Tips for Caregiver Success

Today, so many of you are waking up as #NewCaregivers due to COVID-19. Maybe the place for Mom living at a care facility was the right decision at one time, but now there are second thoughts about that and now she’s moving in with you and your spouse. Just because we are in the midst of a pandemic that life is going to stop happening, our parents are still aging and their situation is going to change. Because of all of this, you are now seeing yourself in the role of their Caregiver and we are here to help you through it with our tips for caregiver success.

By using the solutions that we have brought together on to AgingParentsManagment.com, it will help you through the challenges in your role as #TheNewCaregiver. We will show you how to MIX + Match different products and services that will create solutions to fit your situation. We call this approach our “Formula For Success.”

Let me explain what I mean in this simple example:

Mom is going to be moving in with you in a few days. You are already stressing about everything related to her care. Through our Formula for Success, you have identified medication management as something that could be taken off of your plate.

So instead of having to learn, understand, manage and do everything related to their medication, there will be a system put in place to help you with all of this. This help comes from the amazing businesses, services and products we have on our Aging Parents Marketplace.

Here is what your Medication Plan could look like:

First, bring on a Patient Advocate, even if it is short term:

• Connect with a Patient Advocate Service who will be the bridge between the doctors, the pharmacy and the patient. Why is this needed when you have a Doctor and a Pharmacist? A doctor prescribes medication to treat a health condition and the pharmacist fulfills the order; but there is more to it than just this. Someone has to understand how the medication is going to be handled by the patient and that person would be the Caregiver. What side affects are there with this drug? What foods should be avoided by taking it? Who do you call in the middle of the night when you have questions or concerns about a reaction? A Patient Advocate is someone you can turn to for help with all of this.

Then, set up a prescription delivery service either through your local pharmacy or use an online service like this one – Simple Meds.

• Let us tell you about Simple Meds. Simple Meds dispenses prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and vitamins in simple, multi-dose packets, sorted and organized into serving packets, labeled with the date and time they should be taken and it is all shipped to your home. Prescriptions are filled and automatically shipped when the time is right, so you won’t have to worry about forgetting to do it yourself. When there is a problem, they will take an extra level of care by coordinating with you, your loved one’s doctors and their insurance company to make sure everything is accurate. Plus, it gets medication management out of the dark ages – no more pill box.

But wait, there’s more! Now add technology to the formula; the SociAvi Communicator and here is how it works.

• The SociAvi Communicator is not only a communicator it also acts as a reminder system for scheduled tasks. Through the system, the Caregiver will set up a schedule that is shared onto the communicator and is visible by everyone who has the APP but most importantly it is a visual and audible reminder system for your parent. When there is a Home Care Agency who is part of your parents Home Care Team, this system keeps everyone connected with your parent’s daily routine; especially when it is time to take their meds. The major benefit of this item is its ease of use for the not so techno-Senior User. It is a two-way calling system, kind of like Facetime but your parent does not need a phone. They use the SociAvi to make a video call out to you and others who have the APP.

Now you have a working Medication Management plan. You have experts helping you monitor your parent’s medications, you have reliable automatic medication fulfilment and you have a way to keep everyone involved connected when meds should be taken – including your parent even when you are not around!

This is how we are helping today’s and future #Cargivers. We are showing them ways of becoming Empowered – Not Overpowered in this role of #TheCaregiver. My sister and I were in your shoes and struggled with it all. We we had to fight our way through it until we found the formula of success by combining products and services to design a custom care plan that fit our needs.

At Home Senior Services would like to thank Aging Parents Management for sharing their blog with all of this wonderful information with us. Please contact At Home Senior Services today if you have any questions about these tips for caregiver success.