How to Care: Long Distance Caregiving
Things
to look for
Warning
signs that a person may require care assistance:
- deteriorating
physical or mental health
- poor
hygiene
- missed
meals
- malnutrition
- incontinence
- unsafe
or unsanitary living conditions
- mental
confusion
- memory
problems
- signs
of depression
- wandering
- poor
judgment
- poor
decision-making
- unpaid
bills
- limited
mobility
- inability
to drive
- lack
of access to transportation
- lack
of a social network
Factors
to consider before moving or relocating a senior
- the
care recipient's needs for independence and familiarity
with friends and community
- your
past relationship with the care recipient
- your
needs and your family's needs
- lifestyle
differences
- the
home environment — space, privacy, safety
- the
availability of proper health care
- the
availability of publicly funded community resources to help
the care recipient
- your
emotional, physical and financial capability to deal with
the person's care needs
- cost
of associated care if this is not available or accessible
from the publicly funded system
- the
impact on your job
- How
long you expect the arrangement to last
- the
effect of an out-of-province or out-of-country move on eligibility
for health-care and other services
Relocation
for a caregiver may be inevitable if
- community
services are not available or accessible for the care recipient
- the
physician recommends it
- the
person needs 24-hour care or supervision
- the
person can no longer live safely at home
Care
Binder
- notes
and observations on the care recipient's health status,
e.g., medical information such as health conditions, medications,
recent injuries, accidents, etc.
- vontact
names, numbers and addresses of the professional care providers
- list
of relevant community resources
- contact
names, numbers and addresses of the informal network of
friends, family members and others providing care
- travel
information
- legal,
financial, insurance information
- any
other relevant documents