6 Tips for Long Distance Caregiving
This post in AgingCare.com is a nice look at some ideas that long distance caregivers should take into consideration (if they haven’t already.) The great thing about this post is that it takes into account the lived experience of many caregivers, and one experts ability to summarize common problems across many caregivers and ways to address them before they pop up in your own caregiver experience. Shared experience speeds the learning process!
The article describing the 6 tips in detail is worth the read - but to give you a sneak peak at the information here are the 6 points.
Silence isn’t always golden, but it also isn’t necessarily a sign of crisis Rely on your eyes and not your ears Beware of showtiming Create an owner’s manual Make requests for help VERY specific Planning and communication are key
Honestly, my summary wouldn’t do the points justice. If you find yourself in a long distance caregiver role, it is worth reading through this. Point number 5 would have been VERY helpful before we made the decision to move gramma into a new living situation better suited for her dementia.
Maryland Partial Paid Family Leave Insurance Legislation
In Maryland they are debating family leave legislation to help people like caregiver’s gain access to paid or at least partial paid leave when dealing with a family emergency / stressful event. I am sure there are other states investigating this, and I would welcome anyone who has information about states / companies that have some progressive programs for financial / time policies for people in caregiver situations.
The Maryland congress is reviewing this proposed bill which would help those who need it including Tanya Brice who is highlighted in the article. It’s not hard for any of us to imagine how difficult things could be if we have to take time off work to handle some of the complex situations associated with moments of stress. This is especially the case when the individual may not be able to afford going a month or two without an income. Questions we need to ask ourselves are things like, “what would my life look like if I had to take two months off without any pay,” and “what would my parents’ or loved one’s life look like if I couldn’t help them through this time of crisis?”
The fact is that more and more people will be asked to choose between job and “life” - a choice the is hard or impossible to make based on living situations. It’s hard to say that government sponsored programs or company sponsored programs are the right paths, but the conversation is certainly needed.
Gillette Brings First Caregiver Razor (TREO) to Market in Canada
I think this has been in the US, but the news wire called out that it is being introduced into Canada now. The commercial on this Yahoo site is wonderful and moving like so many other Gillette ads have been in recent years, but it essentially hinges its premise on the need of the elder to feel like “themself” and the need of a caregiver to help the elder feel like “themself.”
It’s a cool product that looks fairly easy to use. Shaving cream built in, it allows a caregiver to do a “dry” shave and one that is made for someone else to do the shaving…when we think about how a razor should function, its an enviable strategy for companies like Gillette to take the feedback of their audience in order to design something that will perform its function in the best possible way. I don’t shave often - because I really don’t like the way I look “clean shaven” - a beard is a great way to hide a double chin …haha. That said, I know it would be difficult for my wife to shave me with a standard shaver for a variety; not the least of which would be that she has never shaved her face and would be using a tool that was meant to be used facing inward rather than outward.
I do love the idea of identifying a problem and then unleashing the engineers to solve that problem. I’ll see if I can find one locally soon enough.
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