CAREGIVERS TIPS

EXPERIENCED WORKERS WORDS ARE TRUE and NOT ALL WRITTEN ON THE BOOKS ARE TRUE.Based in my experienced since i arrived here these tips are all true.Not in one patients/employer but for all workers in each employer as they told.All my work experienced are patients suffering from an Alzheimer's diseases,a strong and dangerous patients I've ever had.Now the latest was diagnosed or what they called it a depressive disorder. Written below are the best technique or strategy to deal with any types of patients cases.

--------Offer visual help: To recall your patients memory, offer assistance like picture labels or pointing.
--------Be helpful: If your patient is having trouble placing a word or thought, gently suggest or try to provide what they're looking for.
-------Walk them through it: Instead of telling a person with memory loss what to do, you should show them specifically how to do it and even have them practice.
-------Provide lots of reminders: Remind your patient about events that are coming up.
-------Speak clearly: When talking to your patient, speak in slow, even tones with purpose so that you're easy to understand.
-------Speak only as loudly as you need to: Don't speak louder than you really need to, or you may insult your patient and make them frustrated.
-------Give them time: Give your patient ample time to formulate a response and don't interrupt.
--------Speak slowly: Don't rush through your words, or your patient may get overwhelmed by listening to you.
-------Talk about one thing at a time: Don't confuse your patient by changing conversations rapidly. Break up topics and alert them to conversation changes.
--------Use their name: Your patient should respond to their name, so use it before talking to get their attention.
--------Ensure that needs are met: Your patient will communicate best when their needs like rest, hunger and exercise have been taken care of.
--------Choose a quiet place: Avoid environments with lots of noise so that even hard of hearing patients or those that get distracted won't have trouble hearing you.
--------Ask if it's a good time to talk: Your patient may not be in the mood to carry on a conversation, so always ask if they're ready to have a discussion.
--------Avoid distractions: Communicate in a location that doesn't have a lot of distractions like television or pets so that you won't have to compete for attention.
--------Keep eye contact: Maintain eye contact with your patient so that they know you're speaking specifically to them.
--------Offer encouragement: Say things like, "I understand," or "Tell me more."
--------Gently touch their arm or shoulder: Get their attention with a soft touch, and speak to them when they look at you.
--------Always be aware of your own nonverbal cues: Your voice and body language will go a long way in your communication, so be sure that they're saying what you really mean.
--------Use hand signals: If your patient is hard of hearing, supplement your words with simple hand signals.
--------Maintain a comfortable distance: Although care giving may have you in close contact often, it's not always comfortable to communicate in close quarters, so keep your distance.
--------Write out words: If your patient can't understand what you're saying, try writing it out to make things clearer.
--------Take a deep breath: Try deep breathing to relax before a conversation
and take deep breaths to calm down if the discussion turns difficult.
--------Always acknowledge your patient: Don't talk about your patient with others as if they're not there. Bring them into the conversation so that they can be involved as well.
-------Treat the patient as an adult: Always ask the patient to do something instead of telling them.
-------Be responsive: When your patient wants to talk, listen, and pay attention to nonverbal cues.
-------Listen: Carefully listen to what your patient is saying instead of quickly moving on to the next topic.
------Avoid arguing: Remember that your patients needs are the primary concern, and instead of arguing, focus on meeting needs.
------Acknowledge feelings:It's important that you acknowledge the feelings of your patient so that they have someone to talk to and don't feel alone.
------Pay attention to behavior: Consider whether your patients words and behavior seem to match, or if they have something else they'd really like to say.
------Be friendly: Laugh and use humor whenever it's appropriate to relieve tension and enjoy conversing with each other.
------Ask questions: Don't hesitate to ask a follow up question if thing not clear to you.
------Stay organized: As a caregiver, it's your responsibility to ensure that your patient's needs are carefully handled, so make sure that you have all of the information at hand when working with others.
------Ensure that the doctor knows what you're doing: Don't let the doctor talk to your patient and leave you out of the loop. Ask to be told about instructions and important details
------Be patient: Dealing with doctors, insurance, and other patient needs can be trying, but it's important for their sake that you remain calm.
------Take time with decisions: Don't feel pressured into making on-the-spot decisions if you don't have to. Take the time to discuss it with your patient and the family first.
------Find out all of your doctor's details: Gather information about office hours, medical emergencies, after hours care, and alternative practitioners..
------Do your research: Learn everything you can about your patient's condition so that you can make good decisions about their care and be able to discuss it with them.
------Be persistent: Don't give up just because getting through is difficult. Remember that the health of another person is in your hands.
------Take notes: List some important things especially when discussing with the doctor .
------Be honest: Don't keep important information to yourself just because it's embarrassing. Discuss incontinence, emotional outbursts, and other issues if they come up.
------Be clear and specific: don't assume that others know what you want or need, tell them directly what you need.
------Be sure you completely understand: Be absolutely sure that you understand what you've discussed by asking for clarification.
------Talk openly about concerns: When talking with family members, don't shy away from topics of worry and fear. They need to be addressed, and will always come up eventually.
------Make calls at a good time: During rest hour ,no phone calls to reieved
------Keep the doctor in the loop: Make sure that your patients doctor is well informed about complications like fever, drainage, and bleeding.
------Don't gossip:Talking with someone in front of the patients is not good as they thought that you are sharing information about thier privacy and secrets.
------Establish a relationship:Be frriendly to other worker who is also working with your patients.
-----Always ask questions about new medicine: Find out how long you should give the medicine for, how it should be administered, and other important details.