The Reality

According to the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, almost 30% of all U.S. households are already involved in caregiving. The number of caregivers will continue to grow exponentially as life expectancy increases.

Consider these facts:

• In the next 30 years the population of people over age 65 will DOUBLE!
– The U.S. Census Bureau

• At least 15% of those over the age of 65 are affected by depression.
– National Mental Health Association

• The elderly make up 13% of the U.S. population, but consume 30% of all prescribed medicines, and 40% of over-the-counter drugs.
– Nursing Spectrum Magazine, summarizing the results of several published studies

• Elderly individuals are hospitalized for adverse medicine reactions SIX times more often than the non-elderly population. Of all hospital admissions of the elderly in a recent study, 17% were attributed to medication problems.
– Archives of Internal Medicine reporting on The Role of Medical Noncompliance and Adverse Drug Reaction of the Elderly

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

You may be confronted with a myriad of issues and find yourself asking questions like:

• Where do I start?
• What information do I need to gather?
• How do I talk with my parent/