dementia caregiving – End of Life University

Learn about the challenges faced by caregivers for dementia patients and some creative ideas for offering support.

In this episode I welcome back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes, hospice nurse, speaker, thought leader, and expert on end-of-life care. She is the author of the “little blue hospice book” Gone From My Sight and her most recent book By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. We discuss the challenges of caring for a person with dementia and the impact that care can have on family members. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:

www.bkbooks.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

There are now over 7 million people with dementia in the US
Dementia patients require twice as many hours of care as other patients
The late stage of dementia can last 1-2 years; patients are eligible for hospice care during the last 6 months
How the last stage of life for dementia patients differs from that of other end-of-life patients
Why caregivers for dementia patients are much more likely to suffer exhaustion and depression
A marker to use for determining when a dementia patient is eligible for hospice
Why it’s essential to create an advance directive early in the course of dementia while the patient can make decisions
The need for “dementia doulas” to guide and assist caregivers
What happens when a caregiver can no longer take care of their loved one at home
How some financial planners are doing a better job talking to their clients about preparing for healthcare needs than medical providers are doing
Simple tips to help caregivers in the moment

Links mentioned in this episode:

FAC-AZ Annual Meeting in March: Register here (you can attend in person or virtually)
What Really Matters Podcast
NEW Archives Page
Family Caregiver Alliance: Website Caregiver College Videos
A Place for Mom
Book recommendation: Connecting the Dots by Judith London
Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Barbara Richardson and thank you also to Jen Blalock for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.

Learn useful tips for caring for a dying loved one at home and how to be better prepared for the challenge.

My special return guest is Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader, and expert on end-of-life care. Barbara is going to be a recurring guest from now on, joining the podcast every other month to talk about hospice care. Today we discuss practical tools that caregivers need in order to care for themselves and their loved ones at the end of life. Barbara has written a new guide for caregivers called By Your Side that offers a tremendous number of resources and practical tips and she’ll share many of them with us today. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:

www.bkbooks.com

Get By Your Side here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

The needs of caregivers are often overlooked by both hospital and hospice staffs
What caregivers need to know about food intake for patients at the end of life
The importance of keeping a written record of patient’s status throughout the day because it’s too hard to remember
The impact of sleep deprivation and fatigue on caregivers including lack of patience and flexibility
Why self-care for caregivers is essential and not selfish
How to set boundaries with a patient and why they are necessary
It’s not a failure to decide that home caregiving is too difficult
Why understanding the dying process is important for caregivers
How to find support in your community as a caregiver
How care of patients with dementia differs from other hospice patients
Basic information about pain management and symptom control

Links mentioned in this episode:

Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

Buy me a coffee

Donate on Paypal

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Donna Fleming, and to those who have bought me a coffee and made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference.