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I love providing Physical Therapy to my patients, but I have been frustrated with one area of home-based care–Caregiver Education/Training. My frustration with caregiver training is due to a very small window of opportunity and several barriers. First, when I am treating a patient in the home, the caregiver, usually a C.N.A., is busy doing other important tasks (laundry, meal preparation, preparing for personal care–shower, bath) and cannot watch/learn how I easily transfer, lift, or use equipment (wheelchairs, transfer boards, walker) to manage fall/injury risks while encouraging patient confidence and optimal level of INDEPENDENCE. I frequently have caregivers ask, “How did you get him/her up so fast and easy; it takes me almost 15 minutes to do what you just did in 5 minutes!”
Second, there is a delicate balance between effective time management and providing patient treatment versus training the caregiver–both are VERY important but both require precious limited time. When I am treating the patient, I am training the patient to be safe, independent, and efficient during transfers, bed mobility, standing and walking based on his/her diagnoses, rehabilitation potential, and impairments. Quality patient care and treatment requires 100% of my attention, skill and time management. When I devote quality time to train a caregiver, I essentially have to take time away from patient treatment.
Third, some patients get overwhelmed and do not want ANYONE around to watch him/her during therapy sessions. Patient trust, confidence and focused attention are imperative to his/her successful rehabilitation; therefore, when a patient is overwhelmed or distracted by an audience, caregiver training becomes more challenging.
Finally, most family members that take on the responsibility of caring for a loved one still have to manage careers, errands, and other responsibilities (driving kids to/from school, childcare, sports, etc…) outside of the home. Ultimately, most family members and C.N.A’s desperately want to learn how to provide better care, increase/encourage independence, and prevent falls; however, the window of opportunity to learn is limited by patient dynamics, conflicting schedules, and careers outside-of-the-home!
SOLUTION: Tips from a PT was designed with the following mission: reach out to ALL caregivers (both healthcare workers and family members) responsible for the daily care of a patient and/or loved one, and make daily care easier & safer through tips and easy-to-follow instructions.
Through your comments, feedback, and questions, I will endeavor to meet your needs and provide you with my honest, experienced-based knowledge to make caregiving easier and safer. I look forward to our journey together and let’s make caring for a loved one/patient/client easier and safer!
Sincerely,
Shawna, PT, MPT