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Caregiving Skills
Helping to balance a checkbook or helping with grocery shopping are tasks most caregivers can easily do, but there are other, more difficult tasks that caregivers may not be prepared for. Learning the correct way to transfer a loved one from a bed to a wheelchair can help you avoid serious injury to yourself and the person you're caring for. Learning how to properly bathe someone with mobility problems can reduce the risk of hospitalization for chronic sores and infections. Unfortunately, family caregivers often do not receive the training they need, but there are resources available that can help.
How to Communicate Your Needs
Time Management Skills
Communicate with Insurance Company Personnel
Communicate in the Hospital Setting
In addition to the resources below, you should also talk to a doctor, nurse, or social worker about any caregiving tasks that you are uncomfortable performing or find difficult to perform.
The American Red Cross has developed a training program for family caregivers that covers the following topics:
- Home Safety
- General Caregiving Skills
- Positioning and Helping Your Loved One Move
- Assisting with Personal Care
- Healthy Eating
- Caring for the Caregiver
- Legal and Financial Issues
- Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia
- Caring for a Loved One with HIV/AIDS
Contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information on this program.
Mather LifeWays, a Chicago-area company that provides community-based services and residential services for the elderly, offers a program entitled Powerful Tools for Caregivers. The program is designed to enable family caregivers to better care for their older relatives with chronic illnesses by improving their own self-confidence and self-care. Currently the program is only available in the Chicago area.
The Family Caregiver Alliance provides an overview of the day-to-day skills family caregivers need to care for the frail elderly or individuals with chronic conditions. It is available at http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=954.
The Center for Caregiver Training is developing a free online training course for family caregivers. The first three modules are currently available at http://caregiving101.org/LessonContent/html/introduction.asp.
The Arc of the United States has created a handbook entitled Family Handbook on Future Planning. The handbook focuses on planning for the future care needs of children with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities. The Arc also provides a Family Resource Guide with information on resources available in several states for families raising children with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities.