There has been a renewed effort to help family caregivers have all of the resources that they need to be successful. With more elderly individuals in the United States than ever before in our history, and with more family caregivers helping a loved one than ever before, it is far more important right now than at any other time in history that these caregivers have the education and help that they need in order to be successful.
Support comes in a variety of different forms. It includes financial help, emotional support, and in-person, physical assistance. Currently, there are many programs out there that are designed to help families to get these things, but they are not widely taken advantage of. It happens for a variety of reasons, but they mostly fall into the category of the fact that those who need them don’t know that they exist, or how to enroll their services.
A new report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine concurs with the above assessment. Caregivers are doing more now than ever before, and they need more support, information, and recognition if we want them to be successful. Being a caregiver is a tough thing, even if you are a professional in-home caregiver. But family caregivers do not have nearly the same levels of help and assistance that the pros do, but in many cases, they are doing much more than they can be expected to. If this trend continues into 2030, the situation will be even more difficult. It is estimated that over 72 million Americans will be aged 65 or older. That comes out to more than one in five people in the country. If even half of these individuals are in need of senior care, the system would breakdown given current levels. Not only is there a great need for expanding the senior care system in the U.S., there is a need to educate people so that they can provide high quality care as a family caregiver. What’s more, this same study found that although the need for care was expanding, the number of family members able to provide that care was shrinking. This creates a disconnect that could potentially be harmful. Only time will tell if we are able to correct this problem for future generations.
Above all, caregiving is an honorable task. This is true of both professionals and family caregivers. Helping people that no longer have the ability to care for themselves get through their day with dignity and love is an important job, but it’s also one that receives no glory or accolades. People that are doing this tough job do it because they sincerely love others and want to help them. If you are a caregiver to someone that you love, you owe it to the person you are helping–and to yourself–to get assistance if and when you need it. There’s nothing wrong with this, and it really shows that you care about your family because you are getting them even more assistance than you alone can provide.
Leave a Reply