The role of a caregiver explained

When looking for the best assisted living facility for your loved one you want to find the best fit; a place where the caregivers and staff will be devoted to meeting their needs of your senior. The role of a caregiver has many facets including administering medications and helping with daily care and tasks. At Paradise Valley Living Centers our state-certified caregivers also looks after the emotional wellbeing of our residents. Being a caregiver isn’t just a job at our group homes, it’s a vocation.

To learn more about what our caregivers do, we sat down with J.J., our senior caregiver at our Paradise Valley group home, to talk about what being a caregiver means to him.

J.J. has been a caregiver at Paradise Living Centers for three years and says he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. This shines through in his interactions with the residents, including Connie (pictured above with JJ enjoying the patio). Our low staff-to-resident ratio, allows J.J. the time to get to know each of the residents and respond to their ever-changing needs.

Here’s what J.J. had to say about being a caregiver at Paradise Living Centers:

Q: What is a typical day like for you?

A: I work the day shift, which means I am with residents from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep. I help with breakfast, lunch and dinner and make sure that residents are comfortable and happy. I also make sure that the house runs smoothly and that the residents have a clean place to live.

Q: What have you learned caring for seniors?

A: My previous role before coming to Paradise Living Centers was as a caregiver for teenagers with traumatic brain injuries. Caring for seniors is very different then caring for teens, you must slow down and listen and work at their pace.

Q: Do you grow attached to the residents?

A: I spend more time with the residents than some of my own family members, so we do grow very close. It is important to build relationships with residents and their families, but still keep things professional. Being a caregiver, I am naturally a caring person.

Q: How do you successfully navigate the challenges of your job?

A: It starts with a good attitude, I’ve learned caring for seniors that if you have a good attitude, there’s nothing that you cannot overcome. I also find that it’s important to maintain a positive attitude around our residents to keep their spirits lifted.

J.J. is just one of the amazing team members that helps make Paradise Living Centers a home that our residents and families are proud of. We are grateful for his commitment to providing the best care in assisted living.

Our group homes offer a variety of services and quality care; we have a full-time nurse on call 24/7 and a Care Manager that works with our caregivers to assess and plan the best level of care for all residents. If you’d like to learn more about our services or to schedule a tour at either of our locations, please call us at (480) 878-4112.

Paradise Living Centers a specialist in Alzheimer’s Care?

Caring for an aging parent or loved one experiencing memory decline or cognitive aging is one thing, but caregiving for an Alzheimer’s suffer is a different matter. Unless you are an expert in Alzheimer’s care, most caregivers or family members are learning about the signs or behaviors of the disease after the fact.

An outside point of view from a Certified Dementia Practitioner or medical professional is probably the most valuable input due to their impartiality. It can be difficult to come to terms with the fact that your loved one is not just experiencing memory decline, but is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It is a lot to process. The needs of your loved one become much more apparent after a diagnosis is provided. Often times, the caregiver is no longer able to meet the needs of their loved one. The next challenge is finding the best way to provide your loved one the specialized care that is required and deserved, which allows them also to live with this disease in a dignified manner.

What Alzheimer’s care at Paradise Living Centers looks like?

Paradise Living Centers prides itself with the ability to offer the best in quality care. All our caregivers are certified by the state of Arizona. Caregiving is a vocation for our team, not just a job. Our full-time nurse, Tracy Strand is available on call 24/7 and works closely with the caregivers to enhance the care and well-being of our residents. Our Care Manager, Kristie Chadwick is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP®) with comprehensive knowledge in the area of dementia care and she has completed the Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia care course. The CDP® certification reflects a deep personal commitment on Kristie’s part to the quality of care given to our residents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Dementia.

Memory care at Paradise Living Centers

In addition to Kristie and Tracy working with our caregivers, the residents’ primary care physician and their loved ones, and family members, they are always looking for ways to enhance the level of care we provide. We also work with memory care professionals from A Wiser Mind to provide on-site, one-on-one engaging sessions to delay cognitive decline. The sessions are designed to meet the specific needs and abilities of each resident.

To learn more about our memory care programs or to schedule a tour of our assisted living homes in either Paradise Valley or Central Phoenix, call Kristie Chadwick at 480.878.4112. We encourage you to meet our team and find out more about our services and the quality care we provide.

