Care for the Caregiver

11/02/2011

Education and Awareness
-Learn about the disease in Parkinson's Facts. Understanding what is happening and what to expect is half the battle.
-No what treatments are available.
-Ask about the most common side effects and what to do about them.
-Learn how Parkinson's changes over time. The key is not to get so caught up in the symptoms that you are overwhelmed but to think about ways that you can change how you do things to reduce of delay any problems down the road.

Assemble Your Team
-Who will you go to in times of stress or for support- Friends, family, counselor, neighbor, clergy, support group members.
-Your medical team is more than your doctor. Review the specialists that are available to you.
-Understand how rehabilitation can help and when you should ask for it.

Organization
-Keeping track of the medical treatments, appointments and results can be time consuming. Keep items in one place such as a notebook. See Every Victory Counts at www.everyvictorycounts.org a care book designed for just this purpose. Alternatively, get a simple 3 ring binder to store your information, questions, medication lists.

-Be Prepared and My Medical Chart, has forms to help with this task, Print these forms and use these tools for your benefit and to organize information related to your medical care.

Support
-Knowing your not alone can be very comforting. Look for a support group for caregivers in your community. Senior centers, community centers, hospitals, libraries, and religious organizations offer support groups.

Set Boundaries
-Do not be afraid to say 'no.' Prioritize what you do. This may mean giving up some things that you did in the past especially if they are not very important to you.

-Simplify life now rather than waiting until things get difficult.

Plan Ahead
-Do not wait until there is a problem to find a solution. At that point it may be too late and you are more apt to feel a loss of control.

-Life planning is an important and often neglected topic. What will you do if you can no longer take care of your loved one at home. Who can you call for help? What resources are available to you? Ask your provider if there is a nurse or social worker that you can talk to about these issues.

Communicate
-Set time aside as a couple to simply talk and listen.

Set Aside Time
-Caregiving can leave you tired, zapped of energy and with little time. It is important to set aside a moment each day- even if it is just 5 minutes. Have a cup of tea, talk to a friend, keep a journal.

Self-healing

-Learn to relax. Simple techniques such as yoga, slow breathing, meditation or guided imagery will help.

-Surround yourself with the healing powers of nature.

-Listen to music

-Practice mindfulness, be present and live in the moment

Find the positive

-Laugh. Even simple things such as watching a comedy can help.

-Is there something to be grateful for today, in this moment?

-Be positive

Do not forget your own health.

-Do not forget about yearly medical physicals and preventative health for yourself.

-Exercise and eat well

Do not lose what is you

-Continue your outside interests, passion or hobbies.

Get help

-Find respite. Work is not respite.
-Find a moment you can keep to yourself

Indulge yourself
-Chocolate anyone, massage, movie matinee?

Author: Monique Giroux, MD

Medical Information Disclaimer and Legal Agreement

Please read this agreement entirely and carefully before using the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation website (nwpf.org).By using www.nwpf.org site, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions below and in the www.nwpf.org Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer About Medical Information:
The information and reference materials contained here are intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not to be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion with the patient's own physician. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of professional medical care. The information contained herein is neither intended to dictate what constitutes reasonable, appropriate or best care for any given health issue, nor is it intended to be used as a substitute for the independent judgment of a physician for any given health issue. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. The major limitation of informational resources like www.nwpf.org is the inability to take into account the unique circumstances that define the health issues of the patient. If you have persistent health problems or if you have further questions, please consult your health care provider. All visitors to this and other www.nwpf.org associated web sites agree to read and abide by the complete terms of this agreement.

Legal Disclaimers

Summary:
 * www.nwpf.org web site does not constitute an attempt to practice medicine.
 * The use of the site does not establish a doctor-patient relationship.
 * Individuals should consult a qualified health care provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.
 * While the site attempts to be as accurate as possible, it should not be relied upon as being comprehensive or error-free.
 * www.nwpf.org is under constant development and changes may be made in the articles and programs at any time.
 * The web site reserves the right to change its disclaimer or privacy policy, so users should review these periodically.

No Medical Advice.
The information posted here by www.nwpf.org is not to be considered medical advice and is not intended to replace consultation with a qualified medical professional. We may answer and post medical questions solely on our own discretion. We do not have the resources or the capability to answer all visitor questions. In general, the questions we choose to answer are (in our opinion) of value to other readers. The answers to these questions should in no way be considered specific medical advice or a plan for disease management. Our goal is to provide sufficient information so that www.nwpf.org visitors are able to become knowledgeable participants in their disease management plan. The primary responsibility of your disease management plan is with your treating physicians and you should only follow your treating physicians advice. DO NOT change/modify your disease management plan on your own without consulting your treating physicians.

No Warranties.
This web site is provided on an "as is," "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to, those of TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE or NON-INFRINGEMENT or any warranty as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness or arising from a course of dealing, usage, or trade practice. No oral advice or written information provided by the www.nwpf.org shall create a warranty; nor shall members or visitors to the site rely on any such information or advice.

Disclaimer of Liability.
The user assumes all responsibility and risk for the use of this web site. Under no circumstances shall www.nwpf.org or its contributors/employees or its affiliated organizations such as the University of Illinois at Chicago or its employees or anyone else involved in creating or maintaining this web site be liable for any DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL or CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, or LOST PROFITS that result directly or indirectly from the use or inability to use the web site and/or any other web sites which are linked to this site - or that result directly or indirectly from mistakes, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, viruses, errors, defects, or any failure of performance, communications failure, theft, destruction or unauthorized access.

In states which do not allow some or all of the above limitations of liability, liability shall be limited to the greatest extent allowed by law.

Online Conduct.
Visitors agree to use the web site only for lawful purposes and are prohibited from posting on the web site any unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory or obscene material of any kind, including, but not limited to, any material which encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national or international law. This applies to any posting that could be termed as Sexual Harassment and or Discrimination. Although in the absence of a specific complaint the postings are not monitored for compliance with this provision, in an effort to discourage such conduct, please note that all postings in the Comments area will list the author's name--no anonymous postings are permitted!

Disclaimer of Endorsement.
Reference to any products, services, hypertext link to the third parties or other information by trade name, trademark, supplier or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by www.nwpf.org or its contributors/employees. They are for convenience only.

Link Disclaimer.
Links are provided only as an informational resource. Please note that many of the links provided are not on our servers and are not maintained by us or affiliated with any services provided by us. These links are provided simply as a service, and it should not be implied that we recommend, endorse or approve of any of the content at the linked site(s), nor are we responsible for their availability, accuracy or content.

Have a nice day.