American Medical Association Guide to Home Caregiving

INTRODUCTION. 1. PREPARING FOR HOME CARE. Setting priorities and goals. Planning and arranging the room. 2. BASIC CAREGIVING SKILLS. Giving medications. Providing a healthy diet. Pressure sores. Hygiene. Toilet needs. Symptoms to monitor. Bed making. Relieving boredom. 3. SPECIALIZED CAREGIVING SKILLS. Wound care. Incontinence. Managing intravenous medications. Risks of immobility. Dealing with specific illnesses. 4. CHOOSING A HOME HEALTH CARE PROVIDER. Visiting nurse associations. Social service agencies. Medication and infusion therapy services. Community and volunteer organizations. Friends and relatives. Drugstores and medical supply companies. Hospice. 5. PAYING FOR HOME HEALTH CARE. Medicare. Medicaid. Department of Veterans Affairs. Long-term care insurance. Workers'Compensation. CHAMPUS. Community and volunteer organizations. 6. REHABILITATION SERVICES. Physical therapy. Occupational therapy. Vocational therapy. Speech therapy. Respiratory therapy. 7. CARING FOR AN OLDER PERSON WHO LIVES ALONE. Modifying the home environment. Preventing falls. Personal emergency response systems. Providing a healthy diet. Medications and older people. Dealing with constipation. Hygiene. Home temperature. Depression. 8. CARING FOR AN OLDER PERSON WHO NEEDS LIMITED ASSISTANCE. Geriatric care managers. Keeping legal and financial affairs in order. Senior centers. Adult day care centers. Continuing care retirement communities. Assisted living facilities. Telephone check-in and reassurance. Area Agencies on Aging. 9. PROVIDING LONG - TERM CARE. Getting out of bed. Preventing pressure sores. Preventing the arms and legs from stiffening. Moving an immobile person in bed. Positioning an immobile person in bed. Transferring an immobile person. Dealing with memory problems. 10. NURSING HOMES. Deciding what is best for your loved one and you. Monitoring your loved one's care. Paying for care in a nursing home. 11. CARING FOR A PERSON WHO HAS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. Learning about the disease. Safety. Finding a loved one who wanders off. Recreational activities. Early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Middle-stage Alzheimer's disease. Late-stage Alzheimer's disease. Support groups for the caregiver. 12. CARING FOR A PERSON WHO IS TERMINALL ILL. Advance directives. Hospice. Relief of symptoms. Pain control. Anxiety and agitation. Dying and death. 13. CARE FOR THE CAREGIVER. Taking care of yourself. Asking for and accepting help from others. Protecting your back. Stress relief for caregivers. What you can do to help a caregiver. RESOURCES. INDEX.