You may be surprised to know that when your love ones age, and can no longer take care of all their needs, MORE than 80% of their care is provided by unpaid family members.
Often the caregiver's needs are secondary to the aged one in need of care. Failing to care for one's own needs can lead to stress, depression and physical problems.
Caregivers need to find a strategies to balance work, caregiving and family demands. They need to look for others who can help share the responsibility for caregiving - and ask for help.
Adult Day Care, if they are fortunate enough to have one in their community, is a good option. Often transportation can be arranged to get their loved one there and back. Many Adult Day Care Centers also offer hygiene assistance or bathing as well as meals and snacks, social activities, exercise and friendships - and offer full or half-day options.
Non-medical home care is another option, if even for a few hours, so caregivers can run errands, get a haircut and do the weekly grocery shopping or just take an afternoon off to have lunch with a friend or go to church.
Another option is out-patient therapy - physical therapy can help them get stronger and be more mobile and occupational therapy can help them learn new ways to help themselves, if they are able.
Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville, Ohio provides all these services and more.
To talk to an expert in aging, call 937-547-7600.
Caring for the Aging Adult's Caregiver
Adult Day Services
Some adults come for the social aspects of adult day care, others have family caregivers who work and must be gone during the day, still others come for a respite break or a change of scene.
Adult Day Centers provide benefits for the participants as well as the family caregiver, often providing a respite break to allow the caregiver to run errands, visit the doctor, shop etc.
Adult Day Centers are very affordable - not only do they care for loved ones in a safe, secure environment, they also provide meals and snacks and help with hygiene, if needed. Transportation, if needed, can be arranged.
If you are not familiar with Adult Day Care Services, click here to access an article on Adult Day Services, published by Ohio State University.
Click here to access Brethren Retirement Community's web site
Adult Day Care - What it is and Who benefits from it
Adult day services include adult day social programs and Alzheimer's day care. The daytime programs designed for seniors with health and or social needs. Adult day services provide a safe, loving atmosphere for seniors who need basic supervision and/or social stimulation.
Programs at an adult day services facility are designed specifically to meet the needs of each individual. These types of programs, however, are normally private pay situations, but some do offer scholarships based on need. Adult day services can provide assistance to seniors who are physically, mentally, or functionally impaired, require some level of care or companionship, need supervision, or benefit from stimulating activities.
Who Benefits?
Both the individual who participates in adult day care as well as their caregiver/family. Caregiving is stressful, even when you dearly love someone. Caregivers need to have time to run errands, get a hair cut, visit the doctor, shop for groceries, etc. Often a caregiver who has a day or half day to take care of these items is able to reduce a lot of their stress, knowing that their loved one is safe and being cared for so they may take care of the other necessary errands.
What Adult Day Services Offer
Adult day care is ideal for seniors who are unable to be monitored during the day by a primary caregiver or simply need daily interaction with trained people who can work one-on-one with your loved one. In addition to activity time, some adult day care facilities offer meal plans, hygiene assistance and transportation.
In Darke County, Brethren Retirement Community provides full or half-day care, 5 days a week, on their campus. Call today for more information or to schedule an appointment to tour Shuff Adult Day Center.
937-547-7600 or email jane.woodie@bhrc.org
Statistics on Caregivers in Ohio
- Almost two million (1,990,000) Ohioans are caregivers, whose caregiving is valued at $9.92 per hour, making the estimated economic value of caregiving in the state $14.2 billion.
- The estimated economic value of caregiving in Ohio is about 20 percent more than the state's total Medicaid spending, and about 10 times as much as the state currently spends on home- and community-based care.
- 34 million Americans (16 percent of the population) provide care to adults age 50 and older.
- 8.9 million caregivers (20 percent of adult caregivers) care for someone age 50 and older who has dementia.
- The majority of caregivers are 35-64 years old.
- Many caregivers of older people also are elderly. Of those caring for someone over 65, the average age is 63 years; one-third are in fair to poor health.
- A significant portion of those in the workforce also are providing elder care to family members. Between 25 and 35 percent of all workers report that they are currently providing or have recently provided care to someone 65 or older.
- Among baby boomer caregivers (aged 50-64 years old), an estimated 60 percent are currently employed.
- Caregivers are often unaware of the availability of support services. As many as one in four has unmet needs, only nine percent used respite services and only 11 percent participated in support groups. (Alzheimer's Association and National Alliance for Caregiving)
- More than 90 percent of caregivers who see themselves as such proactively seek resources and skills to assist their loved ones. (National Family Caregivers Association)