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| Elderly Caregiving: Managing The Information Tidal Wave |
 As a care giver to elderly parents you'll find yourself swimming through an informational tidal wave. To avoid panic and confusion you need a way to keep up with all the information flooding in on you. That's where a journal comes in. Without one, you're at the mercy of the "system". Three days after a conversation, it's hard to recall the specifics. There will be plenty of times when you'll want to. You'll talk to a lot of people,too. It's way too easy to forget who said what when. It might be a conversation with the doctors about surgery or one with the home health agency about your dad's food allergies. Or it might be recording the birthday of your mom's favorite nurse's aide. You'll exchange information with a long list of professionals while providing long term care: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, discharge planners, social workers, lawyers, insurance agents, and people at the bank. Then there are all the conversations with your family! Whenever anybody tells you something related to your loved one or you instruct someone else note it in the journal. Write the date, time, name of the person you're talking with, who they represent, their phone number and what was said. Keeping simple notes will make your life a lot easier. Start a journal and you'll soon find it becomes your new "best friend". |