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Biography of Rebecca Sharp Colmer, CSA

Rebecca Sharp Colmer, CSA, is a Certified Senior Advisor, as recognized by the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. The national organization has trained over 14,000 professionals across the country. As an Elder Care Advocate she has taken the educational initiative to become a professional leader in meeting the key needs and vital issues concerning senior citizens.

In addition, she is a nationally recognized author, publisher, and speaker. She is also a caregiver.

She is the creator of www.MeAndMyCaregivers.com, a communications hub for everyone on the caregiving team. She is also the creator of the Family Caregiver Starter Kit, which contains useful resources, forms, information, statistics, ideas, suggestions, and checklists to help caregivers not only care for others, but for themselves as well.

Rebecca Sharp Colmer is dedicated to meeting the needs of senior citizens through her publishing venture, EKLEKTIKA Press, Inc. Her eight-book collection, The Senior's Guide Series,(www.TheSeniorsGuide.com), consists of the following:

• The Senior's Guide to Easy Computing
• The Senior's Guide to Easy Computing with Vista
• The Senior's Guide to the Internet
• The Senior's Guide to Digital Photography
• The Senior's Guide to eBay
• The Senior's Guide to Computer Tips and Tricks
• The Senior's Guide to Dating (Again)
• The Senior's Guide to End-of-Life Issues

In addition to the Senior's Guide Series, which has over a half million copies in print, Rebecca Sharp Colmer has written two other books—Babysitting 101 and GEMS: Everyday Tips for Building Your Business. In addition, she has written several screenplays and ghostwritten several other books.

Colmer knows personally the challenges and rewards of family caregiving. She has been a long-distance caregiver for her father-in-law. She is also a long-distance caregiver for her parents and is a caregiver coach for a friend whose husband has Alzheimer's disease.

Prior to entering publishing, Colmer, 53, was a paralegal for a toxic torts law firm, and for six years was the General Manager of a parachute manufacturing company. She is a retired skydiver.

She has a BA in Psychology from the University of Kentucky.

Rebecca Sharp Colmer is married to Flip Colmer, airline pilot/former Navy pilot. They reside in Chelsea, Michigan.

Suggested Interview Questions

Q. Have you been a caregiver?
A. Yes. I have been both a long-distance caregiver for aging relatives and a local respite caregiver for a good friend whose husband has Alzheimer's disease. What's it like to be in that position? It's a tough job that requires a lot of responsibility. As a family caregiver, not only do you have to manage your loved one's health and medical needs, you also have to manage their daily living needs, including legal, financial, and social concerns.

Q. You point out that caregiving is an important and challenging job, and that even though it can be rewarding, it can also be extremely stressful. How so?
A. Caregiving is often difficult, exhausting, and emotionally upsetting. Many times it feels like the care-receiver makes too many demands on the caregiver. At the same time, the caregiver still has to deal with her/his own responsibilities of work, marriage, and child rearing/parenting. In addition, the care-receiver and the caregiver may not see eye-to-eye regarding how caregiving situations should be handled.

Q. What are some of the signs one is experiencing caregiver stress?
A. Stress can be exhibited in a number of ways: physical symptoms such as muscle tension or increased blood pressure, behavioral symptoms such as depression or verbal or physical abuse, emotional symptoms such as the inability to concentrate, or loss of self-esteem, or participate in escape activities, such as excessive alcohol or drug use.

Q. What should one do to alleviate the stress?
A. To better manage stress it may be necessary to modify the source of stress and/or change your reaction to it. One of the best things you can do is to make an exercise plan, both physical and mental, and stick to it.

Q. At what point should a caregiver step away from the job?
A. Caregivers should schedule regular respite care to prevent "caregiver burnout." Extreme caregiver stress can lead to abuse of the care-receiver, nervous breakdowns, poor health, and even fiscal fraud.

Q. How does one prepare to become a caregiver?
A. Keep in mind that the duties of the caregiver usually change and increase over a period of time. Establishing a well thought-out Care Plan will help relieve stress for everyone involved. An evaluation of needs and activities can be done to assess and determine a baseline that will help to determine the caregiver's duties.

Q. Do caregivers receive the recognition they deserve?
A. No. Often caregivers do not receive recognition or help from other family members. Caregivers cannot always expect a grateful response to their caregiving, even from the care-receiver.

Q. What else can one do to avoid caregiver burnout?
A. It is important to share your feelings about your caregiving experience. Find someone you can talk to about this. Join a support group.

Q. What are the biggest concerns one has about being a caregiver?
A. Caregivers often worry that their best efforts may not be good enough. They worry about their care-receiver's fate as well as their own.

Q. What is the "Caregiver’s Bill of Rights"?
A. The "Caregiver’ Bill of Rights" was written by Jo Horne. It is a reminder that caregivers have rights, too. It's a reminder of the importance of taking good care of yourself.

Q. What is the "File of Life"?
A. The File of Life® card enables medics to obtain a quick medical history when the patient is unable to offer one. The card, which is kept in a red plastic pocket labeled FILE OF LIFE, lists the patient's name, emergency medical contacts, insurance policy and social security number, health problems, medications, dosages, allergies, recent surgeries, religion, doctor's name, and health care proxy. The entire pocket is held with a magnet to the outside of the refrigerator. Emergency personnel know to check the patient's refrigerator for this information.