Top Tips for Avoiding Caregiver Burnout

Caregivers tasked with ensuring the vitality of their ailing or elderly charges are arguably some of the most selfless people around. The responsibilities they take on can become daunting – and the extra work it takes in maintaining the health and safety of another person can certainly take an emotional and psychological toll on an individual.

For preservation it’s incredibly important that anyone who serves as a caregiver to a senior takes the necessary steps to create boundaries, and safeguard their sense of personal self worth.

According to Becky Feola, author of The Eldercare Consultant, signs of caregiver burnout include “feeling resentful, thinking it is hopeless or that you are helpless, [and] losing emotional control and overreacting.”

Feola goes on to note that one of the most heartbreaking aspects of eldercare burnout is that a caregiver who was once “positive and caring” can very quickly become “negative and uncaring” due to a “dramatic change of attitude.”

Understandably, the signs are reminiscent of anyone dealing with a lot of stress, and as such, the remedies are also very similar.

If you’re worried about caregiver burnout, consider the following steps for self-care:

Take advantage of further support – Just because you happen to be the senior’s first line of care, doesn’t mean you must be the only one. Utilize other helpful resources to give yourself a break. Enlisting the support of the elder’s other friends and family when you need personal time is a great way to take a step back without having to worry about the elder’s wellbeing. If you’re feeling alone in your struggle, various organizations exist that provide resources and advocate for caregivers, like CareFlash and Family Caregiver Alliance. Also, there may be assisted care or group homes in your area that offer respite care, so you can get away for a few days.
Know your own capabilities – Making sense of the newfound responsibilities you encounter when caring for a loved one can be difficult, but it’s important that one doesn’t lose sight of their own responsibilities and commitments. Oftentimes, caregivers bite off more than they can chew and become embroiled in a burnout further down the line. If an individual plans ahead, recognizes their own strengths, takes inventory of personal commitments, and learns when they need to draw the line, chances of burnout are far less likely.
Don’t be afraid of validation – While many don’t choose to become caregivers, it’s important they learn to receive some level of credit. The job they’re performing deserves Not only are you keeping another person safe, you’re doing so while also maintaining your own livelihood.

If you’re concerned about the feasibility of providing long-term care or you are caring for a loved one and may be in need of respite care, give Paradise Living Centers a visit.

A Guide to Post Stroke Caregiving

According to The Internet Stroke Center, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 795,000 people suffering a stroke each year. The effects of a stroke vary depending on the type of stroke and the location and severity of brain injury. Depending on the stroke, recovery can take up to two years. Strokes often happen with little to no warning so it can be shocking when a loved one experiences a stroke and you are thrown into the role of caregiver. The subsequent tips offer advice to help you manage your loved one’s return home following a stroke:

Educate yourself. The best way to make sure you are offering your loved one the best care possible is to learn about their condition and prognosis. Spend time with their physician before you leave the hospital to resolve any unanswered questions or concerns. Ask what medications your loved one has been prescribed and make sure you understand the side effects.
Modify your home. It might be necessary to make modifications around your home to ensure your loved one’s safety. Minimizing clutter around the house, removing area rugs and positioning furniture against walls or in corners are all ways to minimize your loved one’s risk of falling. Adding grab bars or seats to showers and bathtubs, or moving a bedroom to a different floor in order to avoid stairs are additional ways to facilitate safety in your home.
Monitor your loved one’s behavior. Thirty to 50 percent of stroke survivors suffer from depression, says Web MD, and this can impede recovery. Your loved one may be struggling with the various losses brought on by stroke, but it is important to make sure that they are staying positive and not getting bogged down by focusing on the negative.
Understand the risk factors for a second stroke: The National Stroke Association states that 1 in 4 stroke survivors will experience a second stroke within their lifetime, but that 80 percent of these secondary strokes can be prevented by lifestyle changes. Aid your loved one in lowering their risk by encouraging exercise and a healthy diet. Managing conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol can also significantly lower their risk of a second stroke.

After your loved one has experienced a stroke, you may be left feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to jump into your role as caregiver. To give your loved one the best care possible, utilize available resources and consult with their physician so that you feel knowledgeable and comfortable about the recovery process. Don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way, and remember that your loved one will appreciate everything that you are doing to assist them.