If you care for a loved one that is ill, then you know that every little bit of help you can get is good thing. Caring for someone is a job that never ends, which is a burden for you, but caring can also be a burden for the patient themselves. Many people who are being cared for want to be as independent as they possibly can, but little things get in the way. Sometimes, it’s easier for you to do something for them than for them to do it themselves, which leaves you feeling stressed, and them feeling guilty. This is where assistive technology can enter the picture. Assistive technology can help make your loved one more independent and help make the caring you do a lot easier. It’s an option that has helped many caretakers and patients alike.

Just what is assistive technology? It’s really just a fancy word that applies to any number of devices that make things easier to do. There are two kinds of assistive technology – low tech and high tech. Low tech assistive technology can be something as simple as a cane, a hearing aid, or a pair of glasses. High tech assistive technology can involve computer programs and sensors that let you know when a patient with dementia is trying to leave the house, for instance. Just about anything that helps someone accomplish something can be called an assistive technology.

Of course, not all assistive technology is right for everyone. You have to look long and hard at the needs of the person for whom you are caring before you go for assistive technology. For example, a shiny scooter to whisk your loved one around might look nice, but if they are fully mobile, it’s no use. If, on the other hand, their hearing is impaired, a hearing aid can make a world of difference. There are tons of assistive technology devices that make things are difficult for a person who needs caring, like personal hygiene, easier. Velcro, specially designed clothing and more can all give them the ability to dress themselves, and in turn, give them a self esteem boost and a feeling of independence. When you’re selecting the kinds of devices you need, make sure you evaluate the ones that will be most helpful for you. It can be easy to get distracted by things that look really “cool” but they may not be the things you need. Think about the biggest challenges you and your loved one face, and look for devices that meet those needs.

With so many different kinds of assistive devices out there, the prices vary wildly. Obviously something like Velcro can be very cheap, while something like a hoist to help you move a loved one out of bed and into a wheelchair can be extremely expensive. The good news is that if you need to get an expensive assistive technology device, there may be help available. Many of these devices are covered by Medicaid and most insurance plans. Some companies that sell these devices will even take care of the paperwork for you, so you don’t have one more responsibility to bear.

If you need help learning about the different options that are out there in assistive technology, start by checking with the doctor of the loved one you are looking after. They might have some good advice for you. You can also check with your local caregivers’ support group. The members there might be able to give you advice from experience, including what has helped them and what products to avoid. However you explore this avenue, make sure that you do. The burden it can lift from you and your loved one is enormous.

There is a big problem among adult caregivers these days that they either do not recognize or no one is talking about. The problem is called depression and as many as 25% of all adult caregivers suffer from this condition which is twice the national average of the population in general. These figures are actually quite conservative as many senior social agencies that provide resources to caregivers believe. In addition, once the caregiver’s duties are done with (usually due to the loved one’s death), depression can still occur or linger on.

Of all the adult caregivers, it seems that those who deal with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in their loved one has a higher propensity for developing depression with it occurring in women twice as likely over men. The act of caregiving itself is not the cause of the depression but rather the feelings that stem from prolonged care. By the same token, not everyone experiences depression during the caregiving process either.

Why Depression Can Occur

Providing the best care to your loved one can mean giving up your own free time and making emotional and physical sacrifices. There is sometimes no time to call your own when you can decompress and relax. Always being in the “on” position can take its toll, even with the most efficient, competent person. It is quite normal for feelings of anger and resentment to crop up. There is also a feeling of loneliness and sadness in addition to anxiety and fatigue. Add those guilty emotions you have for even feeling these things and it is no wonder depression has become quite a problem among adult caregivers.

If you have never encountered depression before in others, you may perceive it as a weakness in yourself and ignore your feelings. This unbalanced feeling is not healthy and not only can it take a toll on your relationship with loved ones but also on yourself. Denying you have these conflicting emotions just makes things worse because you cannot will them away. Sometimes, you also may not realize you have depression because this condition manifests itself differently from one person to another. Plus depression symptoms do change in a situation over time. Here are some signs that might signal a depressive state:

1.  A feeling of fatigue all the time is one signal of depression that no amount of sleep will solve. In addition, depression can also cause changes in your sleep patterns. Either you will want to sleep too much or you do not get enough.

2.  Eating habits may change. Some people turn to food to try and assuage the feelings of guilt and frustration causing weight gain while others get a nervous stomach and do not eat enough because the food upsets them.

3.  Loss of interest in many activities that were once fun and neglecting personal relationships are both signs of depression. Feelings of inadequacy are quite common as well.

4.  Depression can manifest itself into actual physical symptoms that cannot be attributed to any other ailment. Headaches, non-specific pain on the body and digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome are just a few of these physical symptoms of depression.

5.  Permanently ending things through suicide is one of the most drastic problems in depression in caregivers because they feel they have no escape and no where to turn.

If you feel any or all of these symptoms of depression, you should know that you are not alone. Do not shoulder the burden any longer. Seek help through friends, family, church, counselors or even your doctor. Do not hold things in but rather confide in someone. It takes time to bounce back but do what you can to make that happen. Participate in activities that were once favorites – and force yourself if you have to. Think positively too. Slowly you will feel the weight being lifted off your shoulders and the days will be brighter. However, you have to take that first step to do something about the depression.

