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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
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The local Area on Aging (here it's the Northwest Regional Council) offer a class: Powerful Tools for Caregivers that comes with a copy of Caregiver Handbook that's helpful.
Careblazer’s Dementia on YouTube has been so helpful to me! Her videos are short and address so many specific questions. Look through them to find the ones that are pertinent to you. So much easier to watch a 6 minute video than an hour long one. Natalie Edmonds is a Gero-Psychologist and very compassionate. I love her approach! https://m.youtube.com/c/DementiaCareblazers
The Alzheimer's Association and many state agencies offer free courses for caregivers; in fact, many professional continuing education courses are available to the public for free. In Oregon, Oregon Care Partners is free and offers both family and CEU courses. Teepa Snow gives a lot wonderful insight through her Positive Approach to Care courses. You can find many of them, as well as other expert advisors, on YouTube.
In my area there is a state agency called Seniors With Disabilities. They are a support system for seniors who have all kinds of disabilities including dementia. They have classes and also counseling support for caregivers. You might check your local senior center to see if something like that is available. I also read a lot and having been through hospice with my husband I was prepared for the bedridden portion when I took care of my dad. The most important thing is to get all the help available to you including respite care which is very helpful.
Check with your local hospital or senior center for a caregiver course. Online training is great, but having a support group with real, live people who are going through the same experience - and having an excuse to get away from the situation for 2 hrs every week - is priceless.
However, the best advice comes from caregivers who are actually going through the experience.
You should consider joining the Alzheimer's Dementia Caregiver's FB Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportgroup/?ref=share
It's a place where you can find support and information and vent without judgment.
home health care agencies require CNA licensing. Those courses are 6 months long and are not free. They will cover hands-on care, but not issues with finances, health appointments, or planning for the future. That kind of thing is better handled by researching the disease(s) your loved one has and talking with doctor about prognosis.
I signed up for a clinical program at Weill Cornell for caregivers in 2020.
It was geared to identifying pain in dementia patients. It was a helpful tool as my Mom’s life was winding down. Mom passed away 5 weeks ago at 99 1/2. I kept her at home till the end. She had live-in help, I cooked and managed her care and meds. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done and the most rewarding. It was a crash course in geriatric medicine, I had remarkable Doctor’s, determination and leaned about patience as I put my life on hold for two years. Read as much as you can and think of how you’d like be treated if the tables were turned. A friend told me ‘your children are watching’.
Any caregiver course should include danger signs of caregiver burnout. It should also reinforce the importance of the mental and physical wellbeing of the caregiver (beyond blithely suggesting to "take some time for yourself!).
I find Teepa Snow and Positive Approach To Caregiving helpful. There are some free educational videos from her on YouTube. They also offer webinars for a fee. My mom lives in a Memory Care facility. This is the program they've used to train staff. https://teepasnow.com/ https://youtu.be/xIbezaLD7WA https://youtu.be/pqmqC-702Yg
I truly know how you feel. How long have you stayed with your parent? It gets lonely. Good luck know that you can talk to me don’t feel alone. It’s hard I’m 60 years old not in the best of health and caring for my 80 year old mother
In my county I found many resources and materials through the County Office on Aging. They offer zoom classes, books, support groups, and referrals to many services. You may have a local Office on Aging as well. The good thing is that most help is available on line so you don't have to leave your home.
My city offers occasionally a 6 week course for caregivers and it's sponsored by our Senior Services. So you may want to check with them. I would also recommend that you look into finding a local caregiver support group. Senior Services can help you with that, but I found mine by just googling what was in my area. They saved my life when I was at my wits end while caring for my husband. We meet in person every Wednesday, along with folks on Zoom, and every Friday on Zoom. You will learn more from those who are in the throes of caregiving or those that have been there done that, than from any course you may take that's for sure. Because who better to learn from than from those who are actually doing it, or have done it right?
funkygrandma59 - thank you for this information. I appreciate your support and how things went for you. I am open to anything. I have looked for groups, but here there are groups for diagnosed Alz. family members but nothing else that I have found, yet. My parent has dementia and it is sounding more and more like it is vascular dementia. I will keep looking!
I did. It was sponsored by the local Jewish Welfare Federation, or Jewish Federation of Detroit (I don't recall which). The course was provided in conjunction with the AAA, staffed by a psychologist with excellent insights and experience.
Our group was small, only about 8 if I remember correctly. The texts and study material were thorough, insightful, and professionally prepared, and the class was conducted in the same manner. It could actually be called a study group, as it was just as professional as any college course.
Some cites for this program:
Creating Confident Caregivers : NEMCSA
Creating Confident Caregivers - Detroit Area Agency on Aging serving Detroit, MI | findhelp.org
Region 9 Area Agency on Aging | Northeast Michigan CSA (nemcsa.org) (for similar programs) - perhaps your AAA might have some.
There used to be a more detailed description available on the AAA site, but searching today, I was unable to find it.
