A Northwestern University study has shown that more than one-third of paid home care staff had difficulty reading and understanding health-related information and directions. Sixty percent made errors when sorting medications into pillboxes. Nearly 100 paid, non-family caregivers were recruited in the Chicago area and their health literacy levels and the health-related responsibilities were assessed, said Lee Lindquist, MD, assistant professor of geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Nearly 86 percent of the caregivers performed health-related tasks. Most were women, about 50 years old, foreign born or with limited education. Many made under minimum wage. Despite pay, country of birth, or education level, 60 percent of all the caregivers made errors when doling medication into a pillbox. Lindquist said. “If you really want to know if the caregiver is doing a good job and is taking care of the health needs of your senior, start by going into the home, observing them doing the tasks, and asking more questions.” When evaluating a care provider ask if: * they provide training for staff at orientation on medication management. * they provide ongoing training to staff as medications change, come and go. * use a licensed pharmacist on a consulting basis. * they equip staff with smart-phone apps that staff can download that can help with medication identification and management. “Most physicians and …
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Know More on Caregiving with E-Magazines

Caregiving is one of the most admirable professions in the world. Caregivers are the persons who offer care and support to the individuals who are some way incapacitated and need help to take care of themselves. The recipients of care may be senior citizens or any disabled person or person suffering from any chronic illness. In order to take care of different kinds of people a caregiver should have knowledge on various aspects like aging problems of senior citizens, various illnesses, their causes and prevention measures to be taken for them and how to take care of various kinds of people with patience and love. To gain knowledge on various aspects of caregiving, E-magazines can be the best sources.

The E-magazines for caregivers are most useful resources for education on caregiving. As a caregiver you may require guidance on effective caregiving and for that you should take help of online magazines which can give you easy access to the best resources of caregiving information and tips for caregivers so that you can improve yourself as caregiver. If you are a caregiver looking after older people fall and balance problems can be the major issues which you need to find a solution for. Solutions for preventing falls in older adults can be readily available in these magazines so that you can protect your family members as they age and help them stay safe, secure, and independent. You can also get information on brain diseases and memory loss problems that are encountered by most of the people of high age.

Whether you require information on home care services or home care agencies or home health care sources information on all aspects is readily available in these E-magazines. As a caregiver you may often come across problems like caregiver burnouts which can damage both your physical and mental health. You need to get aware on the symptoms, causes and preventive measures of it. For this caregiver magazines are the best resources where you can find ways to fight against your frustration and anger so that you can give your best as a caregiver. There are many more aspects of caregiving that you can look into with the help of these magazines. So subscribe to caregiver E-magazines and get the caregiving information for the best care of your loved ones.

Whenever you are dealing with an elderly parent who’s health is failing, you are going to be stressed. This is one of those times when you are not going to be at your best. You are already worried about whether you are doing the right thing for your parent by keeping them at home and hiring a home nurse to take care of them as opposed to moving them into a nursing home. You have to deal with the rest of your family. You are watching your parent, who was once the person who took care of you, grow weaker and more ill with each passing day.

The good news is that when a home nurse is employed to take care of your aging parent they don’t expect to see you, or your family at their best. They understand that you are not going to be at your best. Hopefully they have been properly trained and know how to handle the stressed family as well as they know how to take care of their cranky, confused patient.

The first thing you can do to make sure that the home nurse who is going to be taking care of your elderly parent’s medical needs is to make sure that nurse has a personality that compliments you and your family. The way you get a nurse that suits your family’s personality is being sure that you are completely honest with the agency you are using to locate the home nurse. Make sure your description of your family, their routine, and your parent’s medical needs is completely true. The more honest you are about your needs and requirements the easier it will be for the agency to match you with a home nurse. If your parent needs to be physically lifted an moved make sure that you request a nurse with enough strength to get the job done.

When you are told that a nurse has been found for your parent, make sure you meet the nurse before they start taking care of your parent. Make sure this is a person whom you are comfortable welcoming into your home. If the nurse is, for whatever reason, not someone you are comfortable with, politely request a new nurse.

Make sure that both you and home nurse are both perfectly clear on what the nurse will be doing while she is in the home. When the nurse is just coming to the home for a few hours a day it is easy to know and understand that they are a professional that is doing a job. The line between health care and house keeper can become a little more blurred. Before the nurse ever moves into the spare bedroom, make a list of what they will and wont be doing. Make sure the whole family understands. Having a clear understanding of the nurses responsibilities will make everyone’s life’s easier and will make the whole experience as pleasant as possible.

Remember that the home nurse is a professional. They are in your home to take care of a family member, but they are not an actual member of your family. Make sure that your maintain a polite, friendly, but professional relationship with the home nurse

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