Working Caregiver- Caregiver Articles
We hope you take a few minutes each day to treat yourself. Take good care. You are special.
Are you a Caregiver?
Are You a Caregiver?
It's rare to spot a caregiver in a crowd. Why? Because we, who care for loved ones, don't think we're fulfilling a role! It's just part of who we are as daughters, sons, sisters, moms or dads! And it's what we do. We care for the ones we love!
If you're a person who provides help to an aging or infirmed loved one, supplying emotional support, physical assistance, financial assistance, and many other types of care, regardless of the situation, you're a caregiver.
Family caregivers are immediate family, relatives by blood, marriage, or adoption, partners, or close friends who directly provide care, manage the care of, or pay for the care of people who need medical and non-medical assistance, emotional support, and advocacy because they are ill, disabled, or aged and frail, according to the Institute for Health and Aging.
Characteristics include:
Most caregivers are female (73 percent). The average caregiver is 46 years old, while the average age of the person being cared for is 77. (NAC/AARP, 1997)
Typically caregivers are married (66 percent), have at least a high-school education, and are likely to be raising children under the age of 18. (NAC/AARP, 1997)
Caregivers dedicate, on average, 20 hours per week to provide care for older persons and even more time when the older person has multiple disabilities. (U.S. Administration on Aging)
More than one-third of caregivers provide assistance with activities of daily living for people ages 64 and under. (Feinberg, 1995)
Approximately 14.4 million full- and part-time employed caregivers are now balancing work with their caregiving (and, frequently, child care) responsibilities. (NAC/AARP, 1997)
Forty-one percent of caregivers have children, too. Part of the "sandwich generation," many women will spend more years caring for a parent than they do raising a child. (NAC/AARP, 1997)
Caregivers of the elderly spend an average of $279 per month on care-related activities. (U.S. Department of Labor, 1998)
It's estimated that 45% of caregivers have been providing care for over 5 years.
Over half of all caregivers help with at least one of the following daily activities: bathing, dressing, grooming, using the toilet, food preparation and feeding, walking and basic mobility (getting out of bed or a chair). Almost a third help with three or more of these activities. (NAC/AARP, 1997)
Bearing the long-term care responsibilities for an older relative or friend with disabilities places heavy emotional strain on the caregiver and often results in depression. (U.S. Administration on Aging)
Here are some fast facts on caregiving:
Approximately 64% of caregivers of the elderly are employed. They spend an average of 18 to 40 hours per month caregiving. (Families USA Foundation, 1997) Two-thirds of working caregivers report conflicts between work and caregiving which require them to rearrange their work schedules, work fewer than normal hours, and/or take unpaid leaves of absence. Caregiver stress accounts for a 27% increase in use of company health insurance benefits. (Cincinnati Area Senior Services, 2001) One recent report estimates that baby boomers will end up spending 17 years caring for a child and 18 years caring for an aging parent. Since we've determined ‘who' caregivers are, here are some things to think about as you begin the caregiving process. The Elder You Care for is an Adult. He or she has the right to make decisions about their life. As a caregiver, you should respect that right unless he or she has lost the capacity to make decisions or could put others in danger. Whenever Possible, Offer Choices Allow your loved ones choices from where to live to which cereals to eat for breakfast to what to wear. Having choices allows us to express ourselves. As their options become more limited, through health loss, financial constraints, or social losses, as a caregiver, you have to work harder to provide choices. Do Those Things That Your Loved One Cannot Do Do What You Promise To Do Take Care of Yourself Caregivers often exhaust themselves by trying to handle caregiving responsibilities on top of normal daily routines. Providing care for a loved one while holding down a job, can lead to exhaustion. If you do become exhausted, you're more likely to make bad decisions or to take out your frustrations on your loved one. So take care of yourself; take time out to do things you enjoy even if it means saying no to your loved one. Caregivers who refresh themselves can be there for the long haul. Your Family is the First Resource There can be deep emotional currents when a loved one becomes ill. Some family members will want to do everything, while others will do very little unless they're asked. Yet spouses, brothers and sisters, children, and other relatives can do much to ease your caregiving burden. Get more information from the DOD Caregiver's Guide developed by the United States Department of Defense.
The aggregate costs of caregiving in lost productivity to U.S. businesses are as much as $29 billion when the person receiving care is aged 50 or greater. (MetLife, 1997). The costs are much greater when all care recipients are included in the calculations.
(Star-Tribune of the Twin Cities Minneapolis-St. Paul, June 15, 1998)
Caregivers often take over when they shouldn't. If your loved one is still capable of performing certain activities, such as paying bills or cooking meals, then encourage him or her to do so. Helping your loved one maintain a feeling of independence will make him or her feel better about being in a care-receiving situation.
Many care recipients find it emotionally difficult to have to depend on others, and many worry about being a burden. So, with all these mixed feelings, your loved one will need to be able to rely on you. Do what you promise. Remember that your loved one needs you, even if he or she doesn't say so.
