How important is it that a caregiver practice healthy self care? Consider these statistics. 80% of care provided to hospice patients is provided by unpaid caregivers (typically, family members). 17.9 billion hours of unpaid care is provided annually for Alzheimers patients alone. 34% of those unpaid caregivers are over 65 years old, and 1 in 10 are over 75 years old. Unpaid caregivers provide care on an average of 43-97 hours per week, and not just during the daytime hours, but nighttime as well. 

The probability for caregiver burnout is significant.

In this episode Helen & Jerry discuss the problem of caregiver burnout, and offer ways for caregivers to provide self care, so that they can keep providing the best care possible for the patient.

In this episode we feature the co-authors and website creators of 365CaregivingTips.com. Five authors, Pegi Foulkrod, Gincy Heins, Trish Hughes Kreis, Richard Kreis and Kathy Lowrey are all experienced caregivers. Pegi and Kathy both cared for their husbands before they died, Gincy cares for her husband who was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Richard and Trish care for Trish's disabled brother as well as Richard's mom.

365 Caregiving Tips: Practical Tips from Everyday Caregivers was the beginning of a series of books created with the intent of helping others through their caregiving journey. Their second book, 365 Caregiving Tips: Travel and Respite, Practical Tips from Everyday Caregivers, is designed to help those traveling with their loved one or taking a respite without their loved one.

The tips found in both books are practical. Caregivers have to make the most of their limited time, money and energy and these tips are designed with those limited resources in mind.

People can read one tip a day, read a chapter that applies to their situation at that moment, or enjoy them all at once. The hope of the co-authors is that by sharing these tips people will have an easier caregiving day, and their load will be a little lighter. They also want people to know there are others on this caregiving journey, some who are just beginning and some who are more experienced, but they are here with you and are here to help.

Check out these other great websites for caregiver resources.

Alzheimers Association - alz.org

AARP - aarp.org/home-family/caregiving/

National Alliance for Caregiving - caregiving.org

National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization - caringinfo.org

365 Caregiving Tips - 365caregivingtips.com

Need a lift here at the end of your week? Try this: make a list of your favorite things, and you may just see your mood begin to change. 

In this episode Helen & Jerry share some of their favorite things from their own personal lists. What are your favorite things? Why not make a list, and share them with us. Email us your list at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you. 

Have you rated our podcast yet? Would you take a minute out of your busy day to provide some feedback? The reviews and ratings are critical to getting The Heart of Hospice information into the hands of people who need it. If you've enjoyed what you've heard so far, please take a moment and send us your review, or just rate us on iTunes. Thanks in advance. 

We need your help!  Could you take a few minutes to write a review, or rate the podcast for us?  Those ratings and reviews help increase the opportunity that someone will discover The Heart of Hospice podcast, and hear the information provided in the podcast, so that they can make an informed decision--a better decision--about hospice.  

In this Five for Friday Helen & Jerry focus on the power of the story.  Every person has a story, a life story.  It may be stories about love and loss, achievements and struggles, family and faith, but each and every person has a story that is uniquely theirs.  

Helen shares a story about a patient and a CNA, that impacted her, and it emphasizes the importance of providing each patient with care that is personal and individual, and that preserves their dignity.  

Whether you're a hospice professional, or have a personal story about hospice, we would love to hear your story, or stories.  Please write to us at [email protected] and share your stories.  You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.  Thanks for listening.  

Happy Friday everyone! Helen & Jerry discuss the power of numbers in this Five for Friday episode. Numbers tell a story. From a clinical perspective, numbers reveal the status of the body: blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, blood sugars, etc. It's not all about the numbers, though. Numbers matter, but we have to see the patient beyond just their numbers. 

A quote by Dame Cicely Saunders reminds us of the humanity of our patients. She said, "You matter because you are you, and you matter until the end of your life." 

Here's a few other quotes from this episode.

"We take care of people, not patients." --Helen Bauer

"The most important number is "1". Because the 1 patient, the 1 family, the 1 life that matters, is the 1 that's in front of you right now. That's the person that matters." -- Jerry Fenter

We need your help. Would you take just a minute out of your busy day to rate our podcast? The more ratings that we receive, the more people we have the potential to reach with the message about hospice. Thank you for taking the time to help us. 

Do you have questions, suggestions, comments for Helen & Jerry. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or on our FaceBook or Twitter accounts. We are always eager to hear from our listeners. 

No one likes the unknown. We prefer having at least a hint of what's going to happen next. When a patient begins receiving hospice care, there are many unknowns for the patient and the family. Today's Five for Friday will help explain what can be expected on the first day and week. Listen in and you'll hear the details that will help make the beginning a little easier to accept. 

 Would you do our future podcast listeners a favor? Please take a moment and rate this podcast on iTunes. Your rating helps broadcast The Heart of Hospice to more listeners. More listeners means more people who are receiving accurate and helpful information about hospice, and more hospice professionals who are receiving encouragement at a time when they may need it the most. Thanks for spreading the message.

Practicing good, healthy self care habits is a daily challenge. In this week's Five for Friday, Helen & Jerry share their best & worst self-care habits of the past week. Our worst might give you a laugh or two, and the best will hopefully give you some encouragement to find your own "best" self-care habits. Be sure and listen all the way to the end of this episode for a special out-take.

Share with us your best self-care habits. What are those healthy self-care practices that help you de-stress and refocus at the end of a long day? Write to us at [email protected] and share them with us.

Would you do our future podcast listeners a favor? Please take a moment and rate this podcast on iTunes. Your rating helps broadcast The Heart of Hospice to more listeners. More listeners means more people who are receiving accurate and helpful information about hospice, and more hospice professionals who are receiving encouragement at a time when they may need it the most. Thanks for spreading the message.

In this episode Jerry shares a very personal hospice story. in 2013, after a basic knee replacement surgery, Jerry's mother began experiencing respiratory failure, that eventually led to her being placed in hospice care at home. 

The experience opened his eyes to hospice care from the family's perspective. That alone was revealing and changed the focus of his hospice work in the future. But it also revealed how valuable hospice is for the patient and the family. 

As Jerry says in this episode, "I was a hospice chaplain before, and I was a hospice chaplain afterwards, but I was not the same hospice chaplain."

If you would like to share your hospice story, please write to us at [email protected]. Whether a personal hospice story like Jerry's, or a story from a hospice professional's perspective, we would like to hear from you. 

5 for Friday is a weekly 5 minute focused discussion to provide you with some encouragement at the end of your busy week. We keep it short (it is Friday, after all), but offer you something interesting, informative, and maybe even entertaining. 

In this episode Helen & Jerry talk about the mission and purpose of The Heart of Hospice. It's just a quick look at why we do what we do. 

Myths about hospice continue to abound. In this episode we will demystify the common myths of hospice, and share information that is accurate and up-to-date. Open and honest information is needed to eliminate the fear and mystery that surrounds hospice care.

In today's episode our Heart of Hospice tip recommends the website happify (12:00). To go directly to the website just follow this link.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions regarding hospice, or to tell us your hospice story. You can contact us on FaceBook at facebook.com/theheartofhospice on Twitter, @thehearthospice, or by traditional email at [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you.

Welcome to the introductory episode of The Heart of Hospice. Helen & Jerry share the stories of their journey to becoming hospice professionals. They will also discuss the mission and vision of The Heart of Hospice, and what to expect on future episodes.

In this episode, The Heart of Hospice tip focuses on the website eHospice.com. To go directly to that page, click on this link.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions regarding hospice, or to tell us your hospice story. You can contact us on FaceBook at facebook.com/theheartofhospice on Twitter, @thehearthospice, or by traditional email at [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you.