Hi, I am Kathy. I have been in the healthcare field for about 24 years. For much of this time, I have been dealing with and caring for the elderly population. I have seen the many health issues that can develop as someone ages. I have also seen how challenging and stressful a diagnosis of dementia can be to the patient as well as the family.
I have a passion for caring for the older individuals in our society and want to assist in some small way with helping them to live longer, quality filled lives. I also want to help those of you who are trying to care for these valued individuals in your homes.
So, more about me…
As I said, I have a lot of experience in caring for the older population. However, several months ago, this became personal. My mother was diagnosed with dementia and soon required one-on-one care for all her needs. We have been caring for her in her home. We have had to deal with weight loss, pressure points, toileting, incontinence care, and a host of other physical issues. Along with that came the mental issues that accompanied her dementia…the anxiety, fear, confusion, depression, hypersensitivity, anger and restlessness – to name a few.
If that weren’t enough, my father has had to try to wade through the complexities of trying to get assistance with providing for her care. There are many agencies out there that can assist with caring for a loved one both in the home and in long term care facilities. However, finding these agencies and then filling out paperwork and trying to meet their guidelines can be an incredible feat.
The reason I started this website is to try to help you through your journey in caring for an elderly loved one. I will be providing information I found through research as well as through personal experience.
If you find something on my site that is helpful, I would appreciate it if you leave a comment. Should you have questions, and I’m sure you will, you may comment and I will attempt to answer them.
Check in on the website frequently as I plan to be updating it regularly with new and hopefully helpful ideas.
I hope you find this site to be a good resource for information in your ever challenging journey.
Be well and keep in touch,
Kathy
Founder: eldercarehandbook.com