If you are the primary caregiver for a loved one and are finding the demands of being the only caregiver to be too high, it might be time to consider home care services that will help relieve some of the burden that is now placed entirely on you.  There’s an important distinction to be made between home health care and (non-medical) home care; the first concerns medically-based care such as nursing, physical therapy and respiratory therapy.  This type of home care is more expensive than the non-medical types of home care since the providers have to be educated and certified in most circumstances.  If this is not necessary in your case, there are lots of different types of home care that can be utilized at a lower cost (and some that are covered by Medicaid and insurance).

Non-medical home care can either focus on housekeeping tasks such as cooking and cleaning so that you, the primary caregiver can spend time with the aging person, taking care of the person and socializing together.  Another option is to hire someone to be a companion for the aging person part of the day or even the full day.  This person can engage in games and conversation with the patient, work on puzzles together or go for walks if the person is mobile enough.  These types of home care are ideal for primary caregivers who are either working full or part time but do not want their loved one to be alone, or caregivers who simply have too much on their plate.

Home care workers of a non-medical nature can be hired through an agency or can be simply found online or in newspaper listings.  Of course, if you do not use an agency to find a home care provider, you’ll want to do a thorough background check in order to ensure that the person coming into your home is trustworthy and has a good track record.

Sometimes home care professionals come to your house every day for a few hours or sometimes they are hired for the entire week, so your home is the only one in which they’re working at a given point in time.  Additionally, there are home care workers who live in with the elderly couple, which can be an added benefit for both parties.  In this type of situation, the employee benefits by not having to rent a home or apartment and not having to travel to work, and the employer benefits in having their caregiver close by at all times.  The fact that the caregiver lives in should not be abused. Make a working schedule together and expect both parties to stick to it. A caregiver who is not on working duty, but in the house, can give an aging caregiver a feeling that support is there whenever they need it.  In a household where an elderly person can fall at any moment and the primary caregiver is just as old as the patient, having a younger employee in the house can make all the difference in the world.

In addition to these standard working situations for full and part-time home care givers, there’s the option of respite care.  Respite care is a special, round-the-clock type of in-home care where the respite caregiver is responsible 24 hours a day.  This can go on for a day or for a period of time, for example if the primary caregiver becomes ill and cannot take care of their loved one for a few days while they get better or perhaps the caregiver has to go out of town for a few days.  Respite care is an option that offers constant care, the same as a spouse or child offers in-home care.

If you are a primary caregiver with too much work on your hands, checking out some in-home care options might prove to be the smartest step you can make.

When it comes to taking care of an aging loved one, it’s important to not only think about the needs of the person that are physical needs, such as being warm enough and being fed and bathed, but also about the needs that are more psychological.  Many caregivers notice that when the person they are caring for is more able to do things independently that they are happier.  Part of being able to do something independently is mobility; fortunately, for caregivers and for those with reducing mobility, there are many devices that can help a person with reduced mobility get around safely.

Of course, safety is a primary concern, so it’s not a good idea to encourage someone with reduced mobility to just walk around the house because it’s good for the person to be able to do things for themselves.  It’s important to keep in mind that this ability to get around the house (or get up and down the street) should not be treated as a simple goal; the benefits of having the ability to do it because of assisting devices has to be weighed against the risks that are involved with letting someone with reduced mobility head off down the street.

For elderly people who are still walking but who need some assistance to ensure that they don’t fall, there are various types of assisting walking devices.  Some people prefer a simple cane, but there are also a wide variety of walkers available which give the person even more stability.  The tough thing with using a cane is that most people only use one cane to help them walk around; while this is a good addition to one’s mobility program, it’s even better if a device is added which supports both sides of the person’s body.  Since a cane only supports one side of the person’s body, it’s very easy to become preferential to one side of the body.  Some people remember to switch the cane back and forth to the opposite side of the body each day in order to stay balanced, but the vast majority of people develop one arm that’s for the cane and the other arm is never involved with the device.  A rolling walker can provide even more stability and does not favor the left or the right side of the body.

In contexts where much more movement is required or for a person who is not at all able to walk on their own, there are many devices that can help caregivers help people with reduced mobility to get around.  For example, a scooter is a great way for many elderly people to get around because quite often their caregivers are their own spouses, a person who is also quite advanced in age in most cases.  Usually, the caregiver is not someone who can be pushing a wheelchair with an adult person in it; this is why the scooter with a built-in motor is the perfect solution for many caregivers.

In addition to the scooter itself, the best way to be able to use the scooter in multiple contexts is to get a carrier for your car.  Once you have a carrier on your car, you can transport the scooter anywhere that you need to go.  Loading the scooter onto the carrier (or into a van, for example) is completely automated at the push of a button.  Such a device ensures that caregivers and their loved ones can go to all the places they need to go without the worry of wondering how to get around once they get there or without the disappointment of always being left in the car.  Such devices as these are what make caregiving easier and easier despite the emotional stresses that remain.