Often, family and friends are pressed into service when a loved is discharged from the hospital after surgery. Many others gradually or suddenly find themselves needing to provide long term care for loved ones, helping with tasks like dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, and managing medications.
The following instructional videos may be helpful in learning to provide care safely and effectively. These are not meant to take the place of training provided by discharge staff at the hospital or visiting nurses. Even if there has not been a recent hospitalization, families may want to ask the doctor to authorize a visit by a physical therapist who may offer some training to make sure you stay safe while helping someone transfer and provide suggestions, if appropriate, for use of assistive equipment that may be helpful.
Helping with Mobility
The following videos are part of the Family Caregiving Video Series developed by AARP in cooperation with the Veterans’ Administration and other organizations:
These videos can also be view in Spanish by visiting: www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2017/home-alone-alliance.html
Preparing Your Home for Safe Mobility
Getting from a Car to a Wheelchair
Using a Walker or Cane and Navigating Stairs
Moving from a Walker to Shower or Bed
Bathing, Dressing, Hygiene, Medications
Except where indicated, the following YouTube videos are part of the “Caregiver College Video Series” or other videos of the Family Caregiver Alliance. To access many of these same videos, go to: https://www.youtube.com/user/CAREGIVERdotORG
Helping a bedbound person (bed bath, put on clothes, change bedsheets)
Caring for Someone with Dementia
Behavioral Issues (Caregiver College Video Series)
Refusal to Bathe (UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program)
Refusal to Take Medication (UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program)
Below are a series of videos aimed at caregivers of people living with dementia. This Dementia Caregivers Video Series is a collaborative effort with the Veteran’s Rural Health Resource Center- SLC, New England GRECC, and the VA Caregiver Support Program.
-
Improving Communication in Dementia highlights some practical tips to improve communication with a person with dementia.
-
How Much to Help in Dementia illustrates some examples of how to balance promoting independence for your loved and knowing when to step in to help.
-
Addressing Major Safety Risks in Dementia provides safety tips for common safety issues around the home, including safe storage of firearms.
-
Preventing Financial Mismanagement in Dementia provides tips for how to protect assets by sharing responsibility for managing money, limiting access to money, and fraud prevention.
-
Minimizing Inappropriate Behavior in Dementia highlights tips to remember when a loved one behaves inappropriately in public places.
Note: If you find that one or more of the links to these videos no longer works, we would appreciate it if you please give the Tompkins County Office for the Aging a call so we can fix them.