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Eldercare 911: The Caregiver's Complete Handbook for Making Decisions » (REV)

Book cover image of Eldercare 911: The Caregiver's Complete Handbook for Making Decisions by Susan Beerman

Authors: Susan Beerman, Judith Rappaport-Musson
ISBN-13: 9781591026167, ISBN-10: 1591026164
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Date Published: May 2008
Edition: REV

Author Biography: Susan Beerman

Susan Beerman, MS, MSW (Kew Garden Hills, NY), is president and founder of Barrister Advisory Services, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in geriatrics and individuals with special needs.
Judith Rappaport-Musson, CSA (Jupiter, FL), is a partner and cofounder of Preferred Client Services, Inc., a geriatric care management and personal services firm. Her successful weekly Sunday column, "Eldercare 911," appears in four Scripps Treasure Coast newspapers.

Book Synopsis

Directed especially towards women, who often shoulder the burden of caring for elderly parents, this book delivers practical information on all aspects of elder caregiving and shares the insights of real people coping with caring for elderly parents. Readers can access the information by looking for quick answers to specific questions, or they can read more of the book to find prevention strategies and get an overview of caregiving issues. There is advice on knowing when parents need help, long-distance caregiving, medical and financial issues, and choosing a living situation. Beerman is president of an eldercare management consulting service; Rappaport-Musson is a Certified Senior Advisor. Annotation c. Book News, Inc.,Portland, OR

Publishers Weekly

Beerman and Rappaport-Musson, eldercare specialists, offer a comprehensive guide to caregiving issues, calmly presenting information readers may not have even considered. For example, the first chapter addresses how to deal directly with one's parents, what to do if the parents don't want help and how to determine if parents, in fact, need help. The authors include sample dialogues, which will be particularly helpful with parents who refuse to acknowledge they need help. The section on long-distance caregiving is also quite useful-the authors advise readers to call ahead of time to schedule appointments with everyone connected to family care, from physicians to caregivers to support agencies. They also advise having a portable folder with key contact numbers so people will have essential information at their fingertips. This excellent, comprehensive guidebook offers information on nursing homes, hospice care and home heath professionals. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

