Care Giving
ABOUT US
CareGivers Keeper came about because we were looking at ways to support the caregiver. Not only from a technology basis, but managing the stress of caring for another and continuing with everyday life.
As the CareGiving life enveloped me, I came up with ways to use technology to help me and thought that some of the ways I was keeping track of appointments, communicating with family members, keeping the parent patient informed- as I was telling other caregivers about this- they asked for help setting things up.
We pondered what a care giver is and our definition of Ccre giver is a broad- A care giver is anyone who cares for another. This broad definition includes parents caring for children and adult children caring for parents. It includes spouses supporting their spouse through an illness and many other situations.
Many of the tools we use for parenting are able to be used for supporting an ill child, parent, friend or spouse. This site was built to provide support by providing Support Webinars- live opportunities to learn from others in similar situations. In addition, the site will also provide a User Community to provide support to each other. (We could do this on FB and then not have to manage it)
So You are Now a CareGiver
The phone rings and your loved one is in the emergency room.
After managing the incident and taking care of your loved one. Whether it is cancer, a stroke or heart attack or an accident- you are now a CareGiver.
You are asking questions of doctors and nurses, learning about specialties, taking care of your loved one in the only way you know. What do you do now? How do you handle this new role?
Getting through those initial hours and days is stressful. Who do you call? Your immediate circle of close friends and family is your support system and most people learn about how to manage care from their experiences. Years ago, my brother was sent by life flight helicopter from a Level III hospital to a Level I hospital. If was the first time I had sent a 911 TEXT to family to be there for my brother. We had seen and heard the helicopter pass us as we were rushing to the hospital. As we gathered at the new hospital’s ER, called other members of the family to keep everyone in touch and to ask for prayers, the new hospital staff ushered us into a family waiting room. A social worker arrived. She was already briefed on my brothers condition and what the Trauma doctors were doing. Knowing that he had just flown in a helicopter and was all alone in that hospital bed- the social worker walked us through what to expect when we saw him. He was scared – he needed family by his side if he was able to have a visitor in the room. That was my first encounter with a social worker at a hospital. I didn’t even know they existed! Ask to meet the social worker, they have a wealth of knowledge.
CareGivers Keeper is the result of the being a CareGiver. I cared for my husband as he fought cancer (he’s 6 years cancer free) , I took care of my mother who battled lymphoma (she’s 18 months from her last chemo treatment) and my father who at 88 has been struggling with limited mobility and congestive heart failure. I learned from a very dear friend of mine, to keep a notebook. She was medical power of attorney for her aunt. She kept a three ring binder to keep track of appointments and everything else related to her aunt’s needs. I started there. But as the caregiving got more involved with my parents and more coordination was needed, I started using electronic tools as well.
At one encounter with my mom’s oncologist, the nurse asked for my mother’s meds list. They check it at every encounter. At the beginning I had it in my head, then I used the last visit’s summary to keep track, but with multiple specialties- I started keeping a list in an electronic document. I would print the list before we left for the appointment. When I was comfortable with the WIFI at the hospitals- I would just bring up the electronic document on my phone.
Our Vision is to provide a site for support for you the CareGiver. Tips and tricks of what we found to be easy ways to be an organized care giver. As we fill in the pages, feel free to ask for ideas.
Care giving is an act of love and a responsibility. It can be stressful but very rewarding. Hopefully, what CareGivers Keeper provides to you is some value. We hope you bookmark the pages to refer when most needed.
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