54: The Importance of Supporting Caregivers

Caregiving can be physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding.

Supporting caregivers is essential to promote their well-being, enhance the quality of care, maintain continuity of care, reduce healthcare costs, have positive social and economic impacts, and express gratitude for their dedication.

 In this episode, I get into the value of supporting caregivers.

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Transcript

Hey guys, how you doing today? Can I get you started with something to drink? Is your aging loved one home alone forgetting to take medicine or pay bills the caregiver cafe with Roz Jones has a menu of resources to serve your caregiver needs. As a caregiver. Roz understands your daily challenges. This podcast focuses on the unique and dynamic issues of caregiving.

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Hello, and welcome back to The Caregiver Cafe. I'm Roz Jones, the host of this podcast. And in today's episode, we're going to look at the importance of supporting caregivers, the importance of supporting caregivers, as we talk about all the time, caregiving is difficult and a demanding role. And is essential for caregivers to receive support and to ask for support and to research support. It is important and and when we are supporting caregivers are we want to be supported, we have to ask for help, we have to research and find out where the help is. 

And then we have to make sure that we get the right help. So these are some of the things that we need to look at. So one of the biggest challenges for caregivers is the financial strain. As a person moves in, oh, your check is going to be enough to cover your expenses. However, excuse me, I'm sorry. However, if that person is on medication, they need a hospital bed, they need an air mattress, they need bed pads, they need all of this other stuff that's outside of the basic food, and food and clothes and medicine. These are expenses outside of expenses you don't think about, you don't think about and also to if that person moves in with you, the power bill goes up, the food bill goes up. So there's a lot of thing that goes on financially, that that you did not think about when that person is going to move in number one. 

Number two, there's also a financial situation, when you even take the person to a facility, what is it going to cost? Who's going to cover it? Are they going to be out of pocket? Out of pocket expenses? You know, what is the facility going to pay for and not going to pay for what is the family still responsible for these are the things that you have to look at, which can lead to financial instability. This can lead to instability. So, you know, you're thinking, okay, when you move in, it's gonna be it's gonna be okay. But then it's like this. So we have a problem, Houston so how are we going to solve that problem? How are we going to bring that back. So the financial piece is important to understand caregiver tax credits, family, medical, family, medical leave act, financial assistance, these are some of the things that you need to look at what the financial piece, and the resources to hopefully to help reduce the impact of the person moving in or reduce the impact or wherever they're going to stay. All right. 

Another thing about the importance of supporting caregivers as another situation is social isolation. Caregiving is lonely and can be an isolating experience, and becomes isolated because it's self inflicted. Let me say that again. We do it to ourselves, oh, I can do this, this my mama, this, my daddy, I can do this. And you don't ask for help and then you wonder why you stress overwhelm. And you know, you feel like a biscuit head is because you have created your own self. Like I said, self inflicted social isolation is because you started caregiving, and you cut out everything else you used to do in your life. Why? Nobody told you you had to do that. That's a decision you made yourself and so because you made that decision yourself, you expect everybody now just say woe is me. No, just because you're taking care of a loved one doesn't mean that you still can't have date night with your boo thing or your husband or your wife. It doesn't mean that you can't go out. These are things that when you're taking care of someone, you have got to let them know I'm still going out every Friday with my husband or my wife. I'm going out every Friday still with my girlfriends, we're going to hire someone to come in here and babysit you and watch you make sure you okay well why don't want to spend that money? Well, we are situation Houston. So these are the things that you have to talk about. You know, so far as knowing the financial please peace, but then the social isolation. I'm not gonna stop my life. Just because you hear I love you but I love you enough to know that I got to get away. And this is stuff that you have to talk about when you're talking about the importance of supporting the caregiver, the one giving the care the one giving the care. 

Okay, and then the next one is If it's important for the caregiver to continue getting education on whatever is going on with your loved one, say for instance, if they have Parkinson's or Dementia or Alzheimer's, or COPD, thyroid, Lewy disease, you know, neurosarcoidosis, whatever that may be, you need to keep up and continue to educate yourself on that person's diagnosis because the way they started, and we all are declining, the disease is, you know, after years and times, you're gonna see a decline, you know, when they get to your house, they'll probably peak, and then you'll see a decline. 

And sometimes when they get there, the decline has already been happening. So you got to educate yourself, you can't sit, you know, and not pay attention to the signs that they are declining. So you need to have yourself educated, so that when it's time to recognize that you can say, hey, some things are changing, we need to make some adjustments in your care, okay. And also two, to educate yourself, when it's time to go to the doctor, you can tell a doctor, these, this is what's happened in the last three months since we've been here. This person is rubbing their leg more, or this person is smacking their lips, or this person is eating less, I can't get her to drink. These are the things that consistent training and education will help you with with the importance of supporting a caregiver now and supporting yourself, but then also getting resources. 

Okay, so I want to give you a little bit of data. According to a report by AARP you know I love AARP honey. AARP care caregivers provide an estimated $470 billion worth of unpaid care each year. The National Alliance for Caregiving provides a variety of resources for caregivers, including information about financial assistance programs and caregiving support and the National Respite Locator Services provides information about respite care services available in each state. So these are some of the things so far as resources that can help you. You know what, not only would respite care, but then also to to help you with other financial assistance programs that are in your state. Once again, I'm Roz Jones of the Caregiver Cafe today we talked about the importance of supporting the caregivers, what is it that they need it? And so I want to thank you so much for tuning into caregiver cafe. Until next time, I look forward to seeing you and hope you will download our podcast. Until next time, take care.

07:53

Until your next visit to the caregiver Cafe connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn and her blog at the caregivercafe.net. Caregiver Cafe podcast specializes in serving those who provide care and support to a sick or aging loved one. I'm the voice guy, but I'm one of you. So when Roz has on experts or frontline workers, I'm listening. We hope you've enjoyed the show. In the meantime, don't forget to connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn or at the blog at the caregivercafe.net