	Preface	19
A.	You Are Not Alone	19
B.	How to Use This Book	22
C.	Write Us	23
1.	The Pros and Cons of Being a Caregiver	25
A.	Do You Want This Job?	25
B.	Making the Eldercare Decision	26
C.	If Eldercare Is Not for You	27
D.	If You Decide to Care for Your Parent	28
E.	Handling That First Crisis	30
F.	The Effects on Your Family, Time, and Health	31
G.	What If You Fail?	33
2.	Knowing When Your Parents Need Help	36
A.	What's Normal?	36
B.	Loss of Loved Ones, Friends, and Advisors	38
	Loss of Self	39
	Loss of Independence and Control	40
C.	Decline Is a Fact of Life	43
D.	Why Parents Refuse Help	44
	Difficult Parents	47
E.	What Are the Warning Signs?	49
	Memory Loss/Dementia	49
	Diminished Hearing	50
	Diminished Sight	52
	Falls	53
	Incontinence	54
	Self-Neglect	55
	Drug or Alcohol Abuse	56
3.	Intervention: When? What? How?	58
A.	Trusting Your Instincts	59
B.	Planning Ahead	60
C.	When Not to Intervene	63
D.	Getting a Professional Assessment	65
	Private Assessments	66
	Public Assessments	68
E.	Talking to Your Parents	70
F.	Talking to Your Family	72
G.	Choosing the Right Intervention	74
	Preventive Intervention	76
	Partial Intervention	78
	Total Intervention	80
	Crisis Intervention	81
	Legal/Financial Intervention	82
H.	Taking the Car Away	82
	Providing Substitute Transportation	84
4.	Caregiving Realities	87
A.	Do You Have Realistic Expectations?	87
B.	Understanding Your Responsibilities	90
C.	Learning to Be an Advocate	91
D.	Hands-on Care	94
E.	Supervising Others	96
F.	Financial Management	99
G.	Recruiting Friends and Family	102
H.	Using the Skills You Already Have	102
I.	Where to Get the Training You Need	103
5.	Long-Distance Caregiving	108
A.	Why You Need a Long-Distance Support System	108
B.	Creating Your Long-Distance Support Network	112
	Geriatric Care Managers	116
	Elder Law Attorneys	117
	Other Attorneys	118
	Physicians	118
	Friends and Neighbors	118
C.	Preparing for Your Visit	119
	During Your Visit	122
	After Your Visit	123
6.	Finding and Using Help and Services	129
A.	What's the Right Support System for You?	129
B.	Identifying Your Needs	131
	Adult Day-Care Programs	135
	Social-Model Day-Care Programs	137
	Medical-Model Day-Care Programs	138
	Medical Support	140
	Family Support	142
	Community Support	143
	Parent Support	144
	Significant Other Support	146
C.	Respite	148
7.	Handling Burnout	155
A.	How Do You Know If You're Burned Out?	155
B.	Getting Help	157
C.	Reaping the Benefits of Respite	161
D.	Managing Your Time	164
E.	Restoring Your Quality of Life	166
F.	Taking Care of Yourself	169
G.	Setting Limits	171
8.	Managing Medical Issues	175
A.	Learning to Be an Advocate in the Doctor's Office	175
B.	Choosing a Doctor	177
	Board-Certified Physicians	177
	Geriatricians	178
	Specialists	178
C.	Preparing for the Visit	179
	Gathering Medical and Insurance Information	180
	Bringing Medications and Prescriptions	181
D.	Asking the Right Questions and Getting the Answers	183
E.	After the Visit	185
	Complying with Physicians' Orders	185
	Getting a Second Opinion	188
	Returning for New Treatment Options	189
F.	Understanding Patients' Rights and Responsibilities	191
9.	Overseeing Medications	197
A.	Administering Medications	197
	Keeping Track of Medications	199
B.	Developing a Relationship with the Pharmacist	200
C.	Pain Management	202
D.	Misuse of Medications	204
E.	Abuse and Dependency	206
F.	Over-the-Counter and Alternative Medications	209
10.	Managing Benefits and Insurance	213
A.	Why It's Worth the Effort	213
B.	What to Do When a Claim Is Denied	217
C.	Medicare	218
	How It Works: Parts A, B, and C	219
	Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)	222
	Point of Service (POS)	223
	Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)	223
	Medigap (Private Insurance)	223
D.	Medicaid	224
	How It Works	224
	Applying for Benefits	225
E.	Social Security	226013	How It Works	227
	Special Situations	228
	Survivor Benefits	228
F.	Veteran's Administration	229
	How It Works	229
	Who Is Eligible	230
11.	Dealing With Serious Illness	233
A.	Insisting on an Accurate Diagnosis	233
B.	Managing Major Illness	237
	The Importance of a Second Opinion	239
	Researching Treatment Options	240
C.	Coping with Specific Conditions	242
D.	Depression and Anxiety	243
E.	Dementia	246
F.	Agitated, Hostile, and Aggressive Behavior	249
G.	Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, in the Elderly	252
12.	Coping with Alzheimer's Disease	259
A.	Facts about the Disease	259
B.	Testing and Diagnosis	261
C.	Treatment Options	262
D.	The Effects on Your Family	263
E.	What to Expect as the Disease Progresses	263
F.	Organizing to Handle Mild Memory Impairment	265
G.	Primary Communication Tips and Coping Skills	266
H.	Remember Your Body, Mind, and Spirit	277
I.	Planning for the Future	277
13.	When Hospitalization is Necessary	282
A.	Facing Your Fears	282
B.	Choosing the Right Hospital	284
C.	Being Prepared	289
D.	Emergency Admissions	291
E.	Preplanned Admissions	294
F.	What to Bring with Your Parent, What to Leave at Home	296
G.	During Your Parent's Hospitalization	297
H.	Planning for Discharge	300
I.	Leaving the Hospital	302
14.	Detecting and Dealing with Elder Abuse	306
A.	The Realities of Elder Abuse	306
	Finding Help in Your Community	309
	Protective Services for Adults	311
	Guardians	312
B.	Physical Abuse	314
C.	Familial Abuse	316
D.	Financial Abuse	318
E.	Homecare Abuse	319
F.	Social Abuse of Drugs and Alcohol	321
G.	Rebuilding Trust	323
H.	Ageism	325
15.	How to Hire a Homecare Worker	328
A.	What Are Your Options	328
	Family Caregivers	330
	Paid Homecare Workers	331
	Geriatric Care Managers	333
B.	Evaluating Your Parent's Needs	333
	Duties and Skill Levels	334
	Expectations: Reality Check	335
C.	Interviewing the Homecare Worker	339
	Legal and Professional Certifications	339
	Training and Experience	341
D.	Supervising Homecare Workers	343
	Your Responsibilities	344
E.	Your Right to Complain and Replace the Worker	347
16.	Making Decisions About Housing: When? What? How?	352
A.	Evaluating the Need for Change	352
	Safety and Quality-of-Life Issues	354
	Guilt Issues	356
B.	Adapting Your Parent's Home for Safety and Security	357
	Assistive Devices and Helpful Equipment	362
C.	Moving Your Parent into Your Home	364
	Space and Territory	366
	Adapting Your Home	368
D.	Adult Homes	369
E.	Assisted Living Facilities	371
F.	Nursing Homes	373
G.	Moving Your Parent	373
	Who Does What?	375
	Paring Down Your Parent's Belongings	376
H.	Advocating after the Move	377
I.	Visiting Your Parent	378
17.	Evaluating the Move to a Nursing Home	382
A.	Making a Difficult Decision	382
B.	Choosing the Right Nursing Home	385
C.	Location	387
D.	Religious Preferences	389
E.	Dietary Requirements	389
F.	Specialized Care	392
G.	Cleanliness	393
H.	Activities for Residents	394
I.	Who's Who in the Complaint Process	395
J.	Medication/Pain Management	396
K.	Patient Advocate and the Bill of Rights	398
L.	Moving to a Nursing Home	399
	Making the Room Comfortable	402
	Clothing	403
	Valuables and Personal Items	408
18.	Dating, Sex, and Remarriage	411
A.	Your Parent's New Relationship	411
B.	Remarriage	414
	Financial/Legal Issues	417
C.	Dating, Love, and Intimacy	422
	Sexuality and Sex	423
	Safe Sex	426
19.	Death and Dying	429
A.	Facing Your Feelings and Fears	429
B.	What Are Your Parent's Feelings and Fears?	435
C.	Honoring Your Parent's Wishes	439
D.	Funeral Arrangements	441
E.	Grief and Mourning	446
	Saying Good-bye	449
F.	A New Beginning	450
20.	Caregiver Organizations and Resources	455
	Notes	467
	Glossary	471
	Index	481