Caregiver Community

  • Caregiver Community
    2310 member(s)

    A place where Caregivers come together to share common experiences, challenges,and resources. 

    Caregivers are truly experts in patient management and can help each other because of their intensive experience in patient care at home. Caregivers can ask questions to others on this forum going through a similar caregiving experiences. They can start topics and discuss things like ways to manage daily tasks, where to find doctors, nurses, and other health services, how they manage stress, and any other topics related to caring for their loved one and for themselves. It is a great place for Caregivers to come and chat about the issues that affect them on a day to day basis and take time to focus on their own needs and health.

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  • Forget Us Not Handbook in English and Mandarin
    PatientsEngage is happy to support 'Forget Us Not', a joint initiative by Lien Foundation and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. They have put together this guide in English and Mandarin to help persons with dementia live dignified lives. This is part of the plan to build Dementia-Friendly Communities in Singapore. The 'Forget Us Not' initiative will foster a kampong spirit where we come together to help one another. The information and tools in this guide is only a first step. If you would like to do…
  • The Tough and Tender Caregiver
    Many caregivers feel guilty and think it is wrong to get tough with their loved ones, even if the intention is to help in the long run. Maya Ramachandran delves into the dilemma with a personal account. As caregivers, we are concerned about the health of our loved one. We assist with the care of/take care of our loved one, in the midst of many other responsibilities that we are required to fulfil. Sometimes, the patient is uncooperative or simply stubborn to a point of no return. What do we do…
  • Music Therapy in Dementia: How Effective is it?
    A look at how music tends to make life so much better for those suffering from dementia “Music has power for individuals with all types of dementias and it can spark convincing outcomes at any stage of the disease when used appropriately. For example, the type/choice or duration of music at each stage of the disease has to be taken into account”, says Nilanjana Maulik, Secretary General of ARDSI (Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India), Kolkata. Most people enjoy music, but can it…
  • Building Community Bridges for Parkinson’s
    There is much more to life for people affected with Parkinson’s disease than treatments and medications, believes Sudha Meiyappan, founder of Parivarthan, a community support group in Chennai that provides a safe platform to those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disorder. Shaik Mohideen Sahib returned to India couple of years ago after he retired as a Hindi teacher for 20 years in Muscat, Oman.  This was not his best time since his mother had recently passed away, he was …
  • Using Mindfulness and Awareness as a Tool towards Wellbeing
    The unquiet mind Can you be with this one breath, This moment, this now?  —Paul Salmon Mindfulness is defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts, as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”1 This rests on the simple idea that sorrow or distress is caused by not living in the moment, or feeling bad…
  • Try Tai Chi To Build Immunity And Reduce Stress
    Tai Chi, the ancient martial art from China, may be widely known as a self-defense art, but has abundant health benefits that can help cure ordinary ailments to life threatening diseases, says Tai Chi guru Carlton Hill.  What is Tai Chi? How is it different from other martial arts? Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan is a five thousand year old martial art practised in China. Though, in present times, it is mostly practised for its health benefits. Tai Chi Chuan is unique because one can…
  • To tell or not to tell - the caregiver's dilemma
    Breaking bad news to patients can be daunting and difficult, especially for caregivers.  Maya Ramachandran narrates her experience when she and her husband were caught in such a catch-22 situation.   My husband’s close relative was experiencing sudden onset of bleeding after almost 25 years post-menopause, at the age of 75! Fearing that it could be cancer, she had shied away from meeting doctors. After a whole year of having struggled with this almost alone, she …
  • A wish for no one to endure unnecessary pain
    Harmala Gupta traversed the journey from being a cancer survivor to founding CanSupport, a home based Palliative Care service in Delhi and NCR. CanSupport also runs out-patient clinics. Harmala Gupta shares her views with PatientsEngage on Palliative Care. PE: According to the ACHEON study ("The non-interventional, anonymous, non-biased ACHEON survey was the first and largest cross sectional evaluation of physicians’ and patients’ perspectives on cancer and non-cancer pain management…
  • I never wanted my mother to go into a dementia care home
    Carol D’Souza, a consulting psychologist, recounts her mother’s advancing dementia and how she and her family made peace with the agonizing decision to put her in a care home. Putting my mother in a Home was one of the most difficult decisions made by my family and me. Onset of dementia seemed so sudden for her; it started with bizarre behavior of her staying awake all night – worrying about all sorts of things she absolutely did not need to.  Her life had turned into a…
  • Multiple Sclerosis Society of India Chennai Chapter.
    The Multiple Sclerosis Society of India was established in 1985 at Mumbai. Mrs. Rehmat Fazelboy, a social worker and Mr.Tobaccowalla (Chairman, Voltas Ltd, Mumbai) are the founding members. Presently there are 9 chapters with 2 support groups.  The Chennai Chapter was inaugurated on September 1997. Our patron doctor is Prof.Dr.G.Arjundas. Mrs.Ann Gonsalvez is the Chairperson of the Chennai Chapter. We have about 210 patients on our rolls in Chennai.  Our Vision: Create awareness of…
Patient not discharged from ICU despite repeated requests
In the last couple of weeks, I have heard of two different cases in India where the hospital kept a patient in ICU on life support for weeks on end. In one case, even after the family asked for the patient to be transferred to a normal room, the…
Counsellor in Ahmedabad
Query from a caregiver Does anyone know a counsellor in Ahmedabad who can go to a patient's home. Patient has had a couple of strokes and even though there is no paralysis believes he is paralysed and does not use his limbs and keeps falling.…
Walking with quad cane assistance
Here is a question from one of our members: My father is 89. He used to walk regularly twice a day and used a simple walking cane. But now he has had a few falls. Doctor says he must use a cane with 4 legs(quad cane) but he refuses to do that. Now…
A family torn apart by illness
When treatment started failing 66 year old Siew Ching, the family became divided into different camps. Some wanted her to stay in hospital so that she could receive maximal supportive care. Others wanted her to be discharged so she could go…
My 95 year old father
My 95 year old father lives with my sister. She takes very good care of him. Normally he is fine. Can manage most daily activities with some help. But he is sometimes very paranoid about domestic helpers coming into his room and trying to harm him…
Tips for Caregivers
We found a great list of tips (in the link below) to help ease the challenges of being a caregiver and help caregivers with self-care - take a look at this list and share with us if you have ever used any of these and how! The tips include:…
Sleep - A big challenge for Caregivers
A lack of sleep or feeling tired is one of the biggest challenges that Caregivers face. Often times we have to wake up at night to check on our loved one, or we have trouble falling asleep because our mind is preoccupied. What are some of your…
How do you ask for help?
As Caregivers we often take on a lot and can get exhausted. It is important to learn how to ask for help - maybe other family members, friends, or neighbors can help take on some tasks and make life a little easier for the Caregiver. For many of us…
Restlessness in semi mobile senior
My MIL is a little bit over weight @ 94, and is able to walk only with a walker very slowly.She is addicted to watching TV whether she understands anything or not, but cannot sit for a long time. WE give her TV time, once a day for 2 hours. For…
Sharing Caregiving Duties Among Siblings or Family
I recently came across a great article that spoke about the importance of sharing caregiving duties among family or siblings. Often, the caregving duties falls upon one sibling or family member, and  this can cause resentment or…

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