A caregiver community hosted by an Consuela, Occupational Therapist and former caregiver to my mother. I know that providing for the daily needs of your elderly parents or disabled spouse can have its daily challenges. You often feel alone and often risk injury to themselves and your loved ones as you struggle to assist them with daily personal care and mobility tasks. I understand what you are going through and understand that you just need insight on what options are available. The Caregiv ...
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In this episode I address a common yet challenging scenario where a caregiver struggles to manage their own life while caring for an appreciative but unaware parent. Join us as we explore: The signs of caregiver burnout and why recognizing them early is crucial. Strategies for having honest conversations with your loved one about the difficulties y…
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This is a replay of a previous podcast. I thought it fitting to replay it, as it had many downloads and many appreciated the first release. Please enjoy. Caring for your parents is honorable but also challenging. You want to do all you can to make things easier for them, so you put all your energy and effort into trying to meet their every need. Wh…
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In this episode, we tackle the complexities of caregiving by addressing the difficult task of setting boundaries with demanding parents. Learn from the extensive experience of an occupational therapist and caregiver as insight and strategies for maintaining balance and well-being while caring for a demanding loved one are presented. Discover the im…
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In this episode, we delve into empowering caregivers to create opportunities for experiencing a happier 2024 by focusing on mindset shifts and strategic planning. We explore the importance of cultivating a positive outlook, building a supportive network, and establishing a caregiving team. We also emphasize the significance of pursuing opportunitie…
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In this episode, we dive into the vital conversation of assessing the safety of aging parents and grandparents as families reunite for visits during the holiday season. While it's a time to gather, have fun, and continue cherished family traditions, it's also an opportune moment to prioritize the well-being of our elderly loved ones. Listen as we s…
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In this episode, we talk about the important topic of aging in place. What are things that we can do when a parent in advanced aging desires to live out their lives in their own home, even when you see that things have become challenging and there are fall risks? What are some things that you can learn to do to improve their safety and ability to d…
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In this episode of "Caregivers Finding a Foothold," we tackle a pressing concern: preventing caregiver injuries. These injuries are happening. The injuries are changing lives, these injuries often long lasting and affect the quality of life of the family caregiver long after the caregiving journey has ended. Caregivers often neglect the subtle sign…
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This episode addresses a question called into the podcast call in line, from a caller Jim. Jim has expressed frustrations this summer, at always having to cancel his plans and never having enough time to take care of his needs, due to care duties related to caring for him mom. In today's discussion, we delve into the importance of creating time for…
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A re-release of a popular podcast from last year which has helped many family caregivers adapt to life caring for a loved one who has had a stroke. As a caregiver, if your loved one has had a stroke, how much help they will need can vary greatly. It can range from them requiring no assistance with care, to requiring more care than one person can of…
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This episodes addresses a question called into the podcast call in line. When you are caring for an aging parent who is still in their own home, things can get challenging. Especially when you have moved back in to care for them and they are having difficulty accepting recommendations from you. That is the case with Victoria, who called in a questi…
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Today's episode features a guest who shares her story of courage. We will return to our format of addressing your concerns called in to the call-in line, on our next episode. My guest for this podcast episode is Eve Hill. She is a Californian. She was a former sitcom writer, grant writer and a community liaison for the Los Angeles Unified School Di…
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In our calendar year, there are seasons. The climate changes as we go through the year and we must navigate through those seasons, making adjustments to accommodate for the newness of events and challenges which come. The same is true for caregiving. There are times when you settle into a routine as you make accommodations for your aging parents' n…
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Not all caregivers endure the same types of stress. What keeps you up at night or causes tears to flow down your face when someone asks, "How you are doing?" Your story may be very different from another family caregiver. Each story can be different. As a family caregiver, you face unique stressors that come with the territory of caring for someone…
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The year 2022 has been about change and growth for me and many of you. Thank you for daring to believe then taking the courage to take the first steps. That has been the case here in the Finding A Foothold Community. Thank you to the many who have joined this community, making the decision to no longer isolate, to connect to others, and begin to ex…
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A caller left a message on the call-in line, explaining the following scenario: Son states: Mom previously lived alone, had a fall and injury to her hip 3 months ago. Mom currently has home health OT and PT to help with her recovery but they will be ending soon. Mom is much better, using a walker and requires supervision while walking in case she l…
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Daughter works from home. She is grateful for that because she is the primary caregiver for her mom who lives with her. Since home from the hospital after a hip fracture, mom with weakness and needs help with all task. Daughter very concerned that she may jeopardize her ability to remain a remote worker due to mom constantly calling her. Today's qu…
