The Care Giver Kit is contained in a fresh looking tote bag that includes the basic tools every caregiver needs in caring for a parent or someone who needs care for the long term.

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1-800-233-1238
TO ORDER THE KIT

The following products are included in the tote bag:

1. Caregiver Organizer: The organizer is a uniquely designed vinyl accordion portfolio with a pocket for the book and 20 folders with a sheet of labels and a Caregiver Letter that describes what contents should be contained in each folder. The organizer also contains My Medical Biography sheets, My Contact List sheets and a Sample Letter to Request Medical Records. All those who buy the kit are given a password to access these forms on the Linda Rhodes.com web site so that they can download copies and enter data as Word documents.

2. My Pill Box and Layperson Pill Labels. Also included in the Caregiver Kit is a large, plastic pill box that can hold up to 20 pill bottles. When you open the lid, the post-it-note Mini-Med Minders appear. Caregivers are also given a sheet of circular labels with layperson terms for the most common medications taken by the elderly (e.g. water pill, blood thinner, heart pill) that they can place on the lid of their pill bottles for easy identification. The pill box can also be closed so that caregivers can easily take their family member's medications to doctor office visits for the physician to review. It will also be very handy for travel.

3. A copy of the book, Caregiving As Your Parents Age published by Penguin USA. This 340 page book was formerly published as Caring for Aging Parents under the nationally syndicated Complete Idiot's Guide Series. The book is divided into five easy-to-understand parts: Seeing Aging Through Your Parent's Eyes gives a solid understanding of the basic health problems of the elderly; The World of Geriatric Health Care advises caregivers on how to navigate the system and find quality health care; Understanding Your Parent's Options outlines a wide range of living arrangements, how to live safely alone and consumer tips in tracking down assisted living and nursing home care; Caregiving: Coming to Live with You shows you how to set up the home, how to balance your work life, services available to make life easier and how to reduce stress; Financial and Legal Matters navigates you through Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. Get tips on managed care, Medi-gap policies, long term care insurance, living wills, trusts and durable health care power of attorney. The Resource Directory offers a “Yellow Pages” on elder care with descriptions and contact information including web sites. All web sites cited throughout the book are hyperlinked on Dr. Rhodes' web site at www.lindarhodes.com.

4. Nursing Home Navigator Workbooks. Four workbooks are included that assist family members in asking the right questions from nursing home administrators, conducting research on the home's quality of care and what to look for on a site visit of the facility. Each workbook is meant to walk the caregiver through the steps in finding a good nursing home allowing them to enter the information they gather after each step.

5. Paramedic Alerts for Refrigerator and Glove Compartment. Over one-third of the elderly live alone and they, more than any other group, frequently require the services of paramedics. Caregivers are given a 5” by 7” clear, magnetic pocket sleeve that is placed on the refrigerator with a My Medical Data form that contains lifesaving information (e.g. medical conditions, allergies, medication list, primary physician name, family contacts and preferred hospital). A specially designed envelope is also provided to insert the My Medical Data form in the glove compartment of a car.

6. My Med Minder. This is a tablet of uniquely designed Med Minder sheets (about 50) that clearly identifies the type of information that people should maintain when taking multiple medications including prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Caregivers can make copies of this and give to every one of their family member's physicians to prevent medication errors.

7. My Mini Med Minder. These post-it-notes make it easy to keep track of the number of pills an individual takes throughout the day. Oftentimes, elderly people must take a short term prescription and it's easy for them to forget whether or not they took "5 of those yellow pills" or 4. They can then throw these away, and easily post them wherever they take their meds in their home. The Mini-Med Minders are also helpful when caregivers leave their family member to be cared by someone else while they are out as these serve as a record of when medications were actually given.

All components of the kit have the Linda Rhodes Caregiving logo and are presented in the logo colors of blue and green.