Caregiver Connection
A Quarterly Newsletter for Family Caregivers of Older Adults
January February March 2012
The Caregiver Connection Newsletter is a free publication of the Baltimore County Department of Aging.
If you would like to subscribe, update, or cancel your e-subscription, you may do so online at http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/subscribe/caregiver.
To read past editions of Caregiver Connection Newsletter, view the online archives.
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Stories in this Issue:
- 10 Tips for Family Caregiver
- Understanding Guardianship and It's Alternatives
- One Billion People are Living with Disabilities
- Steps for Guardianship Prevention
- The Burden on Families is Huge, Study Finds
- BGE Assists with Advance Storm Notices
- Updated Resource Directory is Available Now
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10 Tips for Family Caregivers
- Reward yourself with respite breaks often.
- Don’t delay in getting professional help for depression when you need it.
- When people offer to help, suggest specific things that they can do.
- Educate yourself about your loved one’s condition and how to communicate effectively with doctors.
- Be open to technologies and ideas that promote your loved one’s independence.
- Trust your instincts. Most of the time they’ll lead you in the right direction.
- Caregivers often do a lot of lifting, pushing, and pulling. Be good to your back.
- Grieve for your losses, and then allow yourself to dream new dreams.
- Seek support from other caregivers. There is great strength in knowing you are not alone.
- Stand up for your rights as a caregiver and a citizen.
From the National Family Caregivers Association at 800-896-3650 and www.thefamilycaregiver.org.
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Understanding Guardianship and It’s Alternatives
A new online resource is available to assist in understanding Guardianship. In the 88 page handbook, chapter topics include:
- Introduction to Guardianship
- Determining Competency or Capacity
- Alternatives to Guardianship
- Guardianship of Person and Public Guardianship
- Guardianship of Property
- Emergency Guardianship
View the document on the Maryland Disability Law Center web site at
http://www.mdlclaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Guardianship-Handbook-2011.pdf.
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One Billion People are Living with Disabilities
More than one billion people in the world are living with some form of disability. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank says almost 20 percent of people with disabilities, an estimated 110 million to190 million people (world wide), face significant problems that result in health, educational, and other difficulties. The report recommends that governments (world wide) provide people with disabilities access to all mainstream services, invest in specific programs and services for those in need, and adopt national strategies and action plans to assist those with disabilities. And people with disabilities should be consulted in designing and implementing these efforts, the report says.
“We have a moral duty to remove the barriers to participation for people with disabilities, and to invest sufficient funding and expertise to unlock their vast potential," says Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned physicist who is himself disabled. "It is my hope this century will mark a turning point for inclusion of people with disabilities in the lives of their societies."
The World Report on Disability, developed with contributions from more than 380 experts, is intended as a key resource in helping countries implement the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has been endorsed by 150 countries and regional organizations. The report reflects data from 69 countries.
Sources: News release, World Health Organization, The World Bank. World Report on Disability, 2011. Bill Hendrick June 9, 2011 from WebMD Health News.
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Steps for Guardianship Prevention
In order to avoid the difficult and costly guardianship process, here are some steps to consider, while the individual is still able to understand and execute a legal document:
- Ask about the care that he or she would like to receive in the event of serious illness.
- Arrange for the individual to execute a Financial Power of Attorney document, giving permission for an agent (a trusted family member, friend or advisor) to make financial decisions for the individual.
- If this document is a “springing” Power of Attorney, going into effect only when the individual is declared disabled, the document should clearly state how the determination of disability will be made.
- Advise the person to make a medical Advance Directive. This document may specify the type of care the person wants, and/or it may name another individual to give informed consent for medical treatment.
- Learn about the Surrogate Decision Making in Maryland, which authorizes a proxy to act on behalf of the person in need of medical care and decision-making, if he or she has not appointed a health care agent in an Advance Directive.
- If the individual’s capacity to understand and execute a legal document is questionable, then have their regular doctor document capacity prior to the document’s execution.
- Mediation can be used with adults who are competent to make decisions or in cases where family decision-making needs to be done on behalf of an incapacitated elder; if successful, it can avoid the need for a guardian altogether.
- If the individual is no longer able to understand and execute a legal document, consider having a trusted relative or friend apply to serve as the representative payee to manage the Social Security check and pay bills.
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The Burden on Families is Huge, Study Finds
AARP completes many studies each year. In 2011, they found the toll on family caregivers if huge. The typical caregiver already has a full-time job, and helping an elderly or disabled loved one can feel like a second.
View more at http://www.npr.org/2011/07/18/138163839/aarp-finds-toll-on-family-caregivers-is-huge.
A few helpful tips include:
- Think twice about leaving your job, cautions the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Though it’s tough to juggle a job and caregiving, those who cut back work can jeopardize their own retirement.
- Look for an employer with family friendly policies, suggests AARP, such as flextime, telecommuting or backup in-home care in an emergency.
- Reward yourself with respite breaks often, advises the National Family Caregivers Association.
From AARP Finds Toll On Family Caregivers Is ‘Huge’ by Jennifer Ludden, NPR Morning Edition July 18, 2011.
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BGE Assists with Advance Storm Notices
For BGE customers with special needs such as the reliance on electricity to power life-support equipment in their homes, BGE offers a Special Needs Program. Because customers with special needs are located throughout the service area, it is not possible to provide restoration priority to individual customers when there are extensive power outages.
However, BGE will attempt to notify customers enrolled in the Special Needs Program of an upcoming planned outage or the possibility of an impending severe storm so the customers can implement their personal contingency plan. Although note, it is the customer’s responsibility to develop a contingency plan. This plan should include arrangements for a portable generator and battery back-up and identify places for shelter or care in extreme emergencies.
For more information on how to enroll in BGE’s Special Needs Program, call 410-685-0123.
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Updated Resource Directory is Available Now
Community Resources, formerly called Senior Resources, serves baby boomers, caregivers, families, older adults, persons with disabilities, and professionals. The diverse content of the 2012 directory includes:
- Advocacy
- Attorneys
- Baltimore County Government services
- Financial resources
- Fitness centers
- Home health services
- Housing
- Pharmacies
- Physicians
- Travel and more.
With this edition, Community Resources has been expanded to include more resources for persons with disabilities since the Department of Aging is now an Adult and Disability Resource Center known as Maryland Access Point (MAP) of Baltimore County.
Community Resources 2012 is online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/communityresources.
Further, Community Resources 2012 is available at County senior centers and public libraries. A partnership with the Baltimore Sun Media Group enables the Department of Aging to continue to provide this resource free of charge.
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Revised January 3, 2012
