Tag Archives: carer

Holidays are not always happy for the carer

Posted on by under Care, Inspiration

I was browsing through LinkedIn today and came across this good article. It resonates with me and I hope you find it interesting and helpful as well!

You hear it all the time: everything boils down to attitude. Whereas it’s true that attitude can have a profound effect on your reality, this doesn’t mean that you ignore what you’re feeling. This is when optimism becomes outright denial…

Gaining self-awareness is one of the most difficult challenges we face as human beings. When are we overreacting? When are we “under-reacting?” When are we in that Goldilocks zone of “just right?” And what do we do when we feel like we’re in the middle of the darker parts of our journey? How do we find our way when it’s nearly impossible to even see the path before us?

When a New Year is less than happy

7 New Year resolutions for dementia carers

Posted on by under Care, Education, Health, Inspiration

7 New Year resolutions for dementia carers

This article comes to us from Unforgettable.org. Check them out for plenty of tips, ideas, and interesting articles related to memory and dementia:

For those living with dementia it is easy to be forgotten.

For the family and professional carers it can seem overwhelming and hopeless.

Unforgettable can help on every step of the journey with practical advice, specialised products and a supportive community.

7 New Year resolutions for dementia carers

A new year signals a new start, and what better time to reassess life and set some resolutions to help you and your loved one live well with dementia in 2017…

1. Ensure your loved one has sorted out their affairs

If they haven’t already started organising things such as setting up Lasting Power of Attorney or ensuring they’ve written a Will, the New Year could be a good excuse to make them sit down and get organised. The sooner it’s done, the better, because if it’s left too late, or until your loved starts to lose their mental capacity, the process can be more complicated.

2. Help them make their bucket list

A bucket list can help your loved one take back control and add some much needed excitement and purpose to life after a dementia diagnosis. It doesn’t have to be filled with crazy stunts or far-flung holidays. It could be something as simple as visiting a particular city in the UK that they’ve never been to, or trying out a hobby that they’ve never done before.

Continue reading →

From innovation to implementation – eHealth in the WHO European Region (2016)

Posted on by under Education, Gerontechnology, Health, Inspiration, Research, Reviews

It’s finally here!

from-innovation-ehealth

Please have a read of the World Health Organization European eHealth report and share it with those who would be interested. In particular, you may find the case example on page 71 interesting, where big data for dementia research and treatment is discussed. Or the case example on page 36 about eHealth supporting aged care and carers.

If you like it, please share it 🙂

Happy reading!

Source: From innovation to implementation – eHealth in the WHO European Region (2016)

LGBTQ carers

Posted on by under Care

This article was brought to my attention through one of the Facebook group called Dementia Knowledge Exchange Global. I have a few other articles on this blog about LGBTQ issues in aging and in care, but haven’t yet focused on LGBTQ carers so this article is a great addition! It is the viewpoint of the author, David, as a gay man caring for his father and what he observes in this role. A good sociocultural piece on how LGBTQs can be stigmatized and overlooked, even when the issues aren’t about them.

Please note that I have edited some of the content to better fit with this blog; you can read the original article by clicking on the title. This article originally appeared on CaregiverRelief.com, a website that offers a host of information and support for carers, with a focus on dementia.

If you want to check out some of my related articles:

LGBTQ people with dementia should not be forced back into the closet

Older LGBTQ still experience prejudice from care staff

Housing experiences of older LGBTQs

LGBT carers:

The isolated among the isolated, and what Baltimore is doing to help

By on September 12, 2015

There’s a double-edged sword when it comes to LGBT people and caring.

First, LGBT people often fall into the carer role. Many caregivers, gay or not, will attest that when you don’t have children and/or a spouse, you tend to be elected mom’s or dad’s carer by your siblings. The idea is that you don’t have kids to look after, you don’t have a spouse to coo over, so “it’s just easier” for you to do it.

In some cases, these gay and lesbian carers are married. And they do have children. It’s just that their siblings and their relatives don’t legitimize them. Continue reading →

5 Therapeutic Activities for Alzheimer’s Care Partners

Posted on by under Care

This post comes to us from familyaffaires.com. I came across it on a LinkedIn post by a gentleman I met in a fantastic online course about dementia, Mike Good. Mike Good is founder of Together in This, an online community helping family members caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Through short, informative articles and easy-to-use tools, such as the Introductory Guide to Alzheimer’s, he helps them take control and have peace-of-mind they are doing the right things.

You can access the original article on familyaffaires.com by clicking on the title, below.

5 Therapeutic Activities for the Alzheimer’s Care Partners

We often hear about therapeutic activities that are beneficial for the person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia but it’s just as important to consider their care partner – the caregiver.

Living successfully with the disease requires that both care partners enjoy therapeutic enrichment that benefits their mind, body, and spirit.

But because the caregiver is often the only person caring for their loved one, it is difficult for them to find time to enjoy activities that are beneficial for them as well.

There are activities that can be done together that simultaneously meet the needs of the caregiver while providing beneficial sensory stimulation for the person with Alzheimer’s or other dementia:

Read the rest of this article at familyaffaires.com

Easier way to find digital services for the aged

Posted on by under Gerontechnology

Database of digital services for carers of the elderly launched

3 July, 2015 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre
The new database publishes ICT-based services ensuring the dissemination of existing good practices and rasies awareness about them.

With an ageing population, the number of people in need of long-term care is increasing. As constant caring for someone is challenging, different services are developed to assist carers in fulfilling their activities. In this context, the JRC partnered with EUROCARERS to launch a new online database of digital services for carers of older people.

This new tool offers access to 78 good practices of digital services for older care at home, which the JRC gathered and that EUROCARERS, the European network representing informal carers and their organisations, helped make available to all.
Continue reading →