• General
• Home Care Workers
• Home Medical Equipment
• Home Modification

• Medications
• Nutrition
• Personal Care Activities

General

• Caregiving and Housekeeping
  It’s important for caregivers to follow these simple housekeeping procedures to protect themselves and their loved ones from infection.
  
  
• Infection Control
  Caregivers must be constantly alert to the need for cleanliness. It is vitally important to prevent infections, both for you and the person you care for.
  
  
• Moving In With You
  If your loved one can no longer live independently, should he or she move in with you? Here are some questions you both should consider.
  

Home Care Workers

• Hiring Home Care Help
  If your loved one lives at home—and you can’t be there to provide daily care—a skilled or semi-skilled home care worker may offer the solution to many of your caregiving problems.
  
  
• Needs Assessment Worksheet
  This worksheet will help you and other family members determine what types of assistance your loved one needs.
  
  
• Paying For Home Care Help
  Home health services tend to be very expensive, but there are alternatives that can help you pay for care.

Home Medical Equipment

• Home Medical Equipment
  What is durable medical equipment? How do you pay for it? How are you supposed to know what your loved one needs? Here are the basics.
  
  
• Medical Equipment And Medicare Coverage
  A list of medical equipment and supplies that are covered—or not covered—by Medicare.

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Home Modification

• Accessory Units
  Accessory units can allow your loved one to maintain his or her privacy and independence while living close enough for you to provide needed care.
  
  
• Adapting the Home
  Home adaptation is about helping your loved one remain as independent as possible, and it can involve anything from rearranging the furniture to large-scale structural improvements.
  
  
• Help With Home Modification
  You know your loved one’s home will need some safety and/or accessibility modifications, but how are you going to get the job done?
  
  
• Home Modification Checklist
  How to safety-proof a loved one’s home.
  
  
• Home Safety
  You might not have to make extensive modifications to your home to ensure your loved one’s safety. Here are some simple steps to follow to create a safer caregiving environment.
  
  
• Homemods.org
  The Home Modification Resource Center, a service of the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California.
  
  
• Making The Most Of Home Modification
  Keeping your loved one safe is important to you; keeping your loved one at home is important to him or her. Modifying your loved one’s home is the perfect compromise.
  
  
• Paying For Home Modification
  Modifying a loved one’s home can be expensive, but there are several different options available to help defray the cost.

Medications

• Do You Practice Medication Safety?
  A list of questions to help you decide if you and your loved one are practicing medication safety.
  
  
• How To Manage Your Pain
  The basic facts about pain management.
  
  
• Keeping Track Of Side Effects
  A form to help you chart eating-related side effects of your loved one’s chemotherapy.
  
  
• Knowing Medications
  In order to practice medication safety, you and your loved one should know the following facts about every medication that he or she takes.
  
  
• Medication And Older Adults
  If you care for an aging loved one, medication safety needs to be one of your primary concerns.
  
  
• Medication Safety
  Monitoring your loved one’s medications is one of the most important aspects of medical caregiving.
  
  
• Pain As The Fifth Vital Sign
  Carefully measuring and recording a loved one’s level of pain can help ensure proper pain management.
  
  
• Prescription Drug Assistance
  A link to Medicare databases of programs that can help pay the costs of prescription drugs.
  
  Understanding Drug Interactions
  If your loved one takes more than one type of medication, it’s important for you both to know about the basics of drug interaction.
  
  
• Weekly Medicine Chart
  Use this form to help your loved one keep track of his or her medications.
  
  
• Working With The Pharmacist
  Your loved one’s pharmacist can be a great source of information and help with medication safety.

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Nutrition

• Altering Recipes
  Changing just a few ingredients in your loved one’s favorite recipes is a quick and easy way to help him or her eat a healthier diet.
  
  
• Food Safety
  Knowing how to safely handle and prepare foods is an important step in helping your loved one eat right and avoid infection.
  
  
• Good Nutrition: An Introduction
  Whether you cook for yourself or prepare food for another person, good eating habits will keep your body healthier and improve how you feel.
  
  
• Meal Services
  If your loved one’s age, illness, or disability makes it difficult for him or her to cook, there are a variety of meal services that can help ensure that he or she receives the proper nutrition.
  
  
• Nutrition And Loss Of Taste
  If your loved one has lost his or her sense of taste, he or she probably no longer enjoys eating. So how do you ensure that your loved one gets the proper nutrition?
  
  
• Nutrition And Mouth Problems
  If your loved one’s condition makes chewing or swallowing difficult or painful, he or she may not be getting the proper nutrition.
  
  
• Nutrition Risks
  A list of signs that your loved one may not be getting proper nutrition.

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Personal Care Activities

• Healthy Transfers
  If your loved one requires assistance getting out of bed or moving from a chair to a wheelchair, you should be very careful to avoid hurting your back during transfers.
  
  
• Help With Eating
  Some ideas to consider when your loved one needs assistance with eating.
  
  
• Needs Assessment Worksheet
  This worksheet will help you and other family members determine what types of assistance your loved one needs.
  
  
• Personal Care: Grooming And Dressing
  Helping someone bathe, dress, shave, and perform other personal activities can be difficult. Knowing how to handle these delicate situations will make things easier for both you and your loved one.
  
  
• Pressure Sores
  If your loved one isn’t able to move very often—or uses a wheelchair to help with mobility—you need to be aware of the dangers of pressure sores.
  
  
• Providing Day-To-Day Care
  A list of basic ideas for making the daily caregiving experience easier for you—and your loved one.
  
  
• Toileting And Incontinence
  Bladder- and bowel-control problems can be embarrassing for you and your loved one. Here are some suggestions to help deal with this difficult situation.
  

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