Exercise Equipment for Care giving Clients

Hi Caregiving information followers! 

I would like to take some time to post how important it is for us to help our care giving clients exercise. I know, exercise is nobody's favorite thing to do. However, exercising with our Caregiving clients can become a fun activity. There are many physical activities that we can do that are fun that will encourage our clients to exercise. 

You may want to take a day out of the week and dedicate it to a short physical activity. Even if it is just pushing your client in a wheel chair around the block a couple of times. Or you can play ball with a foam basketball set. A foam basket ball will allow your client to safely catch and throw the ball without getting injured. Playing catch or basketball will be fun and safe. There is also outdoor lax wall equipment that can be used as a rebounder if your client or clients wants to throw the ball without your help. 

If your care giving client or clients are not bound to a wheel chair and are able to walk, jog or run, they may feel confident in exercising with a pair of Nike Zoom T5- White and Yellow shoes. I know I always feel better exercising when I have a nice pair of nike shoes on.

Caregiver Tips on Confidentiality

This is a small post to remind future caregivers to keep information and names about clients confidential. Do not talk about your clients to your friends, relatives and other clients. Caregivers need to remember that clients information is private.

If you receive a telephone call from a client, client's caseworker or clients family members, look around and make sure nobody is listening to your conversation. Any little information that someone gathers can ruin, damage or end your care giving career. Specially if employed through a state home care worker's program. You should always keep information to your self and within other co-workers or caregivers.

If you believe you need to tell someone something about your client, you should call their state caseworker or family member that hired your caregiving services. Also, sharing information with the next scheduled caregiver is ok as long as it pertains to what is needed done with client.

What do you do when a caregiving client gets hurt or injured?

Actions to take when client gets hurt, on your shift or not on your shift?

You can't be with your care giving clients at all times. Therefore this post is to help determine the steps to take if your client is injured while not in your care. I am going to use my personal caregiving experience as an example.

Two different occasions, I showed up at my work to help my caregiving client get ready for bed. To my surprise, my client seemed to be bleeding from the head when I got there. Client had fallen when not in my care and split his head on coffee table or desk. What should I have done? The list below tells the steps I took.

1. Approach and greet the injured client.
2. Ask the client if he or she is ok.
3. Apply pressure on the wound if the wound is still bleeding. (In my case, the bleeding already stopped)
4. Ask the Client if he or she will go to the hospital. (If client is non-responsive or confused, call 911) 
5. Ask the Client if they would like any pain medication to help the pain.
6. Wear gloves and clean the wound the best you can if injured client refuses to go to hospital.
7. Report the accident to the next scheduled caregiver or caregivers.


What steps did I miss if any? 
What would you do in this situation?

Caregiving Diary

Caregiving is a rewarding and stressful career to get into. I started family caregiving when my mother got very sick in 2007. She had a major fever, got taken to the hospital and was not doing well. She needed someone to care for her when she was in the hospital and when she finally got home from the hospital. She was barely able to walk and normal movement of her body was painful. Her body weight increased due to swelling and water retention. She needed oxygen tanks setup in her small home. She also needed to take many medications to decrease the pain and reduce swelling in her feet and body.

I cared for my mother for a few weeks while her medical and state caregiving benefits were being approved. I then was introduced to the home caregivers program where I signed up and became her full time caregiver.

My mother slowly got better while I provided caregiving services to her. She successfully took her medications and her pain was becoming more and more bearable. Then due to personal reasons and caregiver burnout, I wasn't able to provide caregiving services for my mom any longer. My younger brother and other sisters soon took over providing care for my mom. She was in much better health now, than she was before my caregiving help. So I felt pretty safe to move on to my other family needs and personal life. I then decided that being a caregiver was something I enjoyed doing. I have been a home care worker/caregiver since 2007. I will use this caregiving diary to share with you what I have learned from taking care of all my clients.  

This blog is going to be a caregiving resource and diary for all of those caregivers in need. I will supply personal caregiving experiences as well as caregiving tips that will hopefully help many other caregivers, homeworkers, and or caregiving clients. 

Are you a caregiver in need of tips and caregiving resources? If so please feel free to become a follower and comment below this caregiving post.

How to become a home caregiver in Oregon?