Caring for someone that is seriously ill is a challenging and time-consuming. The new caregiver's task of absorbing the new responsibility into an already busy life can be overwhelming. This article provides some organizational tips that reduce the time and effort to perform the necessary tasks and serves to reduce your stress .

Communication

As a caregiver I realized that communicating with family and friends to update information was a daunting task. Communicating the same data several times takes time. To share information with a wider, yet curious group of people think about creating blogs or email addresses to provide updates once instead of repeatedly. Responding to blog comments or e-mail responses can occur at a time convenient for the caregiver, rather than every time a phone rings. Controlling the need for communication can reduce stress and anxiety associated with numerous interruptions during your day. I discovered that using blogs for communication also reduced the issues that arise from misinterpreting information at it passes between people. E-mails or blogs serve as an "single source" of truth.

Medical History

A person who is severely ill usually requires numerous appointments with specialists, doctors as well as hospitals. The most frequent and frequently asked questions by health care professionals included medications taken by the patient. In addition, there were frequent concerns about other health professionals, insurance and pharmacy services, previous surgeries and allergic reactions. The recording of this information into an organized location, whether by hand or electronically, ensures that you have all the relevant information easily accessible when you need it. If maintained, it helps to minimize medical mistakes. The task of recollecting information in the hospital or during an emergency can be difficult. It frequently leads to the misinterpretation of crucial details or sharing incorrect details. Another benefit is a lower stress level on the caretaker.

Medication List

A patient who is seriously ill often requires numerous medications. If you track all medications in one location, together with a schedule for dosing, you help to avoid medication errors. Additionally, it allows you to take on the responsibility of distributing medication to others as needed and allows you to share that workload and focus on other tasks. If maintained, the medication list provides an easy recall of information needed by health care providers and emergency services.

Medicine Information

If you are taking multiple medications, the potential of side effects is significantly increased. Pharmacies offer medicine information sheets when dispensing medications. The information on medicine is also available through the Internet. Keeping the medicine information together in one place enables you to find quickly the information you require, if you suspect the one Companion you care for has problems with medication. If you suffer from a serious illness you realize that many doctors are prescribing medications. This list will help you keep all doctors updated to help avoid issues at the beginning. If an adverse reaction does happen, doctors often have alternatives to medication.

Calendar

The patient who is severely ill usually requires numerous health care appointments. I suggest using a calendar to keep track of each appointment. It is not a big deal whether it is a paper or electronic version. The calendar is accessible and reduces the issues of planning too much on one day, or creating multiple appointments.

None of the suggestions I provide are revolutionary but each of these small organizational tips add up in time. Our minds are powerful, but often overwhelmed when trying to deal with too many issues at once or try to keep track of too many things. Untangling the mind from details lets you concentrate on the most important issues or other tasks. The freedom from details can also help reduce the stress you feel when carrying the responsibility of caring for your loved ones.

Suddenly a Caregiver

A family's experiences as well as lessons learnt to help you through the unexpected task of being a family caregiver.