Guide for Becoming a Medical Caregiver Advocate

When a loved one becomes ill or is no longer able to manage their own care due to age or disability, a caregiver is designated to step in and take over. Often time the caregiver is an adult child, family member, or close relative that must make sure that everything from insurance, medicine, medical care, and medical appointments are being taken care of.

The process can be very daunting and most don’t know where to begin. These basic steps can assist with guiding a caregiver through the necessary steps of becoming a medical advocate.

  • Talk to the loved one about the role you will be taking in regards to their health care and what expectations are required from your participation.
  • Obtain official permission to act as caregiver and medical advocate. HIPAA and other laws regulate privacy, making doctors unable to speak to caregivers about medical situations without a signed HIPAA consent statement.
  • Obtain medical power of attorney to give you the right to make health care decisions when your loved one is unable to.
  • Create a care directive with your loved one. A written care directive is a statement which communicates and maps out the future medical care and treatment of the loved one when they are no longer able to communicate these wishes.
  • Organize official documents into files that include insurance information, medication, treatments, medical diagnosis, legal information, etc.
  • Education yourself on your loved one’s condition, treatments, and options. The more you know, the better you are at making confident decisions.
  • Establish a relationship with the doctor and other medical caregivers to develop mutual respect and establish shared goals.
  • Take notes and ask for copies of test results, labs, etc. during doctor visits as it can become difficult to remember everything you are told especially if seeing many different doctors and specialists.
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Caregivers Guide to Monitors, Alarms, and Alerts

Being a caregiver to something that is disabled or to a home bound senior is not easy. You want to have the peace of mind when you can’t be around them, but at the same time allow the one your love the opportunity to live independently. That is where monitors, alarms, and alerts can come into place.

Monitors

  • Webcams

A webcam can easily be installed on a desktop, notebook, or laptop computer. It allows the caregiver the opportunity to view their loved one in real time, up close and personal, while they can also see you.

The webcam also offers other services such as web chatting with family and friends, and video transmission of current events or video classes for the home bound.

  • Video surveillance

Not only can video surveillance monitor for intruders, but they can also help you monitor those activities of a loved one. It allows the caregiver the opportunity to become aware of immediate dangers such as at risk behavior including misuse of the stove or microwave, wandering outside of the house, or medical emergencies.

Alarms

  • Personal Fall Alarms

A personal fall alarm is a device that is easily attached to a wheelchair or mattress which alerts a caregiver when their loved one tries to rise from a bed or stand up out of a wheelchair. These types of alarms are used to alert when an individual with impaired balance becomes at risk for falling or other potential dangers.

Alerts

  • Medic Alert

Medic Alert is a non-profit organization that offers 24 hour emergency identification and medical information services.  They also offer safe return a service for individuals with dementia or Alzheimer who often wander away from home.

  • Personal Emergency Alert

A personal emergency alert is a transmitter that activates a call to an emergency center to dispatch medical personnel. The individual wears a button around the neck or wrist that they can easily use to request assistance when they fall and are unable to get up or require medical care.

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Caregivers Guide to Fall Prevention

Falls in the elderly or those with disabilities can have serious consequences requiring extended time in nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. There are ways that caregivers can prepare a home to prevent unnecessary falls.

Bedroom

  • Keep a nightstand with easy reach to a phone, eyeglasses, and medications
  • Make sure the bed is adjusted to a safe and comfortable level
  • Make sure room is adequately lighted
  • Plug in nightlight and motion sensitive lights, especially to the path of the bathroom

Bathroom

  • Purchase a non-skid mat for the bathtub or shower
  • Install grab bars near tub, shower, and toilet
  • Discuss not using towel bars as grab bars or shower curtains as stabilizers
  • Purchase a shower seat for anyone that can’t stand for a period of time

Kitchen

  • Clean spills immediately with easy to reach towels
  • Close pantry doors and cabinet drawers
  • Keep frequently used items visible and at reachable levels
  • Purchase a sturdy step stool with a hand rail and a hand held reaching tool to grab items on upper shelves

Outdoors

  • Repair any cracks in the sidewalk, walkway, and driveway
  • Repair broken steps and deck handrails
  • Make sure all areas with steps have handrails
  • Keep walkways and driveway free of snow, ice, and debris

General

  • Keep walkways and paths illuminated
  • Eliminate small rugs that can easily cause tripping
  • Make sure pathways and walkways are free of debris and low standing objects
  • Install light switches at the top and bottom of stairways
  • Repair broken steps, handrails, and loose carpet
  • Add color strips to delineate stairs and changes in flooring
  • Keep wires and cords close to baseboards and away from walking paths
  • Always wear shoes that are skid proof, low healed, and easy to walk in
  • Consider purchasing a personal alarm in case of falls
  • Keep emergency numbers and medical information posted on refrigerator for emergency situations
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Female Friendships Endure In Old Age

As women, throughout our lives we look to our friends for support and stability. As young girls in grade school it is our friends who teach us to play cats cradles and to jump rope. As teens we look to our friends to guide us through the minefield of puberty, to listen to our endless outpouring about our latest crush and to accompany us as we take the first steps in independence. As young women our friends form quasi-families that support us through career crises, join us on exciting adventures and generally make our lives more fun and interesting.

