Senior Help Forum » Caregivers

Handicapped Parking Plates Tags by State (updated)

awhite — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:30:10 +0000

Caregivers often provide transportation to doctor’s offices, grocery stores, pharmacies and the like. When a parent has difficulty walking even short distances, a driver without a handicapped card, or tag, is often faced with dropping them off at the curb, parking the car and then running into the building in order to catch up. For these situations, handicapped parking privileges can be often granted to caregivers when transporting eligible persons.

Every state offers either disabled parking cards, or plates, or both. While the requirements vary by state, they are very similar. While not in every case, it often requires a doctor’s letter.

To give you an idea of what they typically require, we’re posting Wisconsin’s basic requirements below:

Cannot walk 200 feet or more without stopping to rest;
Cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, another person or brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistance device;
Is restricted by lung disease to the extent that forced expiratory volume for 1 second when measured by spirometry is less than one liter or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest;
Uses portable oxygen;
Has a cardiac condition to the extent that functional limitations are classified in severity as class III or IV, according to standards accepted by the American Heart Association;
Is severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition;

We’ve included links to each state so you can check the specific requirements. The links either take you to an application form, which typically include the requirements, or to their department of transportation page which discusses the application requirements. Links to Acrobat documents are noted with ‘PDF’:

Is there an opposite of caregiver burnout?

awhite — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:29:08 +0000

We’re always looking for ways of making life easier for us and our parents. Occasionally we run across a great resource that we’ve never seen before and wonder why. Today’s find is a book called Share the Care. As most caregivers know, burnout is not only a real threat to the caregiver, it most certainly removes the possibility of the rewards of caregiving. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? As the name implies, if you share the caregiving, the rewards can be greater for all.

The concept of ‘sharing the care’ was not specifically designed with the elderly in mind, yet it’s extremely applicable. The book was written by a couple of women who, among others, were were formed into a group at the suggestion of Dr. Sukie Miller who was treating a patient with a terminal illness. Ultimately it lead to others to ask how they could do it, then a book and ultimately a website.

I think one of the things that appeals to me about this is that when someone has terminal illness, and we’re not a primary caregiver, it’s hard to know how to help…and we often don’t. Share the care makes it easier to know what to do. Sharing the care decreases that chance of burnout and increases the chance that the person in need will get the quality of support they deserve while helping friends and family to know when and how they can help.

While managing the first group, some issues came up regularly and ultimately were turned into seven principles for caregivers.

Sharing responsibility is the key to not “burning out.”
It won’t work unless everyone gains something personally.
Know your limits and stick to them.
There’s no one right way to do it.
Anyone who wants to help should be encouraged.
Trust the group; support each other.
Keep your own life in good working order.

Again, the thing that I find particularly appealing about this approach is that it’s a loose and fairly unstructured, organization. The commitment can be low when need be. People can step in to fill the gaps where needed. If someone has to drop out for awhile, they can. The points that go with the first principle do a nice job of illustrating this:

No one person has to be in charge all the time.
No one person has to deal with every crisis.
No one person has to be “on call” every single day.
No one person has to make all the decisions, all the time.
No one person has to try to run his own life plus the entire, complex life of his loved one.
Let the others do their share. They want to. They need to.

If you, or someone you know, is faced with caring for an individual with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson, or another terminal illness, Share the Care.

Handicapped Parking Plates Tags by State

awhite — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:26:21 +0000

Every state offers either disabled parking cards, or plates, or both. While the requirements vary by state, they are very similar. While not in every case, it often requires a doctor’s letter.

To give you an idea of what they typically require, we’re posting Wisconsin’s basic requirements below:

Cannot walk 200 feet or more without stopping to rest;
Cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, another person or brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistance device;
Is restricted by lung disease to the extent that forced expiratory volume for 1 second when measured by spirometry is less than one liter or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest;
Uses portable oxygen;
Has a cardiac condition to the extent that functional limitations are classified in severity as class III or IV, according to standards accepted by the American Heart Association;
Is severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition;

Tips on Helping Manage Prescriptions

awhite — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:55:57 +0000

First, let’s get the disclaimers out of the way. We’re not doctors, or pharmacists, and if you’re not either, you should always rely on a doctor and/or pharmacist for a final opinion on anything to do with medicines or supplements. In fact, many pharmacy chains offer a number of caregiver tools on their sites, including Walgreens and CVS. No matter what, it’s important to talk to a professional, whether you think you know the answer, or not.

