There is a renewed push moving across the senior care community advocating for the spouses of seniors requiring senior care to be paid as professional caregivers for the help and assistance that they provide to their loved ones.
Just like many other industries, the senior care world has struggled with caregiver and other employee shortages since the pandemic began. Unlike other industries, these staff shortages were already starting to become an issue prior to the onset of COVID-19. Because of the growing senior population and a need for more and more professionals in this field, many communities were already starting to push for big hiring increases. The pandemic made this a lot more difficult–although it did cast the need for more people in this field into the public eye.
Hence the growing need for more family caregivers. Already, thousands of people around the country act in the role of an informal support for a loved one. In many cases, these individuals provide more than adequate care. They do all of the things that are necessary to keep their loved ones happy and healthy as they age. But as needs change, sometimes skillsets can’t keep up.
Many seniors don’t have the financial resources necessary to adequately care for themselves and a struggling loved one. However, a financial incentive to help keep families together may actually save more money over the long run for local governments. By keeping people in the home for longer, the burden of paying for formalized nursing home care actually reduces burdens on communities–all while keeping families together.
There’s a big difference between acting as a family caregiver and acting as a professional one. They are both difficult, but family caregivers face an emotional burden that doesn’t go away when the work day ends. It is hard day in and day out. It’s hard when you’re working and when you’re resting. The work never goes away. Having some professional training or guidance won’t make this emotional aspect of it all disappear. But it will make the technical side of the job easier to manage.
Some insurance policies already cover caregiver training and payments. Many have found that it is more cost effective to pay a family member or spouse a daily rate than it is to hire a conventional professional. Perhaps you have an insurance policy that has something like this built into it. If you don’t, that doesn’t mean that there is no way to get this type of training or to get paid to assist someone you love. Check out what is available in your community already. Contact your local office of the aging and see what programs your family might qualify for.
In the end, we’re all on the same team when it comes to providing the elderly people in our lives with the highest quality of care possible. That’s why we love helping with our free consultation sessions. If you have questions about getting connected to care and assistance, please feel free to reach out today to talk more with one of our professional caregivers.
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