Caregiver Resource Videos

The best advocate for your loved one is you. This video details ways to be an effective caregiver advocate.

Learn to have difficult conversations. This video provides tips on how to discuss health care, end-of-life care, and how to better understand the needs of a patient or loved one.

Reverend Edmonds, a retired pastor from South Carolina, discusses his experience as a caregiver to his father-in-law for 10 years. You will also hear how he supported caregivers in his congregation for 15 years, and his suggestions to help your well-being.

This presentation will provide practical advice on caring for a loved one in the hospital and provide help in navigating the health care system.

Get answers to your frequently asked questions about how best to communicate with your loved one’s health care provider. Plus, get a doctor's perspective on how to be a better caregiver.

Adult day care offers assistance for those who’ve lost some their independence. 

Many caregivers will have to decide when their loved one needs a greater level of care. Learn the signs.

Caregivers may not always say when they need help. Learn how to identify when a caregiver is struggling.

Learn how physical, occupational, and speech therapy can help our aging population. This video covers the use of adaptive equipment to help your patient or loved one at home and prevent injury to both of you.

Urgency does not always equal an emergency when you are providing care to a loved one. This video offers some advice on how to use strategic pauses to focus on providing the best care.

Communication needs gradually change for a person living with dementia and their care partner. This affects a person's ability to express themself and to understand. This session will explore the barriers to good communication and strategies care partners can use to reduce stress and effectively communicate.

This program will explore how neurocognitive disorders and caregiving responsibilities impact and change relationships. Participants will learn to identify common relational changes that occur due to dementia, such as changes in communication, intimacy, roles, and responsibilities. You will also learn to implement coping strategies to improve connection and self-care.

Learn skills that can guide difficult conversations with loved ones, including active listening and vocabulary that can help you share your own feelings effectively.

Learn strategies for interacting with those living with dementia, including how to approach safely, and ways to provide verbal support and responses that reduce distress.

When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, you may feel overwhelmed. This panel discussion with family care partners describes practical steps to make life easier and prepare for the future.
 

People with dementia-related cognitive challenges may experience intimate relationship changes and may have difficulty expressing feelings. This program will identify common caregiver responses to these changes. 

Communicating effectively with someone who has dementia can be challenging. Learn verbal and interpersonal strategies that can help you in these interactions while also building your own resiliency.
 

The concept of hospice care may be frightening for some. This video outlines the key aspects of what hospice care is and how it can help your loved ones at a difficult time.

Learn three differences between palliative care and hospice care and get insight on when health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, will pay for additional support at home.

How do we balance the realities and limitations of curing and healing? Can they exist while we recognize the limitations of the human condition?
 

Part of the role of a caregiver includes experiencing what comes next when your loved one passes away. This video explores what people may experience during the aftermath of being a caregiver.

What legal tools do caregivers need to be familiar with to manage a loved one's care? We will discuss powers of attorney, advance health care directives, and other documents that can help caregivers manage their responsibilities.

Serious illnesses are expensive, and most caregivers make significant financial and personal sacrifices to care for a loved one. Learn how to fund care, avoid costly financial mistakes, and help caregivers manage their own finances.

Are you being a good steward of your Medicare benefits? Americans lose $68 billion annually to fraud, waste, and abuse. Join us for a conversation on ways to protect your benefits and how the North Carolina Senior Medicare Patrol Program can help you avoid these schemes.

Managing the costs associated with caregiving is not always easy. Learn financial tips to incorporate into your caregiving and hear about resources that can assist you.

Have a plan for your health care choices even when you can’t speak for yourself. Make sure your wishes are known. This session focuses on simplifying the key elements of Advance Care Planning and answering the following questions…. What do the documents mean? Why should I have them? What should I consider as I fill them out? When do I use them and how?

Understanding how isolation impacts loved ones is important for caregivers. This video discusses how to monitor isolation’s role in chronic illness.
 

Caregivers enhance the lives of their loved ones by creating family memories. Learn about activities to consider for each generation involved in caregiving.

One of the most challenging conversations to have with an older loved one is when to stop driving. This video offers tips to look for before starting that discussion.

Sometimes, primary caregivers live far away from their loved ones. This video discusses tips on being an effective caregiver at a distance.

Having information handy and in a safe location helps when working with medical personnel and your loved one. Learn how to structure a medical binder for your caregiving needs. 
 

Learn how to prepare emotionally and financially to make your home a long-lasting one for you and your loved ones.

Long-distance caregivers face unique challenges related to emergency management for loved ones, getting reliable information about care, and navigating a service system from hours or states away. In this session, we will look at those challenges, and provide potential solutions, education, and resources to long-distance caregivers.

What does guardianship mean beyond its legal statutes? Learn what adult guardianship is, the role and responsibilities of a guardian, and the benefits, limitations, and common misconceptions about guardianship.

Medication therapy management is guided by a pharmacist and is intended to improve outcomes for people taking multiple medications. It includes five core elements: a review of medications, a personal medication record, an action plan, intervention or referral, and follow-up. This presentation will explore the how-tos of medication therapy management and how it can be valuable to reduce the risk of taking too many medicines.

What to do and not to do with medications. We will cover general principles of medications, how to manage them at home, and medications that are not recommended or are recommended with caution for adults 65 and older.

Providing care for someone doesn’t always mean it’s someone with whom you’ve had a good relationship. This video offers some guidelines to help navigate the difficulties of tough relationships.

Sleep and setting boundaries are just two of the critical factors in being an effective caregiver for your loved ones.

Even if it seems odd to laugh for no reason at all, your body can't tell the difference between real and forced laughter. Join this session and give your brain a break. Practice laughter exercises to decrease your caregiver stress and increase your resiliency.

Understand how aging impacts mental health so you can provide the best care. This presentation will discuss the aging process and how it is tied to behavioral health, chronic illness management, and treatment options. You’ll also hear about managing stressors in real-time.

Family care partners share the highs and lows he experienced through personal stories of courage, survival, and strength.

This session will cover the impact of caregiving in a variety of situations. We will provide strategies to mitigate the expectable stress and other challenges associated with caregiving. Participants will leave with take-home ideas to help them manage their caregiving roles.