Caregivers Need Support

The numbers are dramatic and frightening. Over 20 million baby boomers

are currently caring for their elderly parents on a part or full time basis. This is just the beginning. Baby boomers are not only caring for parents; many are still raising their children. Many are caregivers to returning combat veterans who have PTSD. Many are caregivers to children who have suffered traumatic brain injury. The list is a long one. The strain of working full time and the stress of losing that job in today’s economy add to the stress. The thought of saving for retirement just doesn’t get top billing in this picture. What issues will this generation face over the coming years?

American is aging. Over 40 million Americans will be over the age of 65 by 2010. Those who start out as a caregiver may wind up eventually needing care because of the toll that care giving takes both psychologically and physically. The issues and choices that caregivers face can be overwhelming. It is prudent for caregivers and the friends and families of caregivers to investigate ways of getting and giving support before a terrible toll is exacted.

Here are some considerations:

Adult Day Care

According to the National Adult Day Services Association, more than 3,500 centers nationwide help in excess of 150,000 Americans each day. Centers such as these provide social activity; offer transportation, meals and snacks; help with personal care; supply therapeutic activities such as exercise and mental interaction and most importantly provide respite to the care giver.

In Home Care

Create a network of reliable support. Volunteers offer the most economical solution but they may not be the most reliable or withstand the test of time. It is best to have a list of volunteers that can be used as backups.

Line up professional or skilled health care to help with medical needs after surgery or through rehabilitation and give health care support for people who need help with daily living items. Caregivers who need to give a lot of help with daily living activities such as bathing, toileting or continence will become exhausted very quickly. It is wise to make a list of what you can, cannot and will not do. Seek companion services for items like light housekeeping, meal preparation and transportation to get relief. Caregivers cannot do it all alone.

A MetLife study showed that over 1.3 million people were receiving some type of support in to be able to remain in their homes. The study shows that over 75 percent of these people were living with their caregiver on a full time basis during the year 2000. Clearly, there is great pressure on employees who have to balance the needs of this personal life.

Financial Matters

The costs of care giving are very high on two fronts; the personal and the business.

Families who need to pay for at home care will pay around $10 - $18 per hour for in home care and fees of $61 per day for adult day care. Thousands of dollars per month are required for assisted living facilities. It is very important to note that if a family hires an independent at home helper, that the family may be responsible for taking paying insurances such as workers compensation and unemployment. If this is not done, there could be problems when the hired worker is no longer needed (i.e. in the event that the one for which care is being needed becomes deceased) and this person seeks to collect unemployment insurance. An on the job injury would create financial hardship for the family needing care as well. These issues are usually covered when you use an agency that provides care giver services; but you better check to make sure (this is why you will end up paying more per hour). It is also important to do a criminal back ground check. There are many online services that do this. Any agency you employ should do this as well.

Advanced financial planning is really needed to help take the burden off caregivers. Long term care insurance is not a luxury. It will not only benefit the loved one who needs care by assuring that they will continue to have a quality lifestyle but it will also assure that the thing they dread most (being a burden to their e.g. children) will not happen. Long term care assures that every family member’s life will go on and not be sacrificed because of the financial and emotional burdens imposed by care giving. It is important to note that a long term care insurance policy may only be gotten at a time when the person to be covered is still considered insurable. It is too late to get the insurance coverage when a person has already developed Alzheimers.

What can one do if the person who needs care does not have long term care and is now considered uninsurable? Reverse mortgages are an option if the senior who needs care is a home owner with a certain amount of equity. Reverse mortgage brokers will be able to advise you about the regulations concerning this. There are many programs that will still leave the house to the family in the event of the homeowner’s demise.

The National Family Caregivers Association states that more than 50 million people offer care to chronically ill, disabled, or aged family members and friends each year. The effects on employers are very dramatic in terms of absenteeism, lower productivity, retraining replacements, and inefficiencies because of distractions on the job. The caregivers’ stress will be exacerbated with wages that are lost because of this.

Some employers offer family leave time to deal with a family member who needs care. Others may offer seminars and other resources such as self help CDs for working caregivers. Many employees are finding ways to be more flexible in scheduling employee hours, allowing telecommuting, and offering long term care as a benefit.

Reality Check

Today, these care giving issues are a growing reality for many young families as well as for baby boomers that are sandwiched between the needs of their senior parents and children. Thousands of veteran families are care givers to returning combat veterans with PTSD. These veteran families may include parents but are often just comprised of a young adult spouse of less than 30 years old and perhaps very young children as well. These young children may have to bear the greatest burden of all; growing up in a financially and emotionally strained family. There is no doubt that veteran families need our help and support. They are our neighbors and they are unsung heroes. We need to reach out and give our neighbors a hand in any way we can.

10 December 2008 | Women's Issues | Comments