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Caregiver's Handbook 2

Instructions on use of the Indexed Caregiver's Handbook Online

The Caregivers Handbook can be used three ways.

1. You can read it online from page to page by clicking on the underlined links at the bottom of the page.

2. You can click on any underlined topic in the Table of Contents and you will be taken to the page that discusses that topic. Use the back arrow on your browser to return here. This is the Table of Contents.

3. If you wish to later print all of the Handbook, click here, you will see the unabridged version of the Care-Giver Handbook . Use the File/SaveAs feature of your browser to save the file in a directory of your choosing for later printing. While it is a text file, it is larger than the Windows Notepad will handle but any word processing program will let you import a ascii (text) file.

Table of Contents

A. Acknowledgements

B. Foreword

C. Introduction

1. You, the caregiver, are very important

2. Check list

D. Common problems in caregiving

3. List of Needs

E. Types of help available

4. When community agency help is needed

5. Services available to impaired elderly

F. Caring for the caregiver

6. Caregiver's self-rating scale

7. What can I do to help myself

8. Seek Information

9. Join a caregiver support group

10. Set realistic goals

11. Practice good communications skills

12. Communicate with your family and friends

13. Use community resources

14. Use respite care services

15. Maintain your health

16. Relaxation exercise

17. Laughter is the best medicine

18. Avoid destructive behaviors

19. Seek help

20. Build your self-defense

21. Caregiver's bill of rights

G. Personal care

22. Bathing, shampooing and shaving, skin care

23. Toileting, constipation or irregularity

24. Assisting with eating, transferring, rest and sleep,

tips for encouraging self-care

H. Nutrition

25. Nutrients listed on food labels

26. Adapting meals for people with dietary restrictions

27. Four food groups

28. Common problems interfering with good nutrition

29. General tips for helping the older person to eat well

I. Medical aspects of caregiving

30. Encouraging routine physical examination

31. Keeping records and managing medications

32. Choosing a doctor

J. Emotional and intellectual well-being

33. Depression: signs and causes

34. Suicide prevention

35. Promoting emotional well-being

36. The importance of lifetime learning

37. Memory problems

38. Sensory problems

39. Confusion

40. Behavioral problems

41. Mental stimulation

K. Legal/financial affairs

42. Compiling an inventory

43. A will and managing financial affairs

44. Durable power-of-attorney for health care decisions

45. Conservatorship of estate and/or person

46. Selecting an attorney

L. Liability of caregiving

47. When is it time to stop caregiving

M. Choosing a residential care facility

N. Conclusion: You, the caregiver, are incredibly important!

Appendices

Appendix

A: Selected community resources

Appendix

B: Selected readings and references

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To Caregiver's Handbook Page 3

The elements and images found in these pages are copyrighted and all rights are retained by the author.

Questions or comments? John Cottingham is the author of this site.