Previous Articles:
An earlier Senior World Article:
Do you care enough?
Are you currently caring for a spouse, family member, or friend? You are not alone and don’t have to be alone. One in every four households is involved in caring for a person over 50. Thirty percent of caregivers suffer either physical or emotional effects. A recent study reported that caregivers who were caring for a spouse and reported caregiving strain were 63% more likely to die within four years than non-caregivers. These facts are more alarming because they are accompanied by a shift in values. Younger generations are not volunteering and may turn to society to care for their aging parents. With fewer children and the population aging, we will see costs rising from the estimated $83 billion spent annually on nursing home care today. According to the most recent National Long Term Care Survey, over 7 million people are informal caregivers, i.e. spouses, adult children, and other relatives and friends. If the work of these caregivers had to be replaced by paid home care, the cost would be $45-94 billion per year doubling the cost of care. A study by MetLife estimates the loss to U.S. employers to be between $11.4 to $29 billion per year.
These nationwide figures provide little solace to those of us who are caregiving or to those who are worried that they might need care in the future. Three important points to keep in mind regardless of whether you are a caregiver or potential care receiver. First, keep the lines of communication open with family and friends. Do not be afraid to discuss your needs. Others cannot read your mind so it is best to talk about issues before they become crises. If you have adult children talk about future caregiving needs. Not only should you talk about care needs but important matters like wills, trusts, and power of attorney. Second, learn about the resources in your community. Maybe you have never been a caregiver before, but others have and there are organizations that can help. A local Area Agency or an organization like the Alzheimer’s Association can direct you. Don’t wait until you need the help, plan ahead. Look for classes on caregiving. Third, remember the caregiver needs care. If you are providing the care, plan to take care of yourself. Caregiving is not glamorous and it is long and stressful work. If you find yourself under pressure, you need a change if only for a brief time. Take a few minutes a day to relax or meditate. Share your feelings with a friend. If you are receiving care, encourage your caregiver to take time off. A stressed out caregiver is less help to you. Remember to thank that caregiver for what she/he is doing for you.
A final thought to caregivers. Care for that person as you would want them to care for you. Chances are we as caregivers cannot make them better but we can make it better for them. Caregiving is not glamorous and it is long and stressful work.
Are you a leader?
You are the leader of your health care team
You have just had surgery for knee damage. Your physician did a great job on the diagnosis and treatment but did you discuss the reasons why you damaged the knee in the first place? Was there a discussion of dizziness, shortness of breath, or the use of multiple medications? Chances are that did not occur. We visit a physician when we have a problem and we want it fixed.
What do you look for in a physician? I would argue that you should look for an individual who is caring, communicative, complete, and of course competent. By complete, we want the physician to see us as a whole person. That physician would not just get the knee fixed but would probe the whys. Research has demonstrated that to be caring and communicative with a patient takes no more than an extra minute or two in a patient visit. With managed care we trust that only competent physicians will be employed. When the physician who viewed my mother-in-law’s knee three months after the surgery was looking at the wrong knee I politely reminded him.
There are two options to improve the quality of medical care for those over sixty. First there is a national push for geriatric training of health care professionals. We took our children to pediatricians; why not expect that your physician would know something about incontinence, memory loss, dementia, diabetes, and chronic illnesses. California will require all family physicians that serve a patient population that includes 25% of 65+ to take mandatory geriatric education by 2004. Numerous states and the US Congress are supporting more geriatric education. A geriatric physician can be the team leader of cardiologists, neurologists, and others in your care. Since we are not likely to see a geratrically-trained physician, we must choose the second option. We must serve as the leader of our personal health team. Since we cannot all afford a complete scan, we must tell our medical team how we feel.
This is easier said than done. We come from a generation that held physicians in high regard. We did not question their recommendations. We also tend to hide our health conditions from family and friends, and even from our physician. Does your physician know all of the medications [including over the counter drugs] that you are taking when you go in with a specific ailment? Don’t ask your physician to play, What’s my problem? Failure to communicate the list has cost us and our health plans over $20 billion in medication related hospitalizations [totally unnecessary if we had shared the information]. If you need to, take a family member or friend along to keep track of the information and raise the issues.
If you are not satisfied your physician is caring, competent, communicative, and complete, change or ask your provider for other names. You want the best care for your car and your pet, why not for yourself. As the leader of your health care team, put yourself first because wellness makes aging better.