When we become mothers we look to our friends for solidarity, support and advice, as we adjust to our new role in the world. As wives we use our friends as sounding boards for the issues in our marriage or simply as an outlet for the frustrations that we prefer not to share with our husbands. When our children fly the nest it is to our female peers that we turn for reassurance that we still have a role to play n society and it is these women who help us to craft a new position for ourselves in society.

Indeed, the female friendship is one that endures throughout the stages of life, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the retirement communities of the world, where women in later life continue to band together to provide each other with entertainment and support. Playing cards, sharing stories and reminiscing about days gone by. These golden girls continue to share each other’s triumphs and insecurities and offer each other an unrivalled and unstinting support.

As women we are lucky that we have such good friends as life would be infinitely less bearable without them.

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Understanding Reasonable

One of the main clauses included in the Americans with Disabilities Act is the need for employers to create ‘reasonable accommodations’ for their disabled employees. This may sound rather vague, but in actuality, the law is rather clear. The procedures and policies contained within it cover ever accommodation issue from understanding a request to implementing a structural change. Both employers and employees are responsible for ensuring that the ADA is adequately followed and implemented.

Employees have the right to make specific accommodation requests. When doing so, they should clearly and plainly state their request in writing. Examples include requesting a different desk to accommodate a wheelchair or schedule changes to accommodate medical treatments. What are not ‘reasonable’ are requests due to comfort reasons or things of that nature. Incidentally, it is permissible for an employer to ask an employee if they are in need of a specific accommodation.

Employers do bear the brunt of the responsibility for the ADA. There are several areas of concern that employers should focus on. The first is general accessibility and includes areas such as wheelchair access and bathrooms. Job resturction and modification of schedules is also sometimes necessary. For example, an employ that needs to attend physical therapy sessions several times a week may need to have their hours modified. Some employers also find the need to modify their actual policies to ensure that they are meeting the standard of reasonable accommodations. Finally, employers should carefully consider the services they offer and the equipment that they use in their space to ensure that it is appropriate for their disabled employees.

“Reasonable accommodations” is an integral part of the ADA. Employers and employees should take the time to understand the law and its implications. By working together and relying on the guidelines, implementing reasonable accommodations.

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By Order of the President

It is an unfortunate fact that in spite of over twenty years of disability legislation unemployment among the learning impaired and the disabled has continued to rise. Because of this, in July of this year President Barrack Obama issued an executive order aimed at increasing the number of disabled employees employed by the federal government.

His order takes things a step further by giving specific requirements for federal agencies. Under the order these agencies are required to meet specific guidelines for hiring people with mental or physical impairments. It further mandates that strategies and guidelines to develop recruitment and hiring be completed. These guidelines will include mandatory training programs for human resource agents employed by the federal government. In theory these guidelines are designed to create an environment where more positions are available to disabled individual and to support the companies that opt to employ them.

His order takes things a step forward by mandating a commission to develop strategies aimed at employee retainment – specifically disabled employees. It is hoped that through the use of strategies that may include reasonable accommodations for disabled individuals, training, employment support and other initiatives. It is hoped that these guidelines will enable federal agencies to keep disabled employees once they have been hired.

Most studies show that the biggest hurdle faced by any agency or company in regards to their disability programs is retainment. Under President Obama’s order it may be possible to reverse this trend by implementing a series of training courses and guidelines. It is hopeful that this order along with 2008′s ADAAA that the rising unemployment rate among the disabled bay be stemmed. President Obama’s order is the next step towards creating a more equal world – a world in which everyone can be employed, regardless of their physical limitations – a better world.

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Ibuprofen Side Effects Minimal in low Doses

Before you reach for just any pain reliever the next time you visit the supermarket, it might be a good idea to do some research into side effects from these drugs that you might not be aware of.

Ibuprofen has long been the choice for those suffering with aches and pains, and while the side effects of this drug are minimal, ibuprofen side effects do exist and should be taken into consideration.

Ibuprofen, like other pain reliever, works to alleviate pain by reducing inflammation of an inflamed area. The technical terms say ibuprofen inhibits the enzyme cyclooxygenase and converts acid and other items to prostaglandins, which help relieve pain (It sounds a bit complicated, but we’ll all take the reduction in pain).

