A Journal For Family Caregivers

This is Book three in The Family Caregiver’s Series. The books in this series are designed to support you, the family caregiver, which in turn will help you be supportive to your loved one. While caregiving is love in action, it is also a demanding job. One that requires a lot of self-care to keep us going. This journal is a place for thoughts and feelings, but also a place to jot down ideas and plans to make the job easier.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Family Caregiving in the New Normal discusses how the drastic economic changes that have occurred over the past few years have precipitated a new conversation on how family care for older adults will evolve in the future. This text summarizes the challenges and potential solutions scientists, policy makers, and clinical providers must address as they grapple with these changes, with a primary focus given to the elements that may impact how family caregiving is organized and addressed in subsequent decades, including sociodemographic trends like divorce, increased participation of women in the workforce, geographic mobility, fewer children in post-baby boom families, chronic illness trends, economic stressors, and the current policy environment. A section on the support of caregivers includes technology-based solutions that examine existing models, personal health records, and mobile applications, big data issues, decision-making support, person-centered approaches, crowd-sourced caregiving such as blogs and personal websites that have galvanized caregivers, and new methods to combine paid and unpaid forms of care. Provides a concise "roadmap" of the demographic, economic, health trends, and policy challenges facing family caregivers Presents potential solutions to caregiving so that scientists, policymakers, and clinical providers can best meet the needs of families and communities in the upcoming decades Includes in-depth, diverse stories of caregivers of persons with different diseases who share perspectives Covers person-centered care approaches to family caregiving that summarize effective community-based services of psychosocial intervention models Examines how existing efficacious models can more effectively reach and serve individual families

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Mixing personal history, interviewee voices, and academic theory from the fields of care work, the sociology of work, medical sociology, and nursing, Taking Care of Our Own introduces us to the hidden world of family caregivers. Using a multidimensional approach, Sherry N. Mong seeks to understand and analyze the types of skilled work that family caregivers do, the processes through which they learn and negotiate new skills, and the meanings that both caregivers and nurses attach to their care work. Taking Care of Our Own is based on sixty-two in-depth interviews with family caregivers, home and community health care nurses, and other expert observers to provide a lens through which in-home care processes are analyzed, while also exploring how caregivers learn necessary procedures. Further, Mong examines the emotional labor of caregiving, as well as the identities of caregivers and nurses who are key players in the labor process, and gives attention to the ways in which the labor is transferred from medical professionals to family caregivers.

There's no doubt that being a caregiver is one of the hardest things you will ever do in your life. But despite the challenges, if given a choice, most caregivers wouldn't trade it for the world. With so much to do day in and day out, such as managing medication, meal preparation, help with bathing and toileting, housekeeping, shopping, errands, and trips to doctors, it's easy to let precious time slip away. But when you are caring for an aging loved one, time is the most precious gift we have. This journal was created to make it easy to organize your loved-one's important medical and caregiving information to make sure all of their daily needs are being taken care of, while still making time to connect a top priority. With daily prompts to remind us to stop and experience the joy of time spent with our loved one, we can forever remember those precious moments, long after they have passed.There will come a day when our role of caregiver comes to an end. My hope is that you will use this journal to record the tiny details of your days together; memories you can treasure for years to come, to look back on these caregiving days and years, not as a time of stress and struggle, but as one of shared love and precious moments. This journal is a must-have for any caregiver!Filled with daily inspirational quotes, each journal is structured in an easy-to-organize, customizable format that allows you to record THREE MONTHS of:* Daily Journal Entries * Pertinent Medical Information* Important Medication Information* Personal Care Needs* Dietary Restrictions* Emergency Contact Information* Medical Provider Contact Information* Month-at-a-Glance Calendars for Appointments* Caregiver Weekly Schedules...all in one easy-to-use, grab and go book!Also Included is a RESOURCE SECTION where you can find helpful resources across the United States for your loved one, such as Alzheimer's and Dementia services, Caregiver Support Groups, Social Security Assistance, and much more. Whether for yourself or a gift for a caregiver you love, when it comes to providing comprehensive, compassionate care, this journal is a tool you won't want to live without!

According to the National Institute on Aging, nearly 15 million Americans provide unpaid care to an older adult. And it is not uncommon for caregivers to experience many different emotions, both positive and negative, associated with their caregiving role. In fact, feeling overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, and exhausted are just a few of the many common feelings experienced by caregivers. You are alone! There is a popular quote that states that you cannot pour from an empty cup. It is only when your cup is full or overflowing that you have something to offer others. That is why taking care of yourself should be a top priority. Journaling is a great way to add some self-care into each day and provides you with a the opportunity to reflect on your life. In fact, research shows that writing down your thoughts and feelings on a regular basis is linked to improved mental and physical health! Included in this journal: 150 pages for self-reflection One day per page Reflective Prompts regarding the caregiver's day, self-care routine, goals, improvement areas This journal makes a excellent gift for caregivers of those with impairments such chronic illnesses, dementia, Alzheimer's, disability, disease, old age, or mental health issues. EXTERIOR: Cover: High quality softcover with a matte finish. Binding: Secure professional trade paperback binding, i.e. it's built to last; pages won't fall out after a few months of use. Dimensions: 7" x 10".

Caring for a family member or loved one can be rewarding and life-affirming in many ways. It can also be consuming and stressful. Finding time for yourself can be difficult. If you are a caregiver for a loved one, finding a few minutes a day to focus on your own needs can be very important. Led by Love offers a portable refuge from the demands of the day that you can visit as you are able. The journal's writing prompts are designed to invite you to write about the practical and emotional aspects of caregiving. The mandalas and abstract patterns offer an opportunity to disengage from challenges, fears, and stresses of the day, allowing your mind and senses to flow with colors and self-exploration. Led by Love is a private companion for the caregiver's journey, helping you care for yourself while you care for others.