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Caregiver Resources: Help for the Helper

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Links for Caregivers:






360 Degrees of Financial Literacy: Tips, Tools and Worksheets for Caregivers

American Cancer Society: Resources for Caregivers



                                  Caregiver Grief and Loss

From KidSource.com: Estate planning/trusts with your special needs child in mind

NAMI.org: Estate planning guidance system when your loved one has a disabling mental illness


Information, support and guidance for family and professional caregivers. Includes topic specific newsletters, online discussion lists, back issue articles of Today's Caregivermagazine, chat rooms and an online store. For caregivers, about caregivers and by caregivers.  


The Huntsman Online Patient Education (HOPE) Guide is a large resource of cancer information for patients, family, friends and caregivers. Learn how cancer patients and their families can cope with the emotional, physical, financial and legal aspects of living with cancer. For more information, call the Cancer Learning Center at 1-801-581-6365 or toll-free at 1-888-424-2100. You can also ask questions using the online contact form.

The mission is to provide information and awareness for children and adolescents with cancer and their families, to advocate for their needs, and to support research so every child survives and leads a long and healthy life. 


Asbestos.com: The Leading Mesothelioma Cancer Resource 
The Mesothelioma Center is an up-to-date resource for all issues ranging from mesothelioma statistics to treatment options. The daily tasks of caring for someone suffering from malignant mesotheliomacan be overwhelming. Whether you're the mesothelioma patient or the caregiver, you can find support in many different places. Take a few moments to browse through the support section to locate answers to your concerns.


AlzheimersPlaybook.com: Download a free copy of Coach Frank Broyles' advice for caregivers or order a copy for $9.00. His beloved wife had Alzheimer's disease. You will find hope, caring and practical advice.



From the Alzheimer's Association: (A wealth of information for caregivers)








Anticipatory Grief and Chronic Sorrow


Grief can begin before your loved one dies. This "grief before grief " helps prepare you for loss when death occurs. The extent to which you can truly prepare for the death of a loved one, however, is not known. Read more about anticipatory grief by clicking on the links below:

Opentohope.com: Coping as You Anticipate a Loss by Marty Tousley 
(Scroll a short way down the page to find the article about anticipatory grief)








From Healing and the Grief Process (Nurse As Healer Series), Lynn Keegan, Editor, Delmar Publishers, 1997, p. 150:

Chronic sorrow is a term used to describe a never-ending sorrow characterized by no predictable end and no true resolution. It is a prolonged feeling of loss and bereavement that is usually caused by an occurrence other than death, such as a long-term illness, disease or injury. The concept of chronic sorrow was first used to identify the heartache of parents with a disabled child, but the term now includes the periodic recurrence of sadness experienced by family caregivers, regardless of the afflicted loved one's age.

Any chronic condition or disability that is long-lasting and pervasive in the lives of family members can be the basis of chronic sorrow. Examples of such conditions include, but are not limited to: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, spinal cord and brain injuries, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, autism and mental illness. Visit the links below to learn more about chronic sorrow. 






Books for Caregivers:


The Comfort of Home: A Complete Guide for Caregivers by Maria M. Meyer and Paula Derr, RN. CareTrust Publications LLC; 3rd Edition, 2007. Price: $16.47. 400 pages. Consistently gets five-star reader reviews.

Product Description: Burnout — the complete drain of physical, spiritual, and emotional reserves —occurs when a caregiver slips into exhaustion or depression. More and more frequently, the responsibility of caring for the chronically ill child, the disabled spouse, or the aging parent falls on a family member. From the decision to be a caregiver to dealing with day-to-day activities, this guide provides help with every aspect of home care. Also included in this edition are a checklist of tasks, a chapter on self-care and avoiding caregiver burnout, information about making funeral arrangements and the grieving process, a glossary of terms, an explanation of Medicare benefits and a list of helpful resources.


Price: $10.17. 242 pages. Receives excellent reader reviews.

Product Description: At some time, most families will need to provide home care for an aging family member who is ill or disabled. While home caregiving provides many benefits, it takes careful planning, support, and patience.

The American Medical Association Guide to Home Caregiving provides the information you need to take the best possible care of an elderly, ill, or disabled person in a home setting. Written by experts from the American Medical Association, the book explains such essentials as how to:

  • Plan and arrange a room to adapt to a loved one’s needs
  • Give medications, maintain hygiene, monitor symptoms, deal with incontinence, provide emotional support, and relieve boredom
  • Choose a home healthcare provider
  • Pay for home healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid, and long-term care insurance
  • Care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a terminal illness
  • Choose between alternative living arrangements such as assisted living facilities or nursing homes
  • Take care of yourself, the caregiver

With advice that touches both the physical and the emotional aspects of caregiving, this supportive, practical handbook will help make the experience as successful and rewarding as possible for you and your loved one.

Go to the next page: Caring for the Caregiver

August 2010

My E-mail:

Christine@thegrievingheart.info

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How complicated and individual mending is, the time required for healing
cannot be measured against any fixed calendar
. Mary Jane Moffat
 
© Copyright 2008-2010 Christine Jette. All rights reserved.