Are there born caregivers do you think? There are people who seem to just come forth to help, to care when they see the need. Most mothers are like this, never ceasing being a mother to her children even if they are 40 or 50 years old!
I won't be posting for a week, for example because I'll be in Michigan with my 44 year old son having surgery to repair damage to his neck during a rollover accident last June. Does he need me there? I'm not sure, but I know I need to be there to support, comfort and be a present familiar face.
I honor Alzheimer caregivers who did not volunteer for the job of caring, but found themselves elected either by the majority (usually siblings) or by default. Most seem to be willing to learn how to care well and listen to the instruction a coach gives them. That is why I wrote my book Matters of the Mind...and the Heart and why I continue to do this work. I've got 5 empathic knowledgable women who continue to help caregivers understand and manage this disease. I see that they are natural caregivers for their own family as well. I guess there are born caregivers. Thank God for them.
I'll be writing again after February 4th. Until then care well.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
More about presenteeism
I can't believe I haven't written in 14 days! Amazing what a few days of snow will do to slow a person...and a business down. We had to postpone a training, and it took an hour and a half to make a 45 minute trip to McLean Hospital to present the research on caregiver education and support to the team on the geriatric unit. It was worth the trip as the team was encouraged by coach Penny and my stories of successful teaching of Alzheimer caregivers. Both Mittelman and Tremont studies show that coaching the caregiver(s)in workable approaches to care delayed long term placement up to 1 1/2 years! That is a savings for the government and helps maintain the comfort of home and family for the person with dementia.
As a company we hope to show research (there is plenty) to large companies with Employee Assistance Programs that offering employees who are caregivers support can benefit the company financially. Research states that when supported and educated about resources, employees are able to improve work productivity by a large margin. When an employee is a caregiver his mind and heart are often not present at the job. We call this presenteeism; the body is there but the spirit is preoccupied with that someone at home who is not able to care for themselves adequately. Leaving early or coming in late as well as making numerous check in phone calls reduces the number of hours the employee is giving to the company. When caregivers who are employed utilize geriatric care managers, one study said, they were more relaxed at work, free from worry, and could give more to the job. Coaches can offer the education needed to 'get mom to the day program' or work with the in home help in a more effective way.
If people know of anyone in a large company like Raytheon, Staples, Fidelity, John Hancock Insurance or the like, let me know. They need to solve the presenteeism problem.
As a company we hope to show research (there is plenty) to large companies with Employee Assistance Programs that offering employees who are caregivers support can benefit the company financially. Research states that when supported and educated about resources, employees are able to improve work productivity by a large margin. When an employee is a caregiver his mind and heart are often not present at the job. We call this presenteeism; the body is there but the spirit is preoccupied with that someone at home who is not able to care for themselves adequately. Leaving early or coming in late as well as making numerous check in phone calls reduces the number of hours the employee is giving to the company. When caregivers who are employed utilize geriatric care managers, one study said, they were more relaxed at work, free from worry, and could give more to the job. Coaches can offer the education needed to 'get mom to the day program' or work with the in home help in a more effective way.
If people know of anyone in a large company like Raytheon, Staples, Fidelity, John Hancock Insurance or the like, let me know. They need to solve the presenteeism problem.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year 2011
I am not a New Year resolution type at all. However, I'm recommending you all make this a year of educating yourselves about Alzheimer care. I am going to continue in my search for the best information to train caregivers with. New trends, new learnings are on the rise, making care for the person STILL HERE to thrive. Many persons with Alzheimer's rate their quality of life much higher than their caregivers give for a rating. That's because the caregiver is blindsided by the losses and personalizes it. 'What would I feel if I couldn't do that any longer?' they ask themselves. The person with Alzheimer's may not even be aware of much of his losses. I think the best thing they do is live in the present, so if the caregiver can learn how to make each 'present'meaningful and anxiety free, the person is happier. So will you be. So Happy New Year to learning! I'll share some of my learnings with you blogspot.com readers. Thanks for coming onboard!
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