Do you have a parent that needs care, or older relatives needing to be cared for. This can mean many challenges for the “in-between” or sandwich generation. This term, “sandwich generation”, was popularized in the early 1990's by Carol Abaya, an eldercare expert and columnist.
This is more a listing of organizations that may provide guidance or assistance for eldercare of your parent(s), or other close relative. Even though I will be listing several caregiver resources, do not forget that many eldercare religious organizations exist and may be good resources. Just because I use eldercare, many organizations have other names, “aging services”, and “elder homes” are just a few of the terms.
The following list of caregiver resources is not complete, but will give you ideas and may provide what you are looking for. Some people may not need this if their parents have planned properly.
The National Association of Social Workers (socialworkers.org) can assist you in locating social workers specializing in geriatric care.
The National association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (caremanager.org) makes referrals to eldercare professionals, who (for a fee) will assess your parents' needs and help coordinate care.
Benefitscheckup.org lists federal, state, and local benefits (other than Medicare) for which you parents may qualify.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (longtermcareliving.com) can walk you through long-term care and assisted living options.
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (naela.com) is a source for legal information and eldercare attorney referrals.
You may not need many of these services, but you should have a list available. The next thing that is necessary, before your parents are not legally able to do this, is talk to your parent(s) about having a lawyer draft two documents of importance. The first is a durable power of attorney for finances and the second is a durable medical power of attorney for medical decisions.
Have the parents keep the documents up-to-date and in a secure place like a safety deposit box. Family members should know of their location. Have the parents check with the financial institution and notify the institution of any changes to prevent complications when they go into effect. Also check with the institution to find out if they have any additional requirements that need to be addressed.
If you are the trusted person for your parents, you may be present for all of this. If there are other family members, they need to be notified to avoid future conflicts and hurt feelings. Not all families members are accepting of this, but most will work with the family member chosen by the parents.
If you are a parent with children, consider doing this for your children to avoid future problems as well.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
February 28, 2011
February 24, 2011
Who Prevents Good Diabetes Management? - P3
Is it family members? How I dislike saying yes, but family members can be the worst in preventing good diabetes management. Why would I say this about loving family members. Well, loving family members can be the least understanding and the most unwilling to learn about diabetes. They just want you to take a pill and return to the life you filled with them before diabetes.
Many family members could care less about diabetes because you do not look sick and are doing the same things for them that you were doing before diabetes. Even your loving spouse can totally ignore diabetes and not want to learn about it. Why would I say these things? Because I read about this on many diabetes forums. Husbands or wives not supporting the spouse with diabetes.
Then the family members can be very irritating when they become the diabetes police. Asking you why you can still eat that piece of candy or cake when it is loaded with sugar. Even though you have allowed for this treat and compensated for it with what you have eaten, they will still not leave the subject alone. They don't understand that sugar is not the only thing you need to be careful of.
They do not understand why you will not eat many foods and have very small servings of others. They start hearing horror from well meaning friends and translate this to fear about you developing the same problems. They become your worst nightmare as the diabetes police and some can become very belligerent in their actions.
Then there are those family members that will just not cooperate. You have gotten rid of the junk food and are working to convert everyone to more healthy foods and doing more cooking and serving more fresh foods. They insist on eating no differently than the past and won't accept the change like they won't accept that you have diabetes.
There are families that do support each other and do whatever they can do to make things easier. They know and accept the change in foods and understand that things are now different and they are benefiting as well by the changes being made. This makes for a much more loving family and home. If you are so blessed, do everything to keep this blessing and make it grow.
Back to you! Now to complete the thoughts from the first part of this blog series. Yes, I am back to talking about the person with diabetes. No, I'm not going to give you a pass. We have all been through the stages of grief many people experience after receiving the diagnosis of diabetes. So get over the anger, put the denial behind you and make up your mind that you want to live and manage diabetes.
Learn that diabetes is not your fault. Could you have prevented it? Not likely. If doctors would have done screening on a regular basis, maybe, if they had paid attention to the results. The one chance you had may have passed. But if you are strong willed and decide, if you are medically able, to do the exercise and nutrition with enthusiasm, you may be capable to getting off medications for a period of time. This will depend on the damage already done to your pancreas. Some are able to stay off medications for decades while others only for a few years.
Most people do not comprehend that because diabetes is often different for each person, that they have now become their own science experiment. Testing can be very difficult as Medicare and most medical insurance companies are strictly limiting test strips that they will reimburse. Testing is a must to determine how your body reacts to different foods. Testing is also necessary to give you a report on how you are managing diabetes. Numbers are just numbers if you don't make use of them.
Good luck and learn to manage your diabetes, deal with those around you, learn to make the best use of your doctor(s), and other resources.
This is the end of this series. (3 of 3)
Many family members could care less about diabetes because you do not look sick and are doing the same things for them that you were doing before diabetes. Even your loving spouse can totally ignore diabetes and not want to learn about it. Why would I say these things? Because I read about this on many diabetes forums. Husbands or wives not supporting the spouse with diabetes.
Then the family members can be very irritating when they become the diabetes police. Asking you why you can still eat that piece of candy or cake when it is loaded with sugar. Even though you have allowed for this treat and compensated for it with what you have eaten, they will still not leave the subject alone. They don't understand that sugar is not the only thing you need to be careful of.
They do not understand why you will not eat many foods and have very small servings of others. They start hearing horror from well meaning friends and translate this to fear about you developing the same problems. They become your worst nightmare as the diabetes police and some can become very belligerent in their actions.
Then there are those family members that will just not cooperate. You have gotten rid of the junk food and are working to convert everyone to more healthy foods and doing more cooking and serving more fresh foods. They insist on eating no differently than the past and won't accept the change like they won't accept that you have diabetes.
There are families that do support each other and do whatever they can do to make things easier. They know and accept the change in foods and understand that things are now different and they are benefiting as well by the changes being made. This makes for a much more loving family and home. If you are so blessed, do everything to keep this blessing and make it grow.
Back to you! Now to complete the thoughts from the first part of this blog series. Yes, I am back to talking about the person with diabetes. No, I'm not going to give you a pass. We have all been through the stages of grief many people experience after receiving the diagnosis of diabetes. So get over the anger, put the denial behind you and make up your mind that you want to live and manage diabetes.
Learn that diabetes is not your fault. Could you have prevented it? Not likely. If doctors would have done screening on a regular basis, maybe, if they had paid attention to the results. The one chance you had may have passed. But if you are strong willed and decide, if you are medically able, to do the exercise and nutrition with enthusiasm, you may be capable to getting off medications for a period of time. This will depend on the damage already done to your pancreas. Some are able to stay off medications for decades while others only for a few years.
Most people do not comprehend that because diabetes is often different for each person, that they have now become their own science experiment. Testing can be very difficult as Medicare and most medical insurance companies are strictly limiting test strips that they will reimburse. Testing is a must to determine how your body reacts to different foods. Testing is also necessary to give you a report on how you are managing diabetes. Numbers are just numbers if you don't make use of them.
Good luck and learn to manage your diabetes, deal with those around you, learn to make the best use of your doctor(s), and other resources.
This is the end of this series. (3 of 3)
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