While taking care of an older family member or loved one is one of the greatest gifts a person can give, it often results in high levels of stress and loss of self for the caregiver. One in every five people in the United States is currently a caregiver, and the majority are women.
Did you know?
- That caregivers report having health problems almost twice as often as non-caregivers?
- That half of those caregivers spend 10 percent of their income on caregiving expenses?
- That up to 70 percent of caregivers suffer from depression or isolation or both?
- That many caregivers are unaware of the educational resources that exist to help support them?
Family caregiving is today’s issue just as child care was in the 1980s. Employers also need to recognize and accommodate the reality that so many workers today have significant caregiving responsibilities at home.
One of the most important elements of being a caregiver is to give yourself temporary relief, or respite care. It’s a chance to refresh the relationships between you and the person receiving care. When you take care of yourself, you are better able to help the person needing your love and support.
For nearly 14 years, my brother and his wife shouldered the primary responsibility of caring for the patriarch of our family. They took it on fearlessly with loving kindness, patience, tenacity, and good humor. My sister took the lead as long-distance caregiver par excellence. I settled into the role of short-distance caregiver who would offer to “drive over” to visit with our family and often just to give them a break.
The journey of being a family caregiver also provides valuable life lessons. For me, it’s about becoming more resilient, and learning ways to practice the tenets of resilience as a guide to aging well.
Our journey is like so many other stories about the dynamics of wading into family caregiving.
Along the way, each of us found meaningful ways to appreciate the smallest tasks. Each of the adult children found a specific way to contribute to shouldering the tasks while also finding ways to take care of ourselves.
Crucial Respite CARE available
PCOA’s team of family caregiver specialists call it Respite Care. It’s available on a cost-share basis determined by eligibility, income and ability to pay.
Respite Care may be provided by a trained caregiver for a few hours a week in the home, or through a temporary stay in an assisted living or nursing facility. To qualify, the unpaid caregiver must live with the care recipient and be authorized for services following an in-home assessment.
Our Lifespan Respite, for adults over 18 and under 60 who are not eligible for other programs, may also be available.
Call PCOA’s Helpline at 790-7262 to learn more about Respite Care and related services. Among them: Family Caregiver Training Workshops, and Caregiver Support Groups.