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Being in the hospital for several days would result in most of us wanting to go home. We would be ready to sleep in our own beds and eat food that we enjoy. And this is also often the case with many elderly patients who are being discharged from the hospital, they are ready to go home! I know this all too well, because after one of my mother's hosp…
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When you are caring for an aging parent of the opposite sex, things can get a little awkward -- when it comes to modesty with toileting and other aspects of care. This is the case with Jenna, with a question of how to address concerns that her dad may have fall risks in the bathroom, difficulty with toileting. Question: Jenna indicates dad goes int…
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Maintaining your health and well-being while caregiving is a must. Unfortunately most caregiver learn this the hard way. (I know I did!) As a caregiver, if your number one focus is to only be concerned that your loved one has everything they need, that they have a good quality of life but you forget to take care of yourself in the process, you are …
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As a caregiver, if your loved one has had a stroke, how much help they will need can vary greatly. It can range from them requiring no assistance with care, to requiring more care than one person can offer. Do your homework by learning about your loved one’s strengths and weaknesses. Be realistic about what you can do. Just because you can’t do it …
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Caring for your parents is honorable but also challenging. You want to do all you can to make things easier for them, so you put all your energy and effort into trying to meet their every need. When you do this, you often do it at the expense of your own mental and physical well-being, and this can have dire consequences. Family caregivers often ne…
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Caregivers are often overwhelmed with concerns and uncertainty about their loved one when they are in the hospital, it is an emotional time and it takes everyone out of their normal routine. When they have had a surgery, it even makes things more stressful. Discharge day is usually full of unknowns as hospital staff perform last minute lab work, an…
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Finding A Foothold Podcast is devoted to lightening the load of family caregivers who show up, to provide care to their loved ones. Many caregivers have concerns and questions and need guidance on how to make the caregiving journey easier. Finding A Foothold is a community of caregivers who band together to provide support, to help caregivers navig…
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Finding A Foothold Podcast listens to the heart and concerns of the caregiver, hearing what their struggles are and then offering recommendations on how to improve how they are doing things, with the goal of helping to make the load lighter. Today's podcast addresses concerns from daughter Marcie who is concerned about her Dad who recently had a ho…
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Today's episode is the first of Finding A Foothold's 5-minute words of encourage. As a caregiver, I know that there are moments of isolation, when you just don't get to attend events and often feel left out as the world continues to spin and people are gathering and lingering and having fun and you often miss out on many events due to your role as …
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Finding A Foothold Podcast listens to the heart and concerns of the caregiver, hearing what their struggles are and then offering recommendations on how to improve how they are doing things, with the goal of helping to make the load lighter. Today's podcast addresses concerns from Vicki who is concerned about her Mom who wants her to help her more …
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Finding A Foothold Podcast listens to the heart and concerns of the caregiver, hearing what their struggles are and then offering recommendations on how to improve how they are doing things, with the goal of helping to make the load lighter. Today's podcast addresses concerns from Sophie who is concerned about her Dad coming from the hospital after…
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Welcome to Season 2 of Caregivers Finding A Foothold Podcast. The podcast for teaching and guiding caregivers to a place of hope in the midst of caregiving. Caregiving is hard, and can leave you feeling defeated, with no place to go for answers on how to better live out your calling as a caregiver without always arriving at the end of each day feel…
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Katie has been caregiver for her husband for almost a decade, he had a stroke about 8 years ago. He was in his mid 50s, and while he was not able to return to work, he was able to somewhat care for himself at home while his wife remained employed full-time. Husband is now with other illnesses and increased physical limitations and now requires assi…
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Meet Roz Jones. Owner and CEO of Jacksonville's Best Caregivers. https://www.rozjonesent.com It has been an honor to meet and talk with Roslyn Jones, a CEO and author who has a compassionate heart for the elderly community and she also has a passion for caregivers who endeavor to provide the best care possible for their loved one. In this episode, …
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Falls happen more often than you think. Some result in minor injuries and some with very serious ones. They can happen to anyone. Falls occur inside and outside the home. On this episode, meet "Ms. Sarah." “Ms. Sarah” was going out to the mailbox, like she has done almost daily, for nearly 50 years at her current home. This time she made the wrong …
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Falls in the home are a great concern to many adult children who have aging parents who are still living in their own homes. Many adult children have limited incomes, and are even struggling to make ends meet during this pandemic. Many parents are still home alone, even though their children are at work and they worry about their parent's safety. T…
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Amputation of a leg is a hard thing to endurance, and it can usually mean use of a wheelchair for the individual, which means a big lifestyle change for them and the caregiver. Accessibility into the home, into bedroom, into bathroom and kitchen area should all be prioritized based on what you desire to see happen. Start with easy access into the h…
