Blog

Wednesday February 20th, 2013

Getting paid to care for Mom or Dad

Many families choose to have a family member care for an aging parent. It seems like the "natural" thing to do. But all too often, unspoken assumptions lead to family conflict. For instance, when is caring done "for love"? At what point should a family member get paid for their time? What if they have to cut back on income-earning activities in order to help? A good solution is to prepare a written "caregiver agreement" before the first dollar is paid.
kate b. reynolds hospice home
Wednesday February 13th, 2013

Shifting focus in a tough situation

For most family caregivers, frustration and guilt are common, as is anxiety. These feelings are normal and reasonable under the circumstances. And it’s not realistic to eliminate negative emotions. Caring for an ailing family member IS emotionally taxing, especially in the case of memory loss. But you can avoid amplifying a downer mood. According to stress and coping research, you can reduce your distress by concentrating on the present moment, the here and now.
Friday February 8th, 2013

180 Days. Compassionate Care. They Deserve It!

180 DAYS. Six months. That’s the number of days we wish our patients and their families could benefit from our care. Unfortunately, most patients and families who experience hospice care wish they had called sooner. In fact, nearly eight out of 10 families express this sentiment. That’s the bad news. The good news is that once patients and families do connect with hospice, they immediately feel the burdens ease physically, emotionally, and often, financially.
hospice winston-salem
Wednesday February 6th, 2013

Coping with another person's pain

When your family member is in pain, you are suffering too. The "mirror neurons" in our brains are programmed to recognize pain in others. That's good news, in that it arouses compassion and spurs us to action. But it can be bad news, too. When you're highly attuned to a loved one's pain, you're at higher risk of depression and self-neglect. Learn about pain management. Your ability to reduce your relative's experience of pain will help both of you.
hospice winston-salem
Wednesday January 30th, 2013

Family and Medical Leave

Are you stretched thin, trying to work and care for your family member? You may be able to take job-protected time off. You won't get paid. But you are assured that you can come back to your same (or nearly the same) job. The national Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave time each year. You can use this time to address family or personal medical issues. It covers time off to
hospice winston-salem
Wednesday January 23rd, 2013

Is your loved one depressed?

We all get the blues now and then. But depression is different. It is more than a passing mood. Depression is actually a biochemical imbalance in the brain. It's not something you can just "snap out of." It requires treatment. In general, there are nine symptoms of depression. If a person experiences four or more of these symptoms every day, for most of the day, over a two-week period, medical professionals would call it "major depression":
hospice winston-salem
Wednesday January 16th, 2013

What is palliative care?

People with a serious illness sometimes experience distressing symptoms. This can be a result of their medical condition. Sometimes the symptoms are from the treatment itself!  That's when palliative care comes into play. A palliative care professional focuses on removing distress, regardless of the cause. What counts as distress?
hospice winston-salem
Wednesday January 9th, 2013

Artificial Nutrition and Hydration at the End of Life

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 12:00 – 2:00 PM Artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) can be a contentious issue in hospice, palliative care, and long-term care. This medical treatment has been identified as one of the most common ethical dilemmas in end-of-life (EOL) care. This educational program, produced by the Hospice Foundation of America:
Saturday January 5th, 2013

Choosing a complementary medical practitioner

Is Mom considering an herb-based remedy? Or perhaps you're wondering if acupuncture could help Dad's arthritis. Nearly 40% of American adults are turning to complementary and alternative medicine ("CAM"). You probably have heard individual success stories. But the risks and benefits of many alternative treatments have not been scientifically confirmed. And sometimes seemingly harmless herbs or supplements can actually interfere with prescription drugs.