The Unsung Heroes at Home: Family Caregivers
November is National Family Caregivers Month. It and its timing align perfectly with the goal of the innovative post-acute rehabilitation at NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida. The sole object of NeuLife Rehab is to rehabilitate its Clients so that he or she achieves the highest level of independence consistent with his or her physical and mental abilities.
Independence is attained through innovative modalities of post-acute rehabilitation specially designed for the Client by a Client Goal Plan. It takes into account many variables, including:
- The kind of catastrophic injury involved, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), mild brain injury (MBI), motor vehicle accidents (MVA), multiple trauma, neurologic injury, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), spinal cord injury (SCI) and limb amputations.
- The alacrity and quality of the acute care received by the individual, as it plays a role in determining the needed type and length of post-acute rehabilitation.
- An accurate assessment of short-term and long-term post-acute rehabilitation needs
Independence can be defined in several ways and categorized by “degrees.” NeuLife Rehab helps Clients attain independence by consistently providing the highest standard of care in the delivery of clinically relevant services to achieve successful, sustained outcomes and exceeding the expectations of all persons served. While total independence is always the goal, an individual’s physical and mental abilities stemming from a catastrophic injury dictate the actual course of the post-acute rehabilitation and the ultimate level of independence.
Short of full independence, Clients of NeuLife Rehab may still be able to take enormous steps, such as to supported independent living. That is an opportunity for individuals to choose where, how and with whom they live. Through supported living, individuals, even people with severe disabilities, such as those caused by catastrophic injury, can receive supports to live in their own homes.[1]
Sometimes the best supports after discharge from post-acute rehabilitation at an innovative post-acute facility like NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida come from family members who serve as caregivers. It is to those people to whom November is dedicated and who NeuLife Rehab honors during National Home Caregivers Month.
Family caregivers have at once a rewarding and a tough mission. Think about a couple with a young child and a Dad who sustained a traumatic brain injury. Mom continues to help Dad with his post-acute rehabilitation, such as by continuing to teach him to safely cross a street. But she also has total responsibility for their child. This is but one of a multitude of scenarios. Family caregivers must balance multiple roles for multiple individuals. While rewarding, the caregiver may get left out of the mix. That’s why National Family Caregivers Month came to be.
National Family Caregivers Month has three main goals:
- Designate a public time to thank, support, educate and advocate for family caregivers
- Speak up about community programs that support caregivers
- Advocate for public policies that address caregiving issues and the need for ongoing training and support
An article in Psychology Today by Janet M. Cromer, provided valuable tips for all family caregivers. Because NeuLife Rehab recognizes and respects the vital role that family caregivers give to augment and to expand the innovative post-acute rehabilitation that we provide in Mount Dora, Florida, we pass them on to you:
-
Organize a Circle of Support.
Caregiving often goes on for years, and we need different forms of support and assistance as time goes on. Even if you’ve been a solo caregiver, it’s never too early or too late to organize a circle of support. Make a detailed list of all the tasks, responsibilities, appointments, errands you manage. Then decide which could be done by another person. Invite family, friends, and acquaintances to a meeting. Many people are relieved to hear you need their specific skills even if they can’t provide direct care to the sick person. For example, a new friend helped me stage a yard sale to reduce clutter in our home. An accountant who was new to our neighborhood volunteered to help me organize records to file our overdue income tax! Be creative and assertive in your requests. Ask a friend to coordinate help with an online tool such as Lotsahelpinghands.com
-
Share your experience to raise awareness or rally support.
Pitch an article or essay to your newspaper or radio station. Write a blog detailing a day in a caregiver’s life. Offer to speak at a community event, or policy hearing.
-
Tell your family how you would like to be celebrated.
Caregivers often skip over our own needs to be thanked and appreciated. Would you like a gift certificate for a massage or dinner out? How about a thank you card signed by the person you care for?
-
Stop pretending you can handle more than you can.
One of the best ways I cared for myself was to stop pretending to myself or others that I had energy or compassion to give when I didn’t. I honored how exhaust ed I was -physically, emotionally, and spiritually- and made new plans for replenishment. I explained our situation more honestly to others and asked for help from different resources as the years went on.
-
Divide your reserves of compassion wisely.
Save some compassion, kindness, and forgiveness for yourself. It’s not necessary to give it all to the sick person. Express compassion by prioritizing time for your health and well-being. Forgive yourself for what you don’t know, didn’t do exactly right, didn’t say kindly that time. We are only human. Marvelously, spectacularly human.
-
Update your self-image beyond caregiving.
Caregiving can be all consuming. Take stock periodically and update how you view yourself and want others to know you. Hold out a few hopes and dreams of your own. Take small steps to make them happen. What are your core values, passions, beliefs? Are they being expressed in constructive ways, or are some changes in order?[2]
Oh, remember the correlation between National Family Caregivers Month and November that we mentioned before? November is the month of Thanksgiving. NeuLife Rehab thanks all family caregivers for all that they give!
When an individual becomes a Client of NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida, he or she undergoes an independent functional evaluation administered by a multidisciplinary team of professionals that may consist of:
- Board Certified Neurologist
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst
- Board Certified Physiatrist
- Neuropsychologist
- Psychologist
- Board Certified Psychiatrist
- Speech Language Pathologist/Cognitive Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Nurses
- Certified Rehab Counselor
From the results of the independent functional evaluation, the professionals of NeuLife Rehab formulate a Client Goal Plan. The Client Goal Plan guides the clinically relevant services delivered by NeuLife Rehab. The Client Goal Plan guides the cognitive, psychiatric, neurologic, psychological and neuropsychological therapy of the Client. The goal of NeuLife Rehab’s innovative post-acute rehabilitation is the attainment for our Clients of independence to the fullest extent that his or her physical and mental abilities permit.
NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida consistently provides the highest standard of care in the delivery of clinically relevant services to achieve successful, sustained outcomes and exceed the expectations of all persons served.
Proper and timely post-acute rehabilitation that may determine the difference between disability and independence is what NeuLife refers to as the “platinum post-acute period” — the crucial window following acute care that is needed to nurture the whole person to health with specialized, clinically relevant services.
NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is an accessible residential post-acute program providing specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury
(TBI), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Amputations, Burns and other Catastrophic Injuries and Challenging Diagnoses.
2725 Robie Avenue
Mount Dora, Florida 32757
[1] http://apd.myflorida.com/customers/supported-living/about-supported-living.htm
[2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/professor-cromer-learns-read/201111/ten-tips-national-family-caregivers-month-0
