Wednesday, July 27, 2011 New AARP Study Shows Toll on Family Caregivers is “Huge”
A new study by AARP, “Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update,” estimates that for the more than 40 million Americans are caring for an elderly or disabled loved one. The value of their work is $450 billion a year.
Source/more: National Public Radio (July 18, 2011) (audio also available)
Read the full AARP report.
I have counseled numerous caregivers over the years and you can certainly see the toll it takes upon their lives and their health. Caregivers must plan for periods of respite and they cannot give 24/7 care. If you have any questions about caregiving, please don;t hesitate to give us a call. Our Elder Care Coordinator Sandy Vernon may be able to aid you in lining up respite care or determining if you qualify for any caregiving benefit! Tuesday, November 02, 2010 Geriatric care requires coordination, nurse training
The most important advances in geriatric care, say gerontological nurse researchers and practitioners, are not new technologies and procedures but changes in thinking about older patients. These changes are based on new evidence that for the first time includes large numbers of the elderly. Though many older adults are active and in good health, most have at least one chronic condition and use healthcare services more often than other segments of the population. Although evidence shows elderly people benefit from caregivers who understand the needs of their age group, less than 1% of nurses have training in geriatric care, according to the Institute of Medicine’s 2008 report “Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce.” “The biggest problem is the lack of providers who are prepared to care for this population,” says Tara A. Cortes, RN, PhD, FAAN, executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at the New York University College of Nursing. The Hartford Institute is working to ensure that all nurses have geriatric competence. It has developed assessment tools, core competencies, evidence-based protocols, advance practice curriculum, and programs such as NICHE (Nurses Improving Care to Healthsystem Elders). “Nursing is positioned perfectly to be the driver of care for older adults,” Cortes says, noting that nurses already are experts at managing care, providing education, looking at patients holistically and working in interdisciplinary teams, all crucial components of geriatric care.
Source: Nurse.com (October 25, 2010)
Full story: http://news.nurse.com/article/20101025/NATIONAL02/110250041/-1/frontpage
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Study Shows Diversity of Grieving Among Caregivers
A new study by the University of Michigan reveals that racial and ethnic differences play a role in the emotional attitudes of caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. These findings could help improve support services for caregivers.
The study, conducted by James McNally of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, part of theUniversity of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, looked at more than 600 caregivers in three racial and ethnic groups: whites, blacks, and Hispanics. The study found differences in the way these groups accepted death, let go of loved ones, and expressed anger.
According to the study, whites and Hispanics are three to five times more likely as blacks to feel relief when the Alzheimer's sufferer dies. McNally explained that this is consistent with studies that show that blacks have more stressors in their lives than other groups, so they do not get a break after a loved one dies. In addition, the study showed that whites are twice as likely to report emotional acceptance at the death of a loved one as Hispanics and blacks.
The study showed the groups have big differences in feelings of anger toward the deceased. Black caregivers were twice as likely to express anger as Hispanics. Meanwhile, white caregivers were considerably more likely than both Hispanics and blacks to report feelings of anger.
McNally presented the study at the Alzheimer's Association's International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu. McNally believes these results can help provide support services to caregivers. For example, blacks may need to address the ongoing other stressors in their lives, but Hispanics could need to focus on separation issues with the deceased.
Source: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=7875 Monday, July 12, 2010 The Importance of Caregiver Agreements
Often when I advise a client they need to enter into a caregiver agreement with a familiy member that is caring for them they balk at the idea. I can understand why! Why do familiy members need a contract for a child to care for an aging parent? Yet months or years later when the elder requires long term care in a nursing home, the inevitable question is: "Sonny boy has been taking care of momma for years, can we pay him anything as part of the medicaid spenddown?"
And the answer is No. You can only pay somenone for services they are presently prioviding and will provide in the future. You cannot go back an pay after the fact.
So, if you are caring for an aging relative, a caregiver agreement is a prudent idea. |