There were some situation scenarios, i.e., how various situations could be handled. There also was an opportunity for us to describe specific situations and get input from the instructor as well as other classmates on options of handling/addressing the issues, including ones we individually were experiencing.
It also was emotional, particularly a movie shown to demonstrate the progression of Alzheimers. A group of women in a care facility were awaiting lunch. One woman in particular was shown to demonstrate making a peanut butter sandwich, over a period of time.
She had no difficulty in the first section, some difficulty in the second when it was difficult for her to determine which silverware to use, and by the end of the movie, she was unable to discern the difference between the silverware and the food. That was when most of us were in tears; it was painstakingly dramatic, and real.
But we also had to create our own scenarios, which helped apply what we were learning to actual life.
You could contact your closest AAA to see if they're still hosting it, or are affiliating with another organization, as was the case in the SE Michigan Metro area.
GardenArtist - Thank you for taking the time to provide all the information. This sounds like it was an amazing program. I will definitely look into these items and the AAA. Thank you again, for your support.
Sadly, unless you're in a program to become a certified caregiver, I doubt there are many -- if any -- courses in it for the average person. It reminds me of when I moved from Southern California to Colorado in the middle of the winter and I asked the Auto Club if they offered any how-to-drive-in-snow. Their response: No, you just kind of figure it out.
You could contact your local senior center to see if they have anything, but your best bet is probably to find a support group of people in similar circumstances. This forum here is an excellent place to start.
MJ, I'm kind of surprised that AAA didn't have appropriate courses for winter driving. Are you getting their monthly (now apparently tri-monthly) magazine? I've found some good articles and suggestions in it, although I don't recall specifically which they were. I do recall reading some "guidance" on winter driving though.
And if I remember correctly, they also offered courses for older people to test their own driving and learn corrective measures (if available and possible).
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
https://m.youtube.com/c/DementiaCareblazers
https://dementiasuccesspath.com/may-2022-em-workshop
However, the best advice comes from caregivers who are actually going through the experience.
You should consider joining the Alzheimer's Dementia Caregiver's FB Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportgroup/?ref=share
It's a place where you can find support and information and vent without judgment.
It was geared to identifying pain in dementia patients. It was a helpful tool as my Mom’s life was winding down. Mom passed away 5 weeks ago at 99 1/2. I kept her at home till the end. She had live-in help, I cooked and managed her care and meds. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done and the most rewarding. It was a crash course in geriatric medicine,
I had remarkable Doctor’s, determination and leaned about patience as I put my life on hold for two years.
Read as much as you can and think of how you’d like be treated if the tables were turned. A friend told me ‘your children are watching’.
https://teepasnow.com/
https://youtu.be/xIbezaLD7WA
https://youtu.be/pqmqC-702Yg
offers free intro course on caregiving. Maybe good start?
I would also recommend that you look into finding a local caregiver support group. Senior Services can help you with that, but I found mine by just googling what was in my area. They saved my life when I was at my wits end while caring for my husband. We meet in person every Wednesday, along with folks on Zoom, and every Friday on Zoom.
You will learn more from those who are in the throes of caregiving or those that have been there done that, than from any course you may take that's for sure. Because who better to learn from than from those who are actually doing it, or have done it right?
Our group was small, only about 8 if I remember correctly. The texts and study material were thorough, insightful, and professionally prepared, and the class was conducted in the same manner. It could actually be called a study group, as it was just as professional as any college course.
Some cites for this program:
Creating Confident Caregivers : NEMCSA
Creating Confident Caregivers - Detroit Area Agency on Aging serving Detroit, MI | findhelp.org
Region 9 Area Agency on Aging | Northeast Michigan CSA (nemcsa.org) (for similar programs) - perhaps your AAA might have some.
There used to be a more detailed description available on the AAA site, but searching today, I was unable to find it.
There were some situation scenarios, i.e., how various situations could be handled. There also was an opportunity for us to describe specific situations and get input from the instructor as well as other classmates on options of handling/addressing the issues, including ones we individually were experiencing.
It also was emotional, particularly a movie shown to demonstrate the progression of Alzheimers. A group of women in a care facility were awaiting lunch. One woman in particular was shown to demonstrate making a peanut butter sandwich, over a period of time.
She had no difficulty in the first section, some difficulty in the second when it was difficult for her to determine which silverware to use, and by the end of the movie, she was unable to discern the difference between the silverware and the food. That was when most of us were in tears; it was painstakingly dramatic, and real.
But we also had to create our own scenarios, which helped apply what we were learning to actual life.
You could contact your closest AAA to see if they're still hosting it, or are affiliating with another organization, as was the case in the SE Michigan Metro area.
You could contact your local senior center to see if they have anything, but your best bet is probably to find a support group of people in similar circumstances. This forum here is an excellent place to start.
And if I remember correctly, they also offered courses for older people to test their own driving and learn corrective measures (if available and possible).
For me, that would prove an impossible quest.
Hope others have better responses.