Advances in medicine combined with healthier lifestyles result in a senior population that is living longer with an extended period of active, productive, lives.
But these same numbers also reveal another story. At some point, more and more adult children are called upon to help care for their parents. Women, especially, are caught in the balancing act of caring for parents, their own household, a full-time job and community activities.
These caregivers eventually run out of hours in the day resulting in stress that affects their own health and well-being.
According to the Home Instead Senior Care office serving New Haven county, the company will have to double its force of caregivers in the next three years to keep pace with the demand. Nationwide, the need for professional, personal and home-care aides is expected to grow more than 50 percent in the next seven years.
While this situation may cause difficulties for those needing help, it is good news for workers in fields that have experienced job losses and for healthy seniors who like a flexible work schedule and enjoy helping others.
The training process for the profession, while comprehensive, is not lengthy. Typically, there is a four-step program which provides basic skills such as education on safety, communications, emergency first aid, routine meal preparation and light housekeeping.
Advanced training prepares caregivers to perform personal services such as toileting, bathing or working with the mentally impaired.
Seniors can be of tremendous help to their families if they do the following:
- Remain as independent as possible.
- Make realistic plans for your future and discuss these openly with the family.
- Have an up-to-date will, living will, health-care proxy and power of attorney.
- Be pro-active about aging decisions that will affect those who care about you.
Home Instead’s advice is to follow the 40-70 Rule, which states if you are 40 or your parents are 70, it is time to start a conversation. Unfortunately, some parents are reluctant to talk with their families about their aging and in fact, are in complete denial about the process. Most people are more likely to talk if they feel empowered and if it is approached as, “planning for the future.”
Sometimes, an outside, professional counselor carries more weight than a family member. All family members should be involved in decisions, if at all possible. Those who live a distance away, need to be updated on how a family member is aging.
Regular meetings can be accomplished by phone or e-mail with an agenda ahead of time so everyone can have a say. But many family members find these conversations difficult and their concern comes across as impatience or anger. To help families get started, there is an excellent video as well as a conversational ability assessment and a guide at www.HomeInstead.com. Information on careers in care giving is also available on the same site.
0 Responses:
Post a Comment