The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2022 - 20

Resources for
Caregivers
If you find yourself
facing this or a similar
situation, Presbyterian
Village North and, I'm
sure, other facilities
can offer counsel
and downloadable
information. Here are
some other resources
for caregivers:
AARP
This is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization
offering services and
information to aging
people. AARP offers legal
checklists, information on
care options, an online
community, and a page
of local resources and
links to medical services,
Alzheimer's programs and
more. The organization
also offers a Family
Caregiving guide.
Alzheimer's
Association
This group offers
resources for those
with Alzheimer's and
dementia, along with their
caregivers. Included is
information on symptoms,
diagnosis, stages,
treatment, care, and
support resources. The
group's online tools page
features an online forum
called ALZConnected,
e-learning workshops,
a planning aid called
Alzheimer's Navigator,
and more.
Alzheimers.gov
This site from the federal
government provides
free information about
Alzheimer's Disease,
including information
on Medicare coverage,
treatment options,
and referrals to local
community resources.
Caregiver Action
Network
This group offers
resources for caregivers,
including forums and tips.
my grown sons and discussed
what support I needed from
them during my absences:
picking up mail, depositing
payments, and sending
me updates.
Before each trip, I would
email my clients with my
travel dates and, if they
were direct clients, the
names and email addresses
of colleagues they could
contact with any urgent
requests if I was unavailable.
Neither Steve nor I went
anywhere without our cell
phones. While we both tried
to be realistic regarding
delivery times, our respective
clients did get the occasional
request for an extension
because of unexpected issues
with our parents' health. We
checked messages regularly.
In order to stay in business,
it was important that our
client communication suffer
as little as possible.
Time Management
and Realism
That first day of my first
extended visit, it became
obvious that my meticulously
planned schedule (three
hours of work in the
morning, two in the
afternoon, and two or three
late at night) was completely
unrealistic. While I lived with
my parents, I would have to
follow the rhythm of their
days, not mine or my clients'.
So, taking into account
the times when my parents'
cognitive functions were at
their best (early in the day),
when they napped, watched
TV, and went to bed, I started
out with a workday that
looked something like this:
y 4:00 to 7:00 a.m.
(while they were sleeping)
y 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
(while they napped)
20 The ATA Chronicle | September/October 2022
y 9:00 to 12:00 p.m.
(once they were in bed for
the night).
Messages were answered as
I could throughout the day.
Over the next three years,
as my parents' health
deteriorated and safety
issues multiplied, this
schedule changed. In fact, it
changed many times. Toward
the end, I was working an
average of five hours a day in
time segments ranging from
30 minutes to two hours
during my extended visits.
Space to Breathe,
Time to Laugh
A staff member at a care
facility recently told me to
" pay attention when the
overwhelm hits. Caregiver
burnout is real. " Being a
caregiver and at the same
time a self-employed
professional is a balancing
act, and part of doing it
effectively is to consciously
find ways to de-stress.
My brother is a bonsai
artist. " Playing with my trees
was one significant way " to
relieve stress, he told me.
" Or sometimes just sitting on
the deck, looking at them. "
For me, the magic formula
is writing-but social media
helped as well. Those short,
easily controlled interactions
with friends and family
pulled my focus away from
the immediate situation
for just a moment and gave
me perspective.
And then there's humor.
There's nothing quite so destressing
as a belly laugh.
During my first longdistance
stint, I sat down one
night to access a file that was
back home on Big Momma. I
logged in remotely, opened
the file, and...it instantly
disappeared. I tried again.
And again. And again. Each
time, the file opened and
then promptly closed.
www.atanet.org

https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/ https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving https://www.alzheimers.gov/ https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving https://presvillagenorth.org/memory-support/ https://presvillagenorth.org/memory-support/ https://www.caregiveraction.org/ https://www.caregiveraction.org/ http://www.atanet.org

The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2022

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