That said, family and other caregivers often find themselves partially, or fully, involved in a senior’s medical regimen. Here are some tips for reducing a chance of a problem:

Keep a list of every medication they are taking, including over-the-counter and herbal remedies, with the frequency and size of the medication. Keep it up to date. Recommend that they take the list and a box or bag with all the medications to every medical appointment. It is important to tell the health care provider which medications they are taking and how they are taking them.
The patient should always let the primary care physician know when another physician prescribes a new medication, or if they have any problems with a new medication. If they are thinking of stopping a medication, or can’t afford to get all of the prescriptions filled, they should discuss it with the physician first.
Try to use only one pharmacy for the prescriptions. A pharmacist can check for adverse drug interactions if he or she knows about all the medications they are taking. If it’s necessary to use multiple pharmacies, take the list of prescriptions and show it to the pharmacist.
Use a weekly or daily pill organizer, especially when taking several different medications, to help ensure that they get the right dose at the right time. Establish and follow a regular routine for taking medication. An example might be taking their nighttime pills right after they brush their teeth before bedtime.
Keep medications in their original containers, except for those they put in a pill organizer. The labels on medication bottles contain important information, such as correct dosage and expiration dates.
Choose one day each year (their birthday is an easy reminder) to check the expiration dates of their medications and check with local recycling authorities for proper practices for disposing of prescription medicines.

Mystery Pill? Can’t figure out what a medicine is? Drugs.com has a Pill Identification Wizard that may help you figure it out. To find the information on the mystery medicine, you can enter any combination of the writing on the pill, the pill color and the shape to get to a photo of the medicine. Drugs.com has a number of other tools including ‘drugs by condition’ (e.g., hypertension) and an interaction checker, where you can enter two, or more, prescription medicines and find out about the potential interactions.

FDA: The Food and Drug Administration has a generic drug finder, where you can search on a brand name drug and possibly find a less expensive generic. If you find one, talk to your physician to see if it will work for you. Other resources on the FDA site include: U.S. approved drugs and side effects.

Good Info on Hiring Home Health Aides Via: NYT

awhite — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:11:51 +0000

There are three good posts on The New Old Age Blog at the New York Times about hiring home health aides. Never having been though the process, but thinking I might someday, I found these posts helpful.

Home Health Aides: Why Hire From an Agency? – This first of a three-part series of interviews with Marki Flannery, President of Partners in Care, an affiliate of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. This post discusses the benefits of hiring from an agency versus the so-called “gray market,” an over-the-back-fence approach. Some of the reasons that Ms. Flannery gives include:

Will the home health aide be caring for someone with a diagnosed medical condition?
If my mom hates the person I hire, can I quickly find a replacement — or even a replacement for the replacement?
If this person calls in sick or plans a vacation, am I able to work from home to provide care?
Can I trust this person to do the food shopping for my dad and only buy what he needs and not extras?

Home Health Aides: What They Make, What They Cost – This was also an eye opener. I certainly imagined it would be expensive. In the scenario that she gives, 24/7 care would cost about $165,000 a year. Flannery points out that it’s actually cheaper to have someone for four days and then another person for three days in order to avoid overtime. It seems like fatigue would be a problem too. She also describes the compensation, benefits and education that the aides in an agency receive.

Home Health Aides: Present and Future – This post is more focused on hiring and managing home healthcare aides and some thoughts on the aging of baby boomers, a large portion of our population.

While by no means a comprehensive look at home health aides, I thought the series provided exceptional insight into something that many of us has had to face. Read the comments too; they add another dimension to the topic.

The Sandwich Generation

lmcgowan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:00:36 +0000

Flickr by a4gpa

Are you currently busy raising children; all the while, caring for the needs of an aging parent? If so, you are not alone!

CBS News reported in May of 2006 that, “An estimated 16 million Americans – more people than live in all of New England – find themselves “sandwiched” between two generations, struggling to raise their kids while caring for an aging loved one.

They further explained that “the number is about to explode: In 25 years, there will be 60 million Americans between the ages of 66 and 84, many of them needing full- or part-time care.”

Dr. Janet Taylor, M.D. reports that, “the sandwich generation keeps getting bigger as a result of women bearing children later in life, more women working, and parents living longer due to improved healthcare technology.”

Many organizations have sprung up to offer support to this growing group of Americans. One such organization is the Family Caregiver Alliance. It provides caregivers with state-by-state help navigating the long-term care system (government, nonprofit, and private programs).

Other helpful websites and online articles include:

Strength for Caring: This is a site for caregivers in general but provides some great coping suggestions for those in the Sandwich Generation.

CNN Money: This article provides hints and suggestions for handling the financial challenges that come when you are handling the finances of your parent(s) while supporting your children.

The Sandwich Generation: This site is dedicated to providing information and training to people who find themselves in this life stage.

Note: A simple Google search for “the sandwich generation” turned up 411,000 entries. There is support and information to help guide through this.

Top Ten Things for Caregivers to Start Doing for the New Year

awhite — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:15:43 +0000

Postcard c.1900

Today’s Caregiver Magazine online has a good set of tips for caregivers to help get a little more organized for the new year. It looks like a good list of new years resolutions.

Some of the great tips include keeping complete records of medicines/interactions, doctor appointments and medical information… which is a better way of saying that you’ll get more organized.

They also recommend making sure that there is an up-to-date advanced directive and last will and testament. You might also consider a Five Wishes document.

If it hasn’t been done lately, have an insurance analysis done for home/renter, life and other insurance.

Their last recommendation is to clean out the medicine cabinet of all expired and unused medicines. If you do find some, please check with your local recycling center, drug store, or hospital to determine the proper way to dispose of them.

For all ten tips click here.