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When you become the caregiver to a loved one, you bring into your role a history that may be filled with good and bad. Be prepared to work through some hurts. You may need to seek professional help, there may need to be a healing and forgiveness to take place. If you had a very loving history and you enter into caregiving with the goal of meeting e…
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It's hard knowing what to do as a caregiver! Should they stay in their own home? Should they move in with me? Should I move in with them? Should I hire a sitter? Should I look at long term placement? etc. There are so many questions and just as many opinions from others on what you should be doing. Yes, it is good to ask for advice from those you t…
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It is so easy to get into the trap of doing everything for your elder parents or disabled spouse after they have sustained an injury or have a debilitating diagnosis. You may feel that you are making life easier for them when you cater to their every need but you could in fact be making things more difficult for them in the long run. Yes, there is …
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An illness or injury can really change how a loved one can function in their home. It doesn’t take much for the elderly to become weak and debilitated, resulting in them not being able to do the basic things for themselves that they use to do. A common thing that I’ve seen lately is that many of the elderly patients that I am servicing are not admi…
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We all respond to a crisis in different ways, but a common initial response that we all have is that we wish it wasn’t happening to us, that we could blink and make it go away! You may not be human if this isn’t the way you initially react to devastating news. I have seen that choosing to remain hopeful and focusing only on things that you can chan…
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When parents are aging, have a debilitating diagnosis or have undergone an injury or surgery, they are not able to move about in their homes like they use to.They appear to be fairly cognitively intact, but they have bodies that are weak, frail and with pain —bodies that just don’t cooperate with what they want to do. They have already fallen, many…
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Louisiana has just incurred a storm -- Hurricane Ida which has caused much destruction and damage to our coastal parishes. Caregiving is also a storm, which touches many lives and if not properly entered into, it too can cause much destruction and damage to lives. Caregiving is important. It is in fact a very honorable role to assume. It demonstrat…
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As a child, we often see our parents as strong and capable. It's tough seeing them age and becoming frail. We often see it happening, and there is nothing we can do to stop aging but we can do our part in keeping them safe. Diane is a listener who called into the call-in line who, like myself, knew that I would one day be my parent's caregiver. Kno…
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Caregiving has many challenges. There are some caregivers who have developed a team of support that allows them to care for their loved one and still be able to live fulfilled lives. They have the physical support and the financial resources and all is well. This is great, but... Well, it is rare. This is not the case in the lives of many many care…
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Meet Mr. Rubin, full-time caregiver for his wife of 55 years. Hear his heart, his desire to take care of his wife in their home. Hear how he evolved into his role, how we worked together to address some of the struggles he was having in caring for his wife, and how he made the adaptations in his technique and his environment which improved how he c…
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Caregiving brings many challenges and concerns. As a new caregiver, even when the role is temporary, because your loved one will likely fully recover, it can still be stressful. There are things that are unfamiliar and there is the possibility of there being an injury due to improper techniques. Episode 16 features calls from caregivers into the Ca…
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Caregiver-focus podcast. Meet Mr. Milton. Mr. Milton is the primary caregiver to his wife who was recently hospitalized after having several falls in the home. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with a severe urinary tract infection and dehydration. Upon discharge, it was recommended that she be admitted into a skilled nursing facility located in s…
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Caregiving brings many challenges and concerns. It can be stressful because the role often come at a time when we are busy raising families, starting careers or planning for retirement. Episode 14 features calls from caregivers into the Caregivers Finding A Foothold podcast call-in line. It’s a FREE call with the responses aired on our podcast. Car…
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Our first caregiver-focus podcast. Let me introduce you to Anita. Meet Anita, the caregiver to her husband who recently had a stroke. Both she and husband are 60 years old and were preparing for retirement when the stroke occurred. Hear the struggles she encountered during the first 6 months of him being home. I met Anita, saw her anger and learned…
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Caregivers Questions: Calls this week were received on the website call-in line by caregivers who listen to this podcast. Listen and hear advice given to callers who have the following concerns/questions: • Wife whose husband just started dialysis has days when he is weak and can not assist much with his care. Wife has a back injury and desires sug…
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Caregivers Questions: Calls this week were received on the website call-in line by caregivers who listen to this podcast. Listen and hear advice given to callers who have the following concerns/questions: • Daughter with mother who has had open heart surgery and has instructions not to use her arms to push up off of a chair to stand. Daughter wants…
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Having the ability to stand and walk is very valuable and often we don’t even think about it until the ability to do it has been lost. Unfortunately many elderly or disabled individuals lose this ability due to balance deficits, poor endurance or other impairments. Use of a wheelchair then becomes essential for mobility, allowing for them to travel…
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