Many of the Nation’s Children Provide Care, Often Without Support—But Now They Have an Advocate

Adults are not the only ones shouldering the responsibilities of caregiving in the United States. There are an estimated 1.4 million children between the ages of 8 and 18 actively involved in caring for a parent or other family member, according to a survey last year by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the United Hospital Fund.

One-third of the young caregivers help with medications, and nearly two-thirds help someone with the day-to-day activities of living, such as getting dressed, eating and going to the bathroom. There are just as many boys as girls providing assistance.

Support groups for these children—many of whom say their roles as caregivers both enrich and stress their lives—has been practically nonexistent. However, Nurse Connie Siskowski, director of a new advocacy group called the American Association of Caregiving Youth, wants to change that. In a report by National Public Radio, she discusses how, as a child, she cared for her grandfather, sometimes giving him medication. She says for many years she even felt partly responsible for his death. With this experience behind her, she says she understands firsthand the importance of providing support to young caregivers. To read more, please go here.

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Caregiver Concerns Are Solved with SimplyHome’s Assistive Technology

There are an estimated 34 million Americans assisting in the care of an older family member or friend, and an additional 10.6 million helping someone between the ages of 18 and 49, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. Many of these elderly and/or disabled individuals long to live independently in their own homes, but they are held back by problems of Connectivity, Capacity and Capital.

CMI's SimplyHome system of assistive technology addresses all of these issues. It CONNECTS caregivers to loved ones via web, email, text messaging and two-way voice. Because the technology makes possible connectivity to several caregivers at once, the CAPACITY problem is also resolved.

For an elderly parent, for example, you can share the responsibility of responding to SimplyHome “alerts” with one or more family members, professional caregiver(s), and/or SimplyHome’s 24/7 Central Station. Before responding in person to an indication of trouble, you can use an optional video cam to do a Live Look-In, or see a short video clip of when your care recipient was last active.

Professional caregivers find they can support twice as many residents with the SimplyHome system as without it.

Finally, CMI makes this equipment highly affordable (the CAPITAL issue) as a low-cost monthly rental. You can add or subtract components of the system at any time. If an elderly parent begins to wander due to dementia, you can easily add a small people-tracking device.

Everything CMI offers is easy to install (no holes to drill), and 24/7 technical support is provided. CMI also sells power tools for busy caregivers. For more information, call 828/684-8441, email info@simplyhome-cmi.com or go to www.simplyhome-cmi.com.

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Caregivers Spend More Than They Thought on Aging Family Members

A new, in-depth study of the costs of caregiving reveals that Americans spend far more to care for aging parents and spouses than was previously thought, according to an article in the New York Times. The telephone survey of 1,000 individuals, conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving, was the first to take a detailed look at the many Americans who sacrifice savings, entertainment and even their own healthcare to care for aging family members.

"The out-of-pocket cost of caring for an aging parent or spouse averages about $5,500 a year, according to the nation’s first in-depth study of such expenses, a sum that is more than double previous estimates and more than the average American household spends annually on health care and entertainment combined.

Family members responsible for ailing loved ones provide not only “hands on” care but often reach into their own pockets to pay for many other expenses of care recipients, including groceries, household goods, drugs, medical co-payments and transportation. That nudges the average cost of providing long-distance care to $8,728 a year." To read more, please go here.

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Study Targets the Needs of America's Maturing Population

A 2006 study on the maturing of America released by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging identified a number of “Best Practices” for communities to consider in addressing the needs of an aging population.

Among the study’s recommendations:

• Preventive health care, such as health and “lifestyle” education, immunizations and screenings, to reduce injuries and the onset of chronic diseases, as well as a range of in-home health assistance to help people stay in their homes longer.
• Nutrition education to promote healthy eating throughout a person’s lifespan, as well as nutritious community-sponsored programs such as home-delivered meals for those who have difficulty or are unable to prepare their own meals.
• Transportation options for people who cannot or do not want to drive.
• Home modification programs that make necessary adjustments for people with special needs. Zoning and subdivision plans that promote a variety of affordable, accessible housing located near medical, commercial and other desired services, as well as shared housing options for older adults and their caregivers.
• Single point of entry for information and access to ALL aging information and services in the community, and the strategic expansion of necessary services to support the older adults to age with dignity and independence in their home and community.

The complete list of recommended practices can be viewed here.

Declining Health Drives Aging Retirees Back Home

An article in USA Today describes a "boomerang" syndrome in which aging retirees find themselves moving back home. Not only do they seek closer contact with children and grandchildren, but they often need help in dealing with problems of failing health.

"Homer and Edna Walls raised nine children in Waukesha, Wis. He owned a trucking business. She was a homemaker. Soon after their youngest graduated from high school, they became typical snowbirds, flying to Arizona in winter and returning home in summer.

In the early 1990s, they sold their Wisconsin home and made what they imagined would be a permanent move to an active adult community in Green Valley, in the high desert south of Tucson. They were among the youngest when they arrived. Twelve years later, some friends had died or moved. 'Pretty soon, they were the old ones,' daughter Chris Kronsnoble says. 'There were some health issues.'" To read more, go here.

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Enurgi

This TechCrunch article talks about Enurgi:

A new company called Enurgi has taken its cue from social networks by creating a service network that connects caregivers with patients and facilitates their business transactions online.

The site is premised on the notion that it is currently too difficult for the elderly and disabled to find professionals to care for them (or clinicians to find clients who can benefit from their particular skills). Since Enurgi serves as a tool for both patients and caregivers, it can be viewed from either of two ends.

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Home, Sweet Home

This article in an Irish newspaper alludes to another compelling reason for the elderly to age-in-place, in their homes-- hospitals are often not the place to get well, and indeed a patient may come in with one illness only to be exposed to others:

The lives of elderly nursing home patients are being put at risk by the actions of acute hospitals, according to the Irish Nursing Homes Organisation.

This follows revelations that an 84-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with Clostridium Difficile, was sent to a nursing home by hospital staff, despite being gravely ill and a serious risk to other patients.

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