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February 23, 2010 chat

on Wednesday 24 February 2010 by laureld in Chat archives I apologize that the chat was slow tonight as some of my posts took quite awhile to appear - that is part of this internet age I think. I welcome you to post comments throughout the week, and maybe we can continue this discussion at a later date. In the meantime, please take care and I hope everyone has a great week!! Cathy caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:59] The third of the "top 3" tips is to ask for help. This can be very difficult and probably merits a whole chat discussion. But caregivers should try to not be afraid to ask for help. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:57] Caregivers can allow their loved ones to be more independent by allowing them to mak their own choices whenever possible. Here it may be most important to make things easy for our loved one to be more independent. So for example, we might put out two breakfast choices and ask our loved one to decide what he or she wants, instead of making that decision for them or simply asking what they want. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:51] The second tip is not to help too much! That is so hard to do, but we need to remember that we want the person we are caring for to remain as independent as possible. That of course depends on the situation. A loved one who is unable to get out of bed is less able to do things than a loved one we can take to the store. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:49] The first tip is to take care of yourself. Evidence shows that caregivers who take care of themselves (1) stay healthier, (2) feel better about themselves, and (3) have more energy and enthusiasm and can keep giving care. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:48] I think we are OK on the chat now. I have found many resources with a "Top 3" list of tips for caregivers. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:46] Testing - my posts are not appearing for some reason, I apologize! caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:45] Sorry, everyone, my last post disappeared. I am hoping we can talk about some tips for caregivers as we return to normal as spring hopefully arrives soon. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:39] But we are all hoping that spring is just around the corner, and that life can get back to normal. What is "normal" for a caregiver may be different than what is normal for others. "Normal" might not be so easy on any given day. So what are some things we can think about to help make our lives as caregivers a little bit easier? caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:36] That can be more challenging when we are dealing with record snowfalls, power outages, and a general inability to get anywhere we need to be. It is disheartening to hear news stories about folks who met with tragedy. Caregivers of course have their loved ones to worry about in these times of emergency in addition to themselves. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:32] Being a caregiver can be difficult and as we often say, it is important to take care of ourselves too while focusing on taking care of someone else. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:31] Good evening, caregivers. Hope you all are settling back to normal after all of the wintry weather we have been having here in western PA. I'm sure dealing with the weather added extra difficulties for many caregivers. caskidmore [23 Feb : 20:00] Chat starts at 8:30 tonight. We can talk about whatever you would like. Hope you will join me!