide key nutrients to children who might otherwise go without them during the summer months.”
There is a nationwide need for nutrient-rich milk
Milk is one of the most requested, but least donated items at food banks. That’s because while Americans are generous with canned and dry goods, fresh milk is a lot harder to donate because it’s perishable. On average, food banks are only able to provide the equivalent of less than one gallon per person per year, which is far less than enough to meet the recommended three servings of milk or milk products per day for kids 9 and older.
That’s why, Feeding America® – the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization – has partnered with America’s dairy farmers and milk companies to help provide more fresh, nutritious milk to children in need through The Great American Milk Drive.
Since it began, the program has delivered more than 1.5 million gallons – that’s more than 24 million servings – of fresh, nutritious milk to Feeding America’s nationwide network of 200 food banks. More than 46 million Americans – including 12 million children – rely on Feeding America each year and food banks cannot always meet the demand – especially in the summer months, when they are even busier.
“When people think about kids and summer, they think of carefree days spent having fun, but for those whose families struggle with hunger, even basic staples like milk may be missing,” said Andy Wilson, Chief Development Officer at Feeding America. “Our food banks do everything we can to provide nutritious foods to families in need. Thanks to The Great American Milk Drive, many of our food banks are now able to provide more highly-desired milk during the summer months.”
For as little as $5, you can help deliver a gallon of nutrient-rich milk to children in need in your local community. Visit milklife.com/give to learn more about the need for milk in food banks and how you can help feed a childhood with milk this summer.
[i] U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Appendix E-2.1. First Print, 2015.
If you’re a male over the age of 45, chances are you may be suffering from a condition more common than prostate cancer – benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). More commonly known as enlarged prostate, BPH can cause bothersome urinary symptoms that can worsen with age. In fact, nearly 40 million men in the United States are affected by enlarged prostate, according to research published in the “Journal of Urology.”
During Men’s Health Month, consider these steps from the experts at NeoTract, Inc., manufacturer of the UroLift System, for alleviating enlarged prostate symptoms:
Signs You Should See a Urologist
An enlarged prostate obstructs the bladder opening and can lead to a myriad of bothersome urinary symptoms. Symptoms of BPH include frequent urination, a weak or slow urine stream, incomplete bladder emptying, difficulty or delay in starting urination and a urine stream that stops and starts. It’s important to see a physician if any of these problems arise or persist.
Enlarged prostate can also cause loss of productivity and sleep and, in some cases, can lead to depression. According to a survey sponsored by NeoTract, one of the most common symptoms of BPH – interrupted sleep – is also impacting men’s partners. Sixty-four percent of women surveyed who were affected by their partners' BPH symptoms said it impacts their sleep, too.
Traditional Treatment Options
Medication is often the first-line therapy for enlarged prostate, but relief can be inadequate and temporary. Some patients may suffer uncomfortable side effects from the medications, including dizziness, headaches and sexual dysfunction, which can prompt them to quit using the drugs.
“Medical and surgical treatments for BPH ranging from medications to surgery have been used for decades with varying degrees of success and side effects,” said Dr. David O. Sussman, DO, FACOS. “Medications can be helpful in relieving symptoms for some men, but patients must continue taking them long-term to maintain the effects.”
The classic alternative for patients who opt against medication is surgery that cuts, heats or removes prostate tissue to open the blocked urethra. Sussman said surgical options such as transurethral resection of the prostate or photovaporization of the prostate are usually effective. However, these options typically require general anesthesia, overnight hospitalization and post-operative catheterization. Surgery can also increase the risk of erectile dysfunction or loss of ejaculation.
An Alternative Treatment Method
Another option for men looking to relieve their BPH symptoms without undergoing major surgery or taking long-term BPH medications is the UroLift System treatment, a minimally invasive procedure that takes less than an hour and doesn’t require any cutting, heating or removal of prostate tissue.
A urologist uses the device to lift and move the enlarged prostate tissue out of the way so it no longer blocks the urethra (the passageway that urine flows through). Tiny implants are then used to hold the tissue in place, leaving an unobstructed pathway for urine to flow through normally.
Most common side effects are mild-to-moderate and include pain or burning with urination, blood in urine, pelvic pain, urgent need to urinate or the inability to control the urge. The procedure has a low catheter rate and most symptoms resolve within 2-4 weeks after the procedure.
To learn more, visit UroLift.com.
