Palliative Care in Cedar Rapids Recognizes the Rewarding And Seemingly Unending Role of Our Caregivers

For those who provide care and support to people with mental or physical health conditions, we salute you!

The staff at Above and Beyond Home Health Care is always happy to work closely with family members, friends and other loved ones who tirelessly work to provide care and comfort for loved ones.

In some cases, home health care workers may visit patients a few times during the week, but aren’t always able to be there on a daily basis like a caregiver often is.

And while home health workers may sometimes bring in different skilled people based on what type of services or therapies can help as someone’s health needs change or progress, a caregiver or a group of caregivers often stays the same through everything.

Caregivers in palliative care situations in the Cedar Rapids area are especially critical to their communities and are very appreciated.

The person they’re providing care for may be experiencing major medical challenges, have more frequently scheduled visits to their health care providers or are required to start taking a variety of new medications or different health situations at home.

Some of these newer changes and procedures may be disruptive, unpleasant or confusing, especially if someone has previously been in good health and now must begin to transition into needing care and experiencing higher than usual amounts of pain.

Part of focusing on palliative care means trying to make sure to help people achieve quality of life, so caregivers may have an even more vital role in providing not just physical comfort but mental, emotional and social support at this challenging time.

In many caregiver situations, they want to help a loved one, and have no formal medical training but do it anyway. Some people even modify their work schedules, quit their jobs or move closer to a loved one to become their primary caregiver.

Though it can be ultimately emotionally rewarding to help family members, the role of a caregiver is not always easy physically, mentally, emotionally or financially.

So acknowledgement of this compassion and generosity they show is why there several initiatives have been created to recognize the important role of caregivers.

Time to Celebrate

November is National Family Caregivers Month, was declared in 2016 by President Barack Obama. He felt it was important for the whole country to recognize and appreciate all of its caregivers, whether they are sole providers or part of a team of caring medical professionals that offer different services and skills.

He also recognized different organizations that provide caring resources to caregivers, and to members of the military that help their country and also help their family members.

Along with this annual month-long celebration in the fall, the Providers Association for Home Health and Hospice Agencies chose the third Friday in February to be National Caregivers Day. This organization felt it was important to declare one day each year to recognize the contributions of all caregivers, and also encourage them to look into care giving resources in their communities.

National Day Calendar, which keeps track of a variety of events and observances throughout the year, suggests that people can celebrate Caregivers Day by taking the time to thank any caregivers they know for their dedication and support.

This year, the observance takes place Feb. 18, and people are encouraged to find ways to recognize any specific caregivers they know or the profession in general. They can even use the #nationalcaregiversday hashtag when they post on social media. Since some say there are 90 million caregivers in the U.S., odds are everyone knows some.

Health Care Resources

Home health professionals in the Cedar Rapids area are always happy to talk to caregivers about ways they can help with someone’s palliative care, such as offering supplementary services or skilled medical or nursing care beyond the medical expertise of many caregivers.

For instance, some services that can help patients are better performed by trained therapists or visiting nurses, everything from advanced wound care to speech therapy. But caregivers are welcome to provide other services such as grooming or general companionship.

Information about respite care options can also be shared for caregivers who would appreciate a break once in awhile but still make sure care is provided. Depending on one’s community, this could take the form of an in-home caregiver visiting for a few hours or a day, or taking the patient to a respite care center. Either one could be a nice break for a caregiver, help them avoid burn-out, and even provide new faces for a patient.

Like a family caregiver, these in-home caregivers can offer everything from meal planning to housekeeping to errands to laundry. Because they are available on an hourly or daily basis, they can provide some measure of respite care, which can be critical in helping caregivers avoid burn-out.

People interested in knowing more about home health care options or how it can integrate with care giving can contact Above and Beyond Home Health Care.