Eldercare survival tips

This 27-page e-Book provides a brief guide for eldercare, covering various aspects from the emotional and physical challenges to practical tips and strategies for caregivers.

Overview:

•    Purpose and Challenges of Eldercare: A preliminary look at the rigorous and often overwhelming nature of the emotional and physical challenges faced by caregivers and the elderly, and the importance of faith and trust in God.
•    Emotional and Psychological Impact: Caregivers often experience a unique kind of suffering, including self-denial and psychological demands, while managing the needs and expectations of elderly loved ones.
•    Coping Strategies for Caregivers: Strategies include maintaining one’s own health, scheduling daily activities, seeking support from others, and finding ways to detach and rest.
•    Perspective of the Elderly: We can seek to understand an elderly person's point of view as they experience a loss of independence, physical abilities and mental faculties, often leading to frustration and a search for meaning.  Also discussed here is the importance of providing emotional support and mitigating anxiety as an aging parent faces the end of life.
•    Managing Daily Care: Includes a list of the potentially exhausting eldercare responsibilities for assisting your parent with their personal hygiene and providing support for them in your home.
•    Role of Drugs and Supplements: Suggested health supplements to alleviate pain and improve comfort, and thoughts on how to achieve a balance between using drugs and natural remedies.
•    Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition, hydration and exercise are key aspects of eldercare.  Includes recommendations for a plant-based diet to manage common chronic issues like constipation and urinary tract infections.
•    Legal and Financial Preparations: The  importance of preparing legal documents such as a Medical Power of Attorney and a Financial Power of Attorney to manage end-of-life decisions, and a DNR form that is signed and accessible.
•    Necessary Equipment: A list of essential equipment and supplies for eldercare, including a hospital bed, recliner chair, and items that can bring comfort and relief.
•    Home Safety Precautions: Tips for reducing the risk of falls, and for standardizing the placement of necessary items for ready access by a sight-impaired loved one.
•    Three typical phases of dying: Bodily signs to be aware of while hospice care is being provided.  How to focus optimally on comfort and dignity in an elder’s final days and hours.