Friday Five Cares About Caregivers

The Friday Five is our weekly roundup of links to smart articles and helpful resources across the Web.

1. We encourage family caregivers to acknowledge any need for assistance. Caregiving is hard work, but it's not something you have to take on by yourself. Caring Connections offers this great bullet point list of ways you can make your needs known. Acknowledge your need for help, then turn to this list for an easy way to figure out where you can utilize the assistance of another loved one.

2. This link will take you to a short series of videos about caregiving from Be Smart. Be Well. Learn more about what you can do as a caregiver, and watch the stories of other individuals who are providing care to a loved one. You're not in this alone.

3. We're always interested to hear about the new ways people prepare in advance for aging and serious illness. The New Old Age blog, always on the edge of aging-related news, reported this week about "Care by Consensus." It's a method just barely being used and being suggested to those with few family members and no children to care for them in the later stage of life. There are some interesting pros/cons suggested in the article based on some personal anecdotes. The way we see it, you should always be prepared and you should be updating your healthcare plans at least annually, to accommodate any changes.

4. NHPCO and Caring Connections also have teamed up to launch a new campaign, LIVE Without Pain. You can find resources about pain management, caring for others, and storage and disposal of medications. This is a brief, but great article about talking to your doctor about your pain. The article lists not only the questions you should ask your physician, but also the questions your doctor might ask you about your pain.

5. Are you trying to explore if hospice care is the right option for your loved one? Do you want to know what kinds of services hospice might provide? Casa de la Luz Hospice serves the Tucson metro area and its surrounding communities, including Oro Valley, Marana, Catalina, Rita Ranch, and Vail. We offer a complete array of hospice services, including Tucson's only residential hospice home. Learn more about Casa de la Luz' hospice services at our website, then call us at 520-544-9890 with any other questions or to schedule a meeting with one of our nurses.