“Families who live with and care for elders or other homebound individuals at home need to ensure that steps are taken to preserve the health and well being not only of those dependent on them, but also of those who attend to them. Usually great emphasis is placed on the needs of the person being cared for, and all too often the needs of the rest of the family or of the caregivers are neglected. This sets up a potentially unhealthy, or possibly dangerous situation.
All caregivers need adequate rest, self-care, and autonomy. In order to remain healthy and motivated, caregivers need to maintain their outside relationships and interests. Caregivers require a maximum amount of freedom of activity and movement. Only thus, can they create a healthy and safe home-care environment for their charges and themselves.”
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Licenced Clinical Social Worker
When I am working with clients who are caring for or arranging care for family members who need constant care, I encourage them to look at all the options available to them. If they choose to provide that care at home, I make sure they understand that the needs of the caregivers are just as important as the needs of the family member in need of care. Respite care, maintaining independent interests, tools to assist caregivers in their work, support groups – all need to be in place if home care is going to be successful. When these elements are not in place, families frequently undergo major stress, conflict, and disruption. Home care is difficult enough; caregivers – whether family members or professionals – absolutely must have the tools, both physical and emotional, they need readily at hand.
Attorney Giddings
My father came to live with a few years ago. He had brain damage from a cardiac arrest, and needed 24 hour monitoring. At first he was up a lot in the night and was at risk to wander dangerously. I tried a baby monitor but found my sleep was unnecessarily interrupted by his snoring and by ordinary background household sounds magnified through the monitor. The Notifex with a sensor at his door was a godsend. He had independence to move about in his room, but I would receive an alert if he left the room. Now that he is less mobile and more at risk of falling, we use the Notifex with a floor-pad next to the bed to alert me when he gets up. I don't think we could provide care for my father at home without this system in place.
Jean B