Welcome to Sunrise Connection for Caregivers and Their Families

If there’s another name for caregiver, it’s decision maker.  As a caregiver, you face a continuing flow of issues that require your attention, from helping your loved one select a supplementary health insurance policy to finding time to take them shopping.  One of the goals of Sunrise Connection is to provide the information you need to make wise decisions about these issues—in ways that serve your best interests as well as those of your loved one.

One of the most difficult decisions caregivers can face is whether to extend an invitation to a loved one to move in with them.  This is one instance where your good intentions must be balanced with a clear-eyed assessment of your circumstances.  We begin this issue of Connection with an article that will lead you through the factors you must evaluate as you move toward your decision.  Ultimately, there is no “right” solution, just one that’s best for everyone involved.

When making decisions, caregivers benefit from experienced advice—and fortunately there are now more resources than ever available for caregivers.  One of these is elder law attorneys.  Over the last decade, the field has become so broad that you would do well to take the time to find an attorney with the expertise—and the personality—that meets your needs.  Our next article provides tips on conducting your search. 

We also are big believers in support groups.  You can come away from support group meetings not only with practical tips that can help you make better caregiving decisions, but also with a sense of community.  It can make a real difference knowing that other people understand from firsthand experience what it is like to be a caregiver.  We underscore these benefits and others in our article about caregiver support groups—and offer suggestions about how to select the group that’s right for you.

Most caregivers sooner or later find themselves accompanying their loved one on a stay at the hospital—and making good decisions and acting on their behalf in this bustling and slightly baffling environment can be difficult.  In our article on navigating hospitals, we offer a number of insights that can help you feel more relaxed and grounded—and enable you to forge more productive alliances with physicians, nurses, and other hospital staff.

Making good decisions is a matter of perspective as well as information—and there’s nothing like taking a short vacation for regaining that perspective and for recharging your batteries.  Our short-term stay program at Sunrise is designed to give caregivers the assurance that their loved one is in good hands, so they can really benefit from their time away.  Our article explains how our short-term stay program works.

In our last article, we highlight another Sunrise innovation that you should know about: Companion Living, a program that brings together carefully paired residents to share a suite.  In Companion Living, seniors enjoy all the resident-centered services and care that distinguish the Sunrise approach to assisted living—as well as the financial benefits of living together.  As the economy slows down, this is a consideration that deserves your consideration as you look ahead to decisions about your loved one’s future.