Introduction
As medicine and technology continue to improve, and baby boomers continue to grow older, it is evident that life expectancy will continue to rise. Today, there are 33 million Americans who are over 65 years of age. By the year 2030, that number will double. How does this affect us? Finding quality and affordable care for our loved ones will continue to become a crisis for family members. Eldercare has become a multi-million dollar industry, and although there is a growing number of living and caring alternatives, still the responsibility of day-to-day care often falls to a family member.
Caring for an aging parent or loved one requires time, patience, and energy, and almost always results in frustration and exhaustion. Caregivers strive to meet the needs of the person they are caring for at the expense of their own needs. Caregivers often experience higher stress, illness, and burnout than non-caregivers. The reality is at one point or another we will all be faced with what is often referred to as the impossible profession: caregiving. There are ways to minimize the burnout we may incur while caring for a loved one.
Becoming a family caregiver is a responsibility or job no one looks forward to. In fact, it often comes about suddenly as a result of a medical crisis. In my practice I often hear, "My father just fell and broke his hip" or "my grandmother was just diagnosed with a terminal illness and needs care." No one wants to think about or prepare for these life-altering, devastating events. No one prepares to be a caregiver. According to the American Association of Retired Persons, the definition of a caregiver as "someone who provides unpaid assistance to a second person aged 50 or over." The assistance consists of help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL) such as:
And at least two instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) such as:
- Grocery shopping
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Transportation
- Managing finances
- Administering medicine
Today, more than seven million households contain caregivers. Most often it is a child caring for an aging parent. The caregiver is typically female although there has been an increased number of male caregivers in recent years. The median age of the caregiver is 46 years old, who are often caring for young children too. This is considered the Sandwich Generation caring for both child and parent simultaneously. Most caregivers are employed, however caring for an aging loved one is definitely more than a nine to five job.
