Here are 10 tools for getting organized and balancing caregiving with self-care.

Proper Kinds of Documentation

Keep all of the important documents and contacts in a file box or safe. Hence, saves time and stress later if and when required.  Items that ought to be including in a Caregiver Toolkit:

• names and phone numbers of family and friends
• What pills are in the smart pill box
• names and phone numbers for doctors and other healthcare professionals
• All health insurance information, including policy numbers
• Financial information that will include all banking info.  Also, financial portfolio information
• living will, power of attorney, medical power of attorney, last will and testament
• A complete history of your last ten years of your own health history

For information that resides online, create a “bookmark” on your computer.  This will give you easy access. Consider installing a password manager to safely store usernames and passwords.   25 % of people have a living will. Pete Carlson is well aware of the importance of legal documents and a living will. He was caregiver to his first wife, who had breast cancer , and then her second wife, who developed dementia.

“They need all their advance directives and legal documents in order as soon as possible because things can change very quickly,” he told Med-Q. “It’s a terrible thing to be making decisions as a group, especially in blended families.”

35% of seniors take at 5 plus prescription medications every day. Negative drug events cause almost 850 thousand  ER visits  every year.  More so, over 100 thousand unnecessary hospitalizations each year.  First, be proactive in medication management. For example, a smart pill; box with alarms like the MED-Q Pill Box. Caregivers are able to stop life-threatening emergency before they happen.  Create a medication log or spreadsheet. It will also make your own life a bit easier.

List each of the medicines and also include:

• The health care professional that has prescribed it, when, as well as the reason
• the proper dosage
• the proper frequency of taking the pills
• the amount of refills as well as the dates for the refills

Always try to get prescriptions filled by just one pharmacy.  If not, be sure to list the pharmacy that was used for each of the prescriptions meds.  Keep the list in both the Caregiver Toolkit and a separate location in case of emergency.

Dietary supplements and over-the-counter medications can interact with prescription drugs, so include them in your log. Bring a copy of these with you to the doctor appointments.

Use a daily smart pill box with alarms and timer.  The newest pill organizer have alarms that can be set.  For example, Med-Q Pill Dispenser uses a combination of flashing guides and repeating alarms.  The boast a 97% medication compliance rate.  Finally, keep your smart pill box in a safe place.

Care givers who use a planning calendar are more efficient.  A calendar has been shown to be one of  the most important thing to get better organized. A Color coded system has helped to easily pick out doctor appointments and other appointments.  Hence, the ability to better plan.

Another type of care-giving calendar allows you to request help for family.  The responsibility can be spread among the family through a smart calendar app.  These new calender’s should be in every Caregiver Toolkit.  Finally, even friends can take some of the responsibilities .  This Caregiver Toolkit item can be track online.

Here are a few examples:

• Care Team Calendar App
• A simple to use Care Calendar
• Create a local Care Community guide

Caregivers use website like CarePages or CaringBridge to keep family and friends up to date.  This works much better that attempting to tell the same stories.  Also, not needing to answer the same questions over and over.

John McRaven has cared for several of his family members. He relied on his Caregiver toolkit filled with helpful assisting devices.  For example, grab bars in a shower and by the toilet.  He told MED-Q, “ I taught my Aunt to use safe-technique tricks to get dressed safely. Also, place a chair in the bedroom so they can sit when dressing.”

Falls are a huge problem among seniors. In 2015,  over 2.8 million nonfatal falls were treated in the ER.  In addition,  725 thousand plus needed in-hospital care.

First of all, for most, it happen slowly.  In fact. so slow that many will not notice it.  The results, pushing your own social needs in to the background.  The newest research has shown that caregivers need some break time.  Caregivers who used adult day care services  or respite services have much lower stress and health issues.  Caregiver burnout will lead to stress, anger, and depression.  Even something as simple a friendly phone call will lower the distress of being a caregivers. Enhanced social support helps with caregiver burnout.  Asking some “me time” isn’t never a selfish act. When you feel better, you’re a better caregiver, too.

Giving pleasure to a patient will often give feelings of well-being for the caregiver.  If the care giver takes time to listen and acknowledge their feelings, they will start to feel a heighten sense of security.  Just talking kindly often  improves  happiness.  Also, reduce stress level as well as feeling of anxiety.

“You have to respect them,” said MED-Q Medication Compliance System.  Caregivers should never treat the person as thought they are an invalid. Again, never, ever talk down to them or treat them like a child.. This would be very demoralizing for seniors. It will make them feel even worse inside.  In addition, some lose the will to keep going.