The Caregiver’s Voice Monthly Article Excerpts for busy caregivers feature coordinating care with siblings and the invisible work of unpaid caregivers in care facilities, plus, the risk of stroke for older people with COVID and tips for preparing your home for an older adult to move in. The first two article excerpts below are from the American Society on Aging’s Generations SmartBrief and the Caregiver Action Network.
Stroke Risk Highest for Older COVID Patients Soon After Diagnosis
“A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the risk of COVID-related ischemic stroke appears greatest in the first three days after you’re diagnosed with the virus. Not just higher, but 10 times greater than during the period before [one] contracts COVID-19… The risk of stroke was higher for a younger subset of the people in this study, those aged 65 to 74, compared to those 85 and older.”
How to Coordinate a Parent’s Care with Siblings
This article includes tools and plans for balancing parental care among siblings. One suggestion is to seek each person’s strength in order to overcome objections. “Nobody plans ahead to become their parents’ caregivers, and it takes time to make sense of the situation… family caregiving experts share insights and tips on how adult children can join together to take care of their parents… and avoid emotional pitfalls that strain and damage sibling relationships.”
How to Help Your Strong Friends
While we all have friends who appear strong… or we are the ones who look like we have it all together, we each need to be heard, hugged, and given support with assurance that we’ll get through a difficult time. Three small gestures can mean the world to a person seeming to have a grip on life’s challenging moments; while beneath the surface, paddling frantically to survive.
Tips to Prepare Your Home for an Older Adult to Move In
“Moving an older adult into a family member’s home can come with a particular set of needs and challenges,” according to Dr. Brandy Archie of AccessAble Living. Archie says family members can consider portable metal wheelchair ramps, premade stair railings, bedside commodes, shower chairs, bed rails and other devices to make the transition easier and safer.
Pets Can Boost Your Brain Power
“Having a long-term pet companion may delay memory loss and other kinds of cognitive decline, a new study has found. Pet ownership was especially beneficial for working verbal memory, such as memorization of word lists, according to the preliminary research.”
In Care Facilities, there is an ‘Invisible Workforce’ of Unpaid Caregivers
“A high percentage of care homes’ residents… receive basic care from family or unpaid caregivers….” This is in addition to the paid staff. “ ‘I call it caregiving 2.0 because … I’m there every single night to make sure she’s doing okay,’ Steil, 35, said, who has been her grandmother’s caregiver for more than a decade.”