Q. How should a caregiver deal with change and decline in the person’s health that he or she cares for?
A. Start by learning as much as you can about their health, illnesses and treatments. This information will be essential as you help the care-receiver cope with day to day concerns, make decisions and plan for the future. Record this information in the Family Caregiver Organizer: A Personal and Medical Journal for the Care-Receiver and their Caregiver(s) or get a subscription to www.MeAndMyCaregivers.com

Q. Often with caregiving, big decisions need to be made. How should a caregiver be involved in family meetings concerning any decisions over care that need to be made?
A. Shared decisions generally produce the best results. All participants will feel as if they own the outcome. It helps to hold a family meeting or a formal decision making process: set-up the ground rules, state the situation and select the problem, state a goal, make assessments, make an action plan, implement plan for a trial period, evaluate.

Q. Who should be part of the care team?
A. Look beyond your family members for help. You will need to enlist the help of others, including professionals. These may include: doctors, nurses, financial and tax advisors, family members, friends, other caregivers.

Q. How can a caregiver keep up in tracking the care receiver’s medical care?
A. A good way to track this information is to use the Family Caregiver Organizer. There is a paper version and an electronic version (www.MeAndMyCaregivers.com ). They both provide a step-by-step, systematic approach for recording and storing essential daily records, designed to improve care-receiver satisfaction while enhancing the quality of their healthcare.

Q. How daunting is it for the caregiver to be responsible for all of the paperwork – legal documents, insurance, bills, etc.?
A. It can be very daunting. Be sure to let family and friends know when you need help. You cannot do this job without the help of others. Share the care.

Q. Are there any community resources available to family caregivers?
A. Yes. There are community resources available. The best place to start is with your local Area Agency on Aging. Almost every state has one or more of these AAAs, which serve local communities, older residents, and their families. Local AAAs are usually listed in the city or county government sections of the telephone directory under "Aging" or "Social Services."

Q. What's involved in preparing the home environment for the care-receiver?
A. As the care-receiver changes, so should the home environment. The keys to making the home safe are awareness and precaution. For example, remove throw rugs, sharp objects and clutter. Make sure all rooms have adequate lighting. Place a smoke alarm in every bedroom and on every floor.

Q. How does one decide a "Caregiver's Care Plan"?
A. A Caregiver's Care Plan is a daily record of the care and treatment of the care-receiver. It provides a record of events that assist everyone on the Care Team. It also allows another caregiver to take your place fairly easily. An evaluation of needs and activities can be done to assess and determine a baseline which will help determine the caregiver's duties.

Q. What can the caregiver do to manage his or her emotions and feelings better?
A. Caregivers often experience a roller coaster of emotions---everything from guilt and resentment to hope and love. Before you even begin caregiving, set boundaries. Accept that there is a limit to what you can do as a caregiver. Recognize when you feel overwhelmed, and ask for help in caring for your loved one. Be aware of your feelings because they influence your behavior and judgment.

Q. How does a caregiver balance his or her relationships with other family members — spouse, children, siblings?
A. Most caregivers crave additional free time. Schedule regular respite breaks. It is not an easy task to balance responsibilities. Being a good communicator is very important, too.

News Releases, Reviews, Print Interviews

• Coping with Caregiving
• Boomers Redefine Caregiving: Sharing the Care Online
• Elder Rage
• Rebecca Sharp Colmer - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
• Avoiding Caregiver Burnout
• Mother's Day Life's Journey Gift Guide - 2008
• Statent Island Parent Current Issue
• Avoiding Caregiver Burnout
• South Jersey Mom: May
• Enter to win ‘Family Caregiver Starter Kit’
• Avoiding Caregiver Burnout

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• Georgia Family Magazine
• Manawa Advocate
• Acorn
• Camarillo Acorn
• Moorpark Acorn
• Simi Valley Acorn
• Free Press Standard
• Charleston Chronicle
• Today's Healthy Living
• Las Cruces Sun-News
• News Leader
• Bradford Journal-Miner
• Budget
• Mt. Juliet News
• Coeur d'Alene Press/North Idaho Sunday
• La Follette Press
• El Dorado Springs Sun
• Advance-Sentinel
• Digger Shopper & News
• Macon Chronicle-Herald
• South Coast Shopper
• Thousand Oaks Acorn
• Rappahannock Times
• Advance Yeoman
• Carlisle County News
• Fulton-Hickman Free Press
• Livingston Ledger
• Marshall Times
• Southern Illinois News
• Union City Volunteer
• West Kentucky News
• Manchester Press
• Montgomery Independent
• Cedar County Republican

Audio/Video Interviews

Coping with Caregiving

Radio Interviews

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Minneapolis, MN	KBEM-FM
Charlotte, NC	WBT-AM
Cleveland, OH	WEOL-AM
Omaha, NE	KMA-AM
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Chattanooga, TN	WMPZ-AM
Amherst, VA	WAMV-AM
Charleston, WV	WOMV-AM
Columbia, MO	KWIX-AM
Port Huron, MI	WGRT-FM
Lima, OH	WFIN-AM
Festus, MO	KJFF-AM
Internet Radio	American Perspective

Delivering quality outcomes for
care-receiver AND caregiver.