The Complete Bedside Companion - Mcfarlane, Rodger

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Résumé :
Nursing a parent, spouse, other relative, or friend through the painful progress of a terminal disease is not a road best traveled alone. The Complete Bedside Companion offers warmth, encouragement, and the medical, legal, financial, and emotional advice you need when caring for an ailing loved one. Drawing on the experiences of dozens of ordinary people who have cared for relatives and friends ill or dying from cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, emphysema, diabetes, AIDS, and other serious conditions -- along with the practical wisdom of distinguished medical, legal, financial, and psychological experts -- this sound, compassionate guide provides field-tested advice on every aspect of caring for the sick including: Doing battle with insurance companies Managing symptoms such as nausea or pain Exploring experimental and alternative therapies Maintaining cash flow and coping with bills...

Biographie:
Rodger McFarlane, one of America's most respected consumer advocates for the sick, currently directs collaborative research between the American Association of Health Plans and Lotus (IBM), evaluating experimental medical treatments on behalf of customers of the managed care industry. He is the former Executive Director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS....

Sommaire:
Steal Some Sleep

Eat and Drink Sensibly and Conscientiously

Take Steps to Prevent Infection

Exercise

Don't Postpone Your Own Doctor and Dental Appointments

Don't Try Doing It All

Consider Respite Care or Adult Day Care Services

Slow Down, Pace Yourself

Finding the Emotional Strength

Emotions Common to Caregivers

I Feel as if I'm in a State of Shock

I Feel So Angry and Resentful

I Feel So Guilty

I Feel So Isolated and Alone

I Worry All the Time

I Feel So Helpless

I Feel as if He's Already Gone

Techniques for Managing Stress and Anxiety

When Depression Strikes

Caring for the Other Loved Ones in Your Life

Your Romantic Partner

Children

8. Paying the Bills

Bookkeeping 101

Tricks for Maintaining Cash Flow

Financial-Assistance Programs

Government-Funded Programs

Social Security Retirement Benefits

Supplemental Security Disability Income (SSDI)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

Food Stamps

Privately Funded Programs

A Warning About Pensions

Saving Money on Prescription Drugs

Buyers' Clubs

Prescription Drug Patient-Assistance Programs

AIDS Drug Assistance Programs

Paying for Medical Care

Private Health Insurance

Government-Funded Health Insurance

How to Get the Most out of Health Insurance

9. Preparing for the Worst

Getting Started

The Paper Trail

How to Find a Good Lawyer

Last Will and Testament

Prearranging the Funeral

Legal and Financial Power of Attorney

Other Legal Instruments

Declaring Someone Incompetent

Discrimination Against the Sick and Disabled

Job Discrimination and the Caregiver

Artificial Life Support and Extraordinary Measures

Coma, Persistent Vegetative State, and Dementia

Advance Medical Directives

Living Wills and Medical Proxies

Enforcing Advance Directives

Resisting the Impulse to Do Something

Helping a Loved One Die

Tough Decisions: Withholding or Withdrawing Treatment

10. Journey's End

Making the Most of Your Time Together

Making Your Peace

Ways That Loved Ones Face Death

Where People Die

Creating a Comfortable Space for the Dying

Other Ways to Create a Comforting Environment for the Dying

Waiting Room Marathons and Death Watches

11. Aftermath

The Moment of Death

Phone Calls and Final Arrangements

The Funeral

Final Details

Grieving and Getting On with Life

No Regrets

Part Two: The Everyday's Angel's Cram Course in Adult Medicine

12. Caring for Someone with Cancer

What Is Cancer?

Symptoms of Cancer

How Cancer Is Diagnosed

What Is Staging?

How Cancer Is Treated

Surger

Radiation Therapy and Its Side Effects

What Is Internal Radiation Therapy?

Chemotherapy and Its Side Effects

Other Forms of Cancer Treatment

Potential Complications of Advanced Cancer

Recommended Reading

13. Caring for Someone with Cardiovascular Disease

Causes of Cardiovascular Disease

Types of Cardiovascular Disease

Heart Attack (Infarction)

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

What Is Angina?

How a Heart Attack Is Diagnosed

How a Heart Attack Is Treated

Arrhythmias

Causes and Symptoms of Arrhythmias

How Arrhythmias Are Diagnosed

How Arrhyt...