Here’s a summary of the top discussions of the week on the AGIS caregiver forum: 

Communicating as a family and working as a family team to help an ailing elder are an important and often overlooked aspect of helping a family member.  Getting everyone together either in person or by phone is a great way to get started.  It’s important for each member of the family to talk about his/her concerns, the help needed by the ailing family member and what each person can do to help out. 

Even in the happiest and most cooperative families, these conversations can be challenging.  Some families are using a professional to lead the meetings and keep them on track.  Follow this link to  read the AGIS Network Caregiver forum discussion on this topic. http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=116&tstart=0

Is it time for your family member to stop driving?  The families we talk to tell us that the decision to stop driving is one of the toughest ones for families to make.  Driving provides independence, and helps sustain social connections.  For some seniors in rural areas, it is their only means of transportation. 

When you realize that your family member is no longer a safe driver, what do you say to get him to stop driving?  Follow this link to see our discussion in Caregiver forum. http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=84&tstart=0

Looking for tips on how to evaluate your parent’s driving skills? Use our driving skills assessment checklist. http://www.agis.com/Document/8/driving-skills-assessment.aspx

The AGIS Network Caregiver Forums are a great place to get support and ideas for helping your family member.  Will you join us?  http://forums.agis.com/index.jspa

Filed under: AGIS, Caregiving, Checklist, Health & Safety