Long-distance caregivers should plan time for listening to problems and use resources to handle some of them.

John is 82 and lives in Manhattan. Since the death of his brother, he regularly checks on his 87-year-old sister-in-law who lives about 90 minutes away. She has dementia and needs help with daily needs. An aide lives with her, but John is concerned the help is getting burned out. The last time John visited he noticed his sister-in-law’s condition was worsening, and he wonders what he can do to help.

John is a long-distance caregiver, one of an estimated 6.9 million Americans who care for someone living at least an hour away, according to a study by MetLife and AARP. Americans age 85 and older numbered 4.2 million in 2000, the fastest growing segment of the population according to the National Institute on Aging. By mid-century, as baby boomers transition from being the caregiver to needing care, that segment is estimated to swell to 21 million.

“This is a national problem with local solutions,” says Nora Jean Levin, executive director of Caring From a Distance (CFAD), a non-profit organization for distance caregivers. CFAD’s Web site, www.cfad.org, extends resources and advice to caregivers like John who e-mail their questions and concerns or search the site’s many resources and links. Help from CFAD is also available by telephone at (202) 895-9465. CFAD helped John consider other solutions such as assisted living, finding adult day care facilities and calling a home care agency to arrange to give the live-in help a break.

Levin understands that despite the obstacles of time and miles, distance caregivers are in a unique position to help.

“Long distance caregivers can offer perspective because they aren’t on the scene every day to really observe small changes, and that perspective is very valuable,” she says. “Sometimes if you’re in a care situation day after day, you feel overwhelmed and hopeless and you can’t see out of that box. But a person who comes in from the outside can help pinpoint a problem and recommend ways to help improve the situation.”

Levin offers these tips to buoy long-distance caregivers:

1. Offer help.
Lend a hand solving problems that daily caregivers may not have time to think about. Shop for gadgets that help with daily needs, like telephones with large buttons or “grabber” devices that help seniors reach items they need. Make arrangements for a handicapped permit. If appropriate, help manage finances and pay bills.

2. Don’t be a “swooper.”
It’s really hard when you’re the daily caregiver and the long distance caregiver swoops in and tries to change everything. Instead, plan time for listening to problems and perhaps for handling a few, and spend quality time with your loved one.

3. Make observations, but be careful how you share them.
“Retain respect for the individual who needs care, and be mindful of preserving personal dignity when every step towards dependence may be viewed as loss of control,” Levin suggests.

4. Visit and look for changes that indicate a need for more care.
Is your loved one eating regularly? Is personal hygiene slipping? Are prescriptions unfilled or forgotten? A helpful checklist, “Ten Warning Signs: Your Older Family Member May Need Help” can be found at http://www.cfad.org/library/HolidayFactSheetFinal.pdf.

5. Use the Internet to ease a transition.
“Transitions can be rough or smooth, depending on the nature of the situation, whether it’s a crisis or something that’s been coming gradually, and the nature of the person being cared for,” Levin says. Transitions to senior housing are smoothest when approached proactively, before a crisis arises.

For example, long-distance caregivers can screen more than 60,000 housing options online by visiting www.snapforseniors.com. The SNAPforSeniors online search tool is like the Multiple Listing Service for senior housing. Long-distance caregivers can narrow the search by geographic location, care needs, type of facility and personal amenities.

A new tool from SNAPforSeniors and the Alzheimer’s Association, the Caregiver Conversation Checklist, helps families discussing housing options. The checklist, which can be found on alz.org, offers tips for determining if long-term care is appropriate and explains how to broach the conversation.

“The possibilities offered by the Internet to help long distance caregivers are fabulous, and we’ve made our Web site a portal for people looking for solutions,” Levin says. “SNAPforSeniors is a site designed to help families deal with the housing part of the picture. Long-distance caregivers can also get help from CFAD when investigating other local personal and community-based resources like home care, daily money managers, eldercare lawyers, or geriatric care managers to coordinate activities or even where you can donate a wheelchair.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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An F/A-18 Hornet launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

A new online television network at www.NAVYTV.org is capturing its share of cyber-surfing history buffs with its vast collection of vintage and contemporary footage — available 24 hours a day. Co-sponsored by the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., NAVY TV is organized like a traditional broadcast network with channels and episodes. The site also provides an interactive forum for the larger Navy community of active duty, veterans, civilian workers and families.

“There’s no doubt that our Navy film library is a key draw,” explains Jim Franco, CEO of EFX Media, co-sponsor of NAVY TV. “Our footage is extensive and increasing daily. For military history enthusiasts, we’re a one-stop treasure trove of top quality, classic Navy films such as ‘Operation Sunshine,’ a 1958 story about the USS Nautilus narrated by broadcast legend Edward R. Murrow.”

Rear Adm. Richard A. Buchanan, USN (Ret.), President and CEO of the Navy Memorial, invites all of the site’s visitors to register for e-mail alerts that herald important events in Navy history. “On June 4th,” he notes, “we reminded people about the landmark Battle of Midway, a turning point in World War II that marked the first Japanese naval defeat since 1592. When people clicked on the link we sent, they could watch an Academy Award-winning collection of footage that captured all the drama and heroism of that epic fight.”

Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6) TBD-1 aircraft prepared for launch on USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway, June 1942.

Visitors regularly comment on the site’s historical selections. After watching “The Battle of Midway,” one user wrote, “People who love history will enjoy this video. It’s a long way from Jules Verne!”

Another popular page is “U.S. Navy Today,” featuring video shorts on ships, naval aviation, submarines, the medical community, special warfare and even the Navy Band. Straight from the fleet, these clips are created by the Navy and posted daily.

Since the site was launched last November, viewers have been posting comments, greetings and even their own videos. They use the site to tell their own Navy stories, find fellow shipmates and share memories.

For information about NAVY TV and to submit your own video, visit www.NAVYTV.org or call the United States Navy Memorial at (202) 737-2300.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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