| Formatted Contents Note: |
You Are Not Alone -- The Pros and Cons of Being a Caregiver -- Do You Want This Job? -- Making the Eldercare Decision -- If Eldercare Is Not for You -- If You Decide to Care for Your Parent -- Handling That First Crisis -- The Effects on Your Family, Time, and Health -- What If You Fail? -- Knowing When Your Parents Need Help -- What's Normal? -- Loss of Loved Ones, Friends, and Advisors -- Loss of Self -- Loss of Independence and Control -- Decline Is a Fact of Life -- Why Parents Refuse Help -- Difficult Parents -- What Are the Warning Signs? -- Memory Loss/Dementia -- Diminished Hearing -- Diminished Sight -- Falls -- Incontinence -- Self-Neglect -- Drug or Alcohol Abuse -- Intervention: When? What? How? -- Trusting Your Instincts -- Planning Ahead -- When Not to Intervene -- Getting a Professional Assessment -- Private Assessments -- Public Assessments -- Talking to Your Parents -- Talking to Your Family -- Choosing the Right Intervention -- Preventive Intervention -- Partial Intervention -- Total Intervention -- Crisis Intervention -- Legal/Financial Intervention -- Taking the Car Away -- Providing Substitute Transportation -- Caregiving Realities -- Do You Have Realistic Expectations? -- Understanding Your Responsibilities -- Learning to Be an Advocate -- Hands-on Care -- Supervising Others -- Financial Management -- Recruiting Friends and Family -- Using the Skills You Already Have -- Where to Get the Training You Need -- Long-Distance Caregiving -- Why You Need a Long-Distance Support System -- Creating Your Long-Distance Support Network -- Geriatric Care Managers -- Elder Law Attorneys -- Other Attorneys -- Physicians -- Friends and Neighbors -- Preparing for Your Visit -- During Your Visit -- After Your Visit -- Finding and Using Help and Services -- What's the Right Support System for You? -- Identifying Your Needs -- Adult Day-Care Programs -- Social-Model Day-Care Programs -- Medical-Model Day-Care Programs -- Medical Support -- Family Support -- Community Support -- Parent Support -- Significant Other Support -- Respite -- Handling Burnout -- How Do You Know If You're Burned Out? -- Getting Help -- Reaping the Benefits of Respite -- Managing Your Time -- Restoring Your Quality of Life -- Taking Care of Yourself -- Setting Limits -- Managing Medical Issues -- Learning to Be an Advocate in the Doctor's Office -- Choosing a Doctor -- Board-Certified Physicians -- Geriatricians -- Specialists -- Preparing for the Visit -- Gathering Medical and Insurance Information -- Bringing Medications and Prescriptions -- Asking the Right Questions and Getting the Answers -- After the Visit -- Complying with Physicians' Orders -- Getting a Second Opinion -- Returning for New Treatment Options -- Understanding Patients' Rights and Responsibilities -- Overseeing Medications -- Administering Medications -- Keeping Track of Medications -- Developing a Relationship with the Pharmacist -- Pain Management -- Misuse of Medications -- Abuse and Dependency -- Over-the-Counter and Alternative Medications -- Managing Benefits and Insurance -- Why It's Worth the Effort -- What to Do When a Claim Is Denied -- Medicare -- How It Works: Parts A, B, and C -- Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) -- Point of Service (POS) -- Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) -- Medigap (Private Insurance) -- Medicaid -- Applying for Benefits -- Social SecurityHow It Works -- Special Situations -- Survivor Benefits -- Veteran's Administration -- Who Is Eligible -- Dealing With Serious Illness -- Insisting on an Accurate Diagnosis -- Managing Major Illness -- The Importance of a Second Opinion -- Researching Treatment Options -- Coping with Specific Conditions -- Depression and Anxiety -- Dementia -- Agitated, Hostile, and Aggressive Behavior -- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, in the Elderly -- Coping with Alzheimer's Disease -- Facts about the Disease -- Testing and Diagnosis -- Treatment Options -- The Effects on Your Family -- What to Expect as the Disease Progresses -- Organizing to Handle Mild Memory Impairment -- Primary Communication Tips and Coping Skills -- Remember Your Body, Mind, and Spirit -- Planning for the Future -- When Hospitalization is Necessary -- Facing Your Fears -- Choosing the Right Hospital -- Being Prepared -- Emergency Admissions -- Preplanned Admissions -- What to Bring with Your Parent, What to Leave at Home -- During Your Parent's Hospitalization -- Planning for Discharge -- Leaving the Hospital -- Detecting and Dealing with Elder Abuse -- The Realities of Elder Abuse -- Finding Help in Your Community -- Protective Services for Adults -- Guardians -- Physical Abuse -- Familial Abuse -- Financial Abuse -- Homecare Abuse -- Social Abuse of Drugs and Alcohol -- Rebuilding Trust -- Ageism -- How to Hire a Homecare Worker -- What Are Your Options -- Family Caregivers -- Paid Homecare Workers -- Geriatric Care Managers -- Evaluating Your Parent's Needs -- Duties and Skill Levels -- Expectations: Reality Check -- Interviewing the Homecare Worker -- Legal and Professional Certifications -- Training and Experience -- Supervising Homecare Workers -- Your Responsibilities -- Your Right to Complain and Replace the Worker -- Making Decisions About Housing: When? What? How? -- Evaluating the Need for Change -- Safety and Quality-of-Life Issues -- Guilt Issues -- Adapting Your Parent's Home for Safety and Security -- Assistive Devices and Helpful Equipment -- Moving Your Parent into Your Home -- Space and Territory -- Adapting Your Home -- Adult Homes -- Assisted Living Facilities -- Nursing Homes -- Moving Your Parent -- Who Does What? -- Paring Down Your Parent's Belongings -- Advocating after the Move -- Visiting Your Parent -- Evaluating the Move to a Nursing Home -- Making a Difficult Decision -- Choosing the Right Nursing Home -- Location -- Religious Preferences -- Dietary Requirements -- Specialized Care -- Cleanliness -- Activities for Residents -- Who's Who in the Complaint Process -- Medication/Pain Management -- Patient Advocate and the Bill of Rights -- Moving to a Nursing Home -- Making the Room Comfortable -- Clothing -- Valuables and Personal Items -- Dating, Sex, and Remarriage -- Your Parent's New Relationship -- Remarriage -- Financial/Legal Issues -- Dating, Love, and Intimacy -- Sexuality and Sex -- Safe Sex -- Death and Dying -- Facing Your Feelings and Fears -- What Are Your Parent's Feelings and Fears? -- Honoring Your Parent's Wishes -- Funeral Arrangements -- Grief and Mourning -- Saying Good-bye -- A New Beginning -- Caregiver Organizations and Resources. |
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