One of the true advantages of Ibuprofen is it is very easy on the digestive system. Studies suggest Ibuprofen causes the lowest numbers of stomach problems when administered in doses under 1200 milligrams per day. Translation, over-the counter Ibuprofen is typically will not cause stomach related issues.

There are some side effects that you should be aware of if Ibuprofen is your pain reliever of choice. Among those side effects are: diarrhea, constipation headaches, dizziness, and sometimes nausea. Some studies show that regular use of Ibuprofen can lead to an increase in hearing loss. Some studies suggest Ibuprofen increases the risk of heart attack.

For those that take aspirin to supplement their pain relief, combining aspirin and Ibuprofen is never a good idea. While the two combined are not usually lethal in any way, Ibuprofen used in combination with aspirin tends to make aspirin less effective.

Before you choose any drug to be your pain reliever of choice, it’s a great idea to consult with your physician. The Internet is also a terrific place to begin studying pain relievers and the potential side-effects that may accompany them.

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Living With A Disability – Not Easy But Not Impossible Either

A person who has lived a normal life with all his or her faculties intact may find it very difficult to get adjusted to a disabled life. The disability may arise out of medical complication, an accident or even due to mental trauma. Whatever the reason, mental adjustment towards the disability is equally important as along with physical adjustments.

It is natural to feel guilt, pity and sadness at the loss. If you presume that you will not feel sorry when you wake up in the morning and find you don’t have the ability to use a limb or any other faculty, you are obviously lying to yourself. You should give sufficient time and space to overcome the mental trauma.

However, it is equally important not to get too carried away by the pity and sadness. You may not be equal to others but you are still alive and kicking and that must definitely mean something to you. It is important to put things in perspective and make use of the various solutions available to get your life back on track.

Family support, realization of the abilities still in hand, employment, social interactions and development of new skills – these are some ways to boost your self esteem and to get back on track.

If you are in a position to continue your old job without any difficulty, then you should use it as a tool or medium to get your life back on track. As you answer queries and doubts of various individuals, you will automatically find that your sorrow over your disability gets replaced by a sense of resignation and optimism.

This is not something that will take place in a very short period of time. However, slow and steady approach will help you get adjusted to your disability and bring your life back to normal.

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Disabled Employment Opportunities – Mere Good Intentions Is Never Enough

It is one thing to have the desire to become a model employer and offer employment opportunities to people with disabilities. However, it is a completely different thing to translate these intentions into action. For starters, you will have to identify a job profile that gives the disabled person a sense of satisfaction.

People do not work for money alone. Of course, it also happens to be one of the most important aspects of finding a job. Yet, asking a person to do a meaningless and senseless task in exchange of money is not going to provide any satisfaction whatsoever. If you intend to offer a job, you will have to make sure it is a real job and not just window dressing. If you are merely doing charity in the name of offering a job, you can be rest assured that you will only make things worse.

If you do not have a job profile that fits the disabled person, you will have to make changes to your working methods and strategy to create such opportunities.

Secondly, you will have to make sure that all other employees in your organization are positive about such a move. Good relation with colleagues happens to form a very important aspect of a satisfactory work life.

If your colleagues think and behave as if you are good for nothing, it is obvious that you will not enjoy working in the office. Just as you should not insult the disabled person by treating him or her as worthy of charity, you should make sure that your employees do not share the same attitude.

Offering employment opportunities to disabled person is something more than simply offering a job. It is offering a lifestyle and a position where the individual can work to his or her fullest and enjoy the satisfaction of contributing to your organization.

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Employing Disabled – Wasting This Valuable Human Resource Does Not Make Sense

The issue of disabled individuals leading a life of poverty and humiliation may not have been given a lot of importance in the past. However, the recent recession has placed emphasis on the importance of extracting maximum out of existing resources. With millions of individuals suffering from one disability or other in the country today, there is growing realization that they form an important and significant part of the labor workforce.

Of course, a disabled person cannot be expected to function in exactly the same manner as a person with all his physical and mental faculties intact. However, the presumption that a disabled person is worthy of pity and generosity and nothing else is completely wrong. A person who does not have any limb may not run at top speed or may not lift heavy weights. However, this does not mean he or she cannot carry out different tasks with efficiency.

Finding the right job for a disabled person may not be easy but it is not impossible either. With legal provisions making it mandatory for individuals to consider qualified and efficient disabled individuals, it is just a question of time before the government initiates action against errant employers and social pressure increases.

As far as employers are concerned, the difficulties involved in employing disabled individuals can be overcome by increase in goodwill and reputation for fulfilling social responsibility. Further, it will help boost employee morale as workers will feel good about working in such an establishment.

If they are employed properly, disabled persons will have no hesitation in promoting your organization and encouraging others to respect your brand as compared to others. All these options open numerous opportunities for you to spread word about your business and improve your goodwill without any difficulty. In today’s global economy, such a reputation will be worth its weight in gold.

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