nursing illness and disease/wk5/project/FINAL

The costs of services offered by this organization are not uniform across the country. The costs vary depending on the community that the patient is in. In California the costs of services can be free or chargeable depending on the types of services required by the client. However, the organization accepts Medicare payments for the patients who require professional caregiving services. The services can be offered within the patient’s home or in a care center.

The Family Care Navigator by Caregiver.Org

The Family Care Navigator is an online locator service that assists family caregivers to find any non-profit, private, and public caregiving services that are closest to them when they need services for their loved ones. Patients with Alzheimer’s have a very high demand for caregiving services especially for the patients in the progressed stages of the illness. Therefore, families with a loved one with Alzheimer’s can use this service to find care anywhere within the United States for either a residential facility or services within their homes ( Family Caregiver Alliance, nd). This resource is not disease specific and neither is it organization specific. It is like a mini-search engine that specifically helps to find caregiving services. Therefore, the eligibility criteria for finding care using this resource is completely dependent on the organization that will be located by the user. The costs of services are also dependent on the type of organization that the user will find using the locator. However, using the Family Care Navigator is completely free. All that is required to use this service is internet connectivity and an enabled device. Caregiving is relatively difficult to find and this resource has been created solely to make work easier for families with a chronically ill or disabled loved one.

Dementia Friendly America

Dementia Friendly America is a national non-profit organization that was created to foster communities that support the patients’ of dementias and their families and loved by creating a ‘dementia friendly’ society. This resource is made of a national network of volunteers, organizations, and communities that are dedicated to creating a positive community environment for Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease patients to remain in the communities and continue to live a meaningful day-to-day life in spite of their illness (Dementia Friendly America, nd). A dementia friendly community, according to this organization, is one that is educated on dementias and informed on the respectful and safe ways of integrating the patients with dementia into the society.

A community that joins Dementia Friendly America is educated on the ways in which it can make its environment and culture friendly for these patients. The community members are taught how to interact safely with patients. They are also taught how to create a network of assistance where patients can be comfortable to seek help from any person. The organization has criteria for assessing the eligibility of a community to join them. Some of the requirements for joining include the following;

· A community that is connected across sectors

· Involvement and inclusion of the leaders and authorities in making the community dementia friendly

· Coordination capacity

· Communication capabilities

· Progress tracking and sharing through conducting surveys

A community that meets the above criteria is certified dementia friendly; hence, it becomes easier for families and loved ones to be comfortable caring for their Alzheimer’s patients within the community.

Advantages and Disadvantages associated with seeking these Resources

The main advantage of seeking the resources that have been mentioned above is the fact that they all offer assistance, which is much needed for patients of Alzheimer’s disease. Once a patient has started experiencing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s they start requiring a lot of assistance, which can be overwhelming for them and for their loved ones. Having easily accessible online services makes it easier for the patients and their loved ones to cope with the changes that have occurred after the illness. For instance, finding professional assistance has been made easier with the Family Care Navigator and the Caregiver Resource Center. Another advantage is that these services create a network of support such that the patients of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia do not feel like they are alone. These online services connect the patients and their loved ones to other people who experience similar changes in their lives. Dementia Friendly America provides the most support opportunities by educating communities and helping them to adjust to living amidst patients with dementias.

However, these services may be a disadvantage because of the exclusion of vulnerable people such as the poor and the homeless people with little or no access to the internet. Services such as the locator require that a person has access to internet connection, which is a privilege that a lot of people do not have. The Dementia Friendly America organization may be limited by the fact that it has too many requirements, which may be hard for a minority family to achieve. Therefore, some communities may be excluded from the benefits of the resource, especially when there is limited collaboration from community members.

Conclusion

Living with a chronic illness is a challenge for patients and their families. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, in particular, force a lot of changes in a person’s life. These changes are also necessary for the families and friends of the person for them to effectively take care of the patient. Therefore, having the online resources such as the ones listed above is necessary for making caregiving easier for patients and loved ones.

References

Anderson, K. A., Nikzad-Terhune, K. A., & Gaugler, J. E. (2009). A systematic evaluation of online resources for dementia caregivers. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 13(1), 1-13.