Eldercare Consultant: Your Guide to Making the Best Choices Possible

Your dad's memory is failing. Your mom took another fall. Whatever the situation, The Eldercare Consultant provides the knowledge, support, and encouragement you seek. Becky Feola's real-life stories and guidance on spotting warning signs, evaluating care options, managing costs, avoiding burnout, and more, will cut through confusion with clarity and hope.

List of contents

Contents

Acknowledgmentsix

Introduction1

What Special Features Are Included in This Book7

1 Providing Eldercare for a Loved One9

It's Not Just About You10

Your Biggest Concerns Regarding Eldercare17

Managing Life Transitions28

Recognizing Your Role as a Family Caregiver33

Caregiver Survival Tip36

2 The Caregiver's Challenges39

Changing Family Dynamics40

Understanding the Legalities of Caregiving44

Managing Your Loved One's Needs46

Juggling Your Own Needs with Caregiving56

Understanding Caregiver Burnout58

Caregiver Survival Tip59

3 Easing Caregiver Concerns with Proactive Behavior61

Recognizing the Early Warning Signs62

Identifying Stages of Dementia66

Seeing Your Loved One in Today's Reality69

Twelve Signs It's Time for Assistance71

Consulting with Health Care Professionals74

Complicated Issues for Family Caregivers77

Caregiver Survival Tip83

4 Nurturing Your Loved One's Mind, Body, and Spirit85

The Mind: Understanding Changes in Your Loved One's Brain86

The Body: Understanding What's Happening Physically ?to Your Loved One92

The Spirit: Keeping Your Loved One's Inner Light Shining100

Caregiver Survival Tip103

5 Considering Options for Care Needs107

The First Option: Family Caregivers108

The Role of a Health Care Advocate110

Choosing Between Professional Home Health Care ?Agencies and Private Caregivers112

Palliative Care Services120

Hospice Services121

Care Communities124

Caregiver Survival Tip145

6 Paying for Your Loved One's Care147

Understanding Average Costs of Care148

Determining Needs and Budgeting for Costs of Care150

Identifying Ways to Pay for Care152

Caregiver Survival Tip165

7 Having the Difficult Discussions167

Bringing the Family Together168

Developing a Strategy for Your Discussion170

Doing Your Homework First177

Having the Discussion182

Caregiver Survival Tip188

8 Making the Right Decision191

Approaching Your Decision192

Knowing When to Compromise194

Deciding Who Makes the Final Decision199

Caregiver Survival Tip200

9 Special Considerations for Care203

The Special Care Needs of a Younger Person204

Traumatic Brain Injury206

Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementias210

Parkinson's Disease and Similar Conditions211

Feeding Tubes, Tracheotomy Tubes, and Other Medical Devices213

Dialysis215

Bed-­Bound Patients217

Behavioral Issues218

Caregiver Survival Tip220

10 Final Words of Advice After Any Change223

The Transition Period224

Common Mistakes Made During the Transition225

Suggestions for a Successful Transition229

No Guilt: You Did the Best You Could230

Caregiver Survival Tip232

Resources235

Index237

About the author

BECKY FEOLA, the founder of Assisted Living Advantage, provides counseling, evaluations, and placement services for those seeking care options. As primary care giver to a husband with Huntington's disease, she faced the same challenges and had the same questions her clients do now.

Summary

Your elderly father's memory is failing fast. Your increasingly frail mother just took another fall. Whatever the situation, The Eldercare Consultant can provide the knowledge, support, and encouragement you seek. Weaving together real-life stories with the essential information needed to make the best decisions, this compassionate and practical guide helps you: Spot warning signs of physical and mental decline * Recognize when a loved one needs assistance * Determine the level of care needed * Evaluate the options-family caregiver, home health care, palliative care, senior housing, assisted living facilities-and select the right one * Discuss the issue with your loved one * Understand and manage the costs of care * Make the adjustment as smooth as possible * Avoid caregiver burnout * And more Author and eldercare expert Becky Feola knows first-hand that caring for someone who is no longer in complete control is hard...and the decision to seek outside help is one fraught with emotion. Her book helps cut the confusion, and turn an undeniably difficult transition into a journey of hope and love.

Product details

• Authors: Feola, Becky Feola
• Publisher: Amacon Book Division
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.07.2015
• EAN: 9780814436318
• ISBN: 978-0-8144-3631-8
• No. of pages: 256
• Series: UK Professional General Reference
• Subjects: Guides > Self-help, everyday life > Family; Non-fiction book; FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Eldercare, MEDICAL / Geriatrics