All Posts Tagged: Caregivers

Comments Off on 10 Things to Know if Your Loved One is On a Ventilator

10 Things to Know if Your Loved One is On a Ventilator

For patients who are unable to breathe on their own, mechanical ventilation is used to provide life-sustaining oxygen. Ventilation is a process that requires the diligent care of a medical team and a weaning process.

If you have a family member or loved one on a ventilator, here are some things you should know:

1. What is a Ventilator?

A ventilator is a machine that supports breathing, and is used mainly in a hospital or rehabilitation setting. Medical issues or conditions that make it hard for the patient to breathe necessitate that a ventilator is used to aid the breathing process.

2. How Does a Ventilator Work?

A ventilator helps get oxygen into the lungs of the patient and removes carbon dioxide (a waste gas that can be toxic). It is used for life support, but does not treat disease or medical conditions.

3. Who Needs a Ventilator?

Many conditions, such as pneumonia, COPD, brain injuries, and strokes require the use of a ventilator. If you have a loved one with a disease or condition that impairs their lung function, a ventilator will be employed. The use of a ventilator is also common when someone is under anesthesia during general surgery. A patient may not even know they were connected to a ventilator after the completion of the surgery or medical procedure.

4. Risks of Being on a Ventilator

Patients on ventilators run a higher risk of developing pneumonia because of bacteria that enters through the breathing tube. It can also make it difficult for them to cough and clear airways of irritants that can cause infections.

5. Eating While on a Ventilator

The breathing tube will prevent the patient from eating normally, so a different tube that provides nutrients, may be inserted into their vein. Patients who are on long-term ventilation may require a feeding tube directly inserted into the nose or mouth, or through a hole made in the stomach.

6. When Sedation is Used

Sedation is often used for patients on long-term ventilation, although there’s plenty of debate in medical circles concerning the over-use of sedation. The use of sedation often depends on the patient; a patient who is calm during normal life is usually calm on a ventilator while in an ICU unit.

7. A Ventilator Restricts Your Movement

A patient’s activity and movement are significantly limited while on a ventilator. While they may be able to sit up in bed or in a chair, their mobility is otherwise limited.

8. Your Care Will Involve a Team Approach

The medical team that closely monitors patients on a ventilator includes: doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, and more.

9. Will the Ventilator be Painful?

There’s usually little or no pain when on a ventilator.

10. Ventilator Weaning Process

Weaning is the process of taking someone off of a ventilator, so that they may begin to breathe on their own. The process usually begins with a short trial, in which they’re still connected to the ventilator, but allowed to breathe on their own. The ventilator is removed once it’s clear that the patient can breathe on their own.

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Comments Off on National Caregiver Month: Take Care to Give Care

National Caregiver Month: Take Care to Give Care

Perhaps no one understands the challenges of caregiving more than a caregiver. Sure, that seems obvious, but caregiving is a unique occupation that includes its share of rewards, but also its share of physical and mental stress.

November is National Caregiver Month and this year’s theme is “Take Care to Give Care.” It addresses caregiving’s challenges and the need for caregivers to take care of themselves while taking care of others.

How can you, as a caregiver of someone who is in an inpatient rehabilitation facility or long-term acute care hospital, ensure that you’re meeting your own physical and mental needs? Here are some tips:

  • Don’t Always Put Yourself ‘Last’
    The list of caregiving responsibilities can be long, indeed, from managing medications to monitoring your patient’s progress, and it can be easy to forget about your personal needs – sometimes to the point of sacrificing your own health. That’s why it’s helpful to set personal health goals such as making a commitment to be physically active a certain number of days per week or establishing a consistent sleep routine.
  • Proper Nutrition is Vital
    It’s important to maintain your strength, energy, and stamina to meet the demands of your day-to-day duties, while also strengthening your immune system. A great way to do this is by making sure you’re getting proper nutrition and maintaining a healthy diet.
  • Understand How the Stress of Caregiving Impacts Your Health
    Research has shown that one out of five caregivers say that they have sacrificed their physical health while performing their occupational duties. Caregivers, whether family caregivers or those who provide care in a professional setting, have on average more health and emotional problems than people in most other occupations. For example, caregivers are twice as likely to suffer depression and are at increased risk for many other chronic conditions.
  • Rest. Recharge. Respite.
    You may feel that there’s not enough time to rest and recharge your batteries. But doing so is vital, especially when you consider that caregivers are at a higher risk of health issues due to chronic stress. Take advantage of every opportunity to re-energize and give your mind and body a break.
  • Seek Support From Other Caregivers
    Take time to find out about caregiving resources in your community. A caregiver support group can provide problem-solving strategies but also validation and encouragement. It can also be a place to develop meaningful relationships.
  • Accept Help
    It can be easy to put all the burden on your shoulders while believing that you shouldn’t have to ask for help. But create a list of ways that others can help and don’t be afraid to ask, or accept, their help.
  • Focus on What You Can Do
    There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ caregiver, and it’s important to remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can at any given moment or situation. Focus on the positives and believe that you’re making the best decisions.

 

 

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Comments Off on Preventing Overexhaustion

Preventing Overexhaustion

With kids going to camps, grandkids coming to visit, taking road trips, and vacations. Summer can often place stress on people even those who are in the best of health. But, when you or a loved one is recovering from an injury or surgery, this time of year can be even more overwhelming.

When the body is recovering from a recent trauma, it needs as much nurturing as it can get. While “nurturing” does mean rest, it can also mean that you need to keep up with your exercise routine or stay on top of your diet. All of these essential factors in recovery can be easily tossed out the window during road trips. Risky travel is often chosen over missing family, sugar and fat-filled meals abound, and changes in schedule can derail the motivation to keep up with your exercises.

Since a proper and nurturing recovery is something we strive for here, we’re taking this opportunity to share a few tips for patients and caregivers to keep summertime both happy and healthy.

For Caregivers

An upcoming vacation is an especially stressful time for caregivers, who are focusing on both their loved one’s and their own summer enjoyment.

One of the best things a caregiver can do during a stressful summer season is to ask for help. It could mean hiring someone to help take care of dinner or a loved one’s needs, or it could simply mean asking a family member to help during meal preparation or other busy times. If you’re a caregiver, allowing yourself a few breaks will help keep you sharp enough to tend to your loved one and enjoy the season.

If no help is available, then it’s a good idea to scale back your summer plans. Be sure to listen to your body and mind, and take on only as much as both you and your loved one can handle.

For Patients

As a patient, it’s imperative to remember that you need time to heal. Right now, your body is putting many of its resources toward healing, and the decisions you make during summer can greatly affect your recovery time.

If your doctor has prescribed any exercises for a home exercise program to aid in your healing, be sure that you and your caregiver have scheduled some time in which you can do them. Your healing body is not aware of what time it is; it’s only aware of what it needs to repair itself.

Similarly, your body also needs to receive nutrient-rich, healthy food. Recovering patients often have restricted diets… and for good reason. Different foods affect your body in different ways, some of which can negatively impact your recovery. If your doctor has prescribed a special diet for you, it’s important to stick to it, even during vacations.

Work Together

If both the caregiver and patient can communicate and work together, it will make summertime all the more relaxing and enjoyable. A good thing to focus on is limits and boundaries. What are the patient’s telltale signs of fatigue? Which family members or situations cause undue stress, and can they be avoided?

With some planning, diligence, and communication, summertime can be experienced positively, and can ultimately strengthen the bonds between caregiver and patient.

 

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