Finding a Care Home: Family Caregiver Series, #2

By Lori G. Cain

My husband and my goal as caregivers to our parents has been to keep us all together in our home for the remainder of their lives. Our heartfelt belief, from the beginning, was that we could provide our parents with the safest and warmest environment, as well as the best personalized, loving care. When we came to the realization, first, that my Father-in-Law's and, later, my Mother's needs were beyond our abilities, it was a harsh truth. Over the course of seeking a licensed care facility, we have learned a great deal. 

In my eBook Parkinson's Disease and Dementia Family Caregiver Series: Finding a Care Home I detail the steps we took to find the proper care environment for our parents. I also discuss care options, costs, and provide a printable version of the checklist I used for interviewing and touring care facilities.

This ebook is an invaluable tool for any family seeking additional care for their loved one.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lori Cain
• Release date: Sep 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393834953

Lori G. Cain

About being a family caregiver Lori writes, “Caregiving is a work of the heart, chosen in love. In our journey as caregivers, my husband and I found our greatest success in our ability to be innovative.  Besides the general concerns that arise with aging, our experience lies in caring for my father-in-law with Parkinson's disease and dementia, and my mother with cancer.  I document everything and have filled many three-ring binders with what has transpired in our home over the years.  A home health care assessment  assured us we had created a safe and supportive environment for our parents. Our nurse suggested other families may find value in our experiences, thus I began writing. I have turned my notes into several short and specific caregiver guides. While I write from the perspective of a PD/dementia caregiver, the information has universal application within the realm of family eldercare.  My dream is that sharing our lives as family caregivers will support and encourage others on a similar path.”

Book preview

PREFACE

We became caregivers for my husband's 86-year-old parents, Bob and Sue, in 2011. Moving from another state with our teenage daughter and my 70-year-old mother, we were already a multi-generational household. It would be a gross understatement to say that our expectations and our reality were worlds apart. Attempting to blend three separate households into one while still maintaining personal space for everyone required both creativity and compromise. We were a continuous work in progress, learning along the way. Our greatest challenge was my father-in-law's Parkinson's disease, along with the dementia that accompanied it. As lay people, we approached our challenges from an unconventional perspective, which gave us our greatest successes.

With this series of ebooks, we hope to shorten the learning curve for other families that live with and care for an elderly loved one. We are not experts; we are the same as you...we want the best care for our parents and believe that we can provide for their care better than a facility. Based upon the feedback we have received from two different Home Health Provider Assessments, both of my parents-in-law are thriving.  They even suggested that we have our home licensed as a small care facility and take in additional residents. Their comments were a great reassurance and validated that we were on the right track, though I cannot imagine doing this for someone who is not family. I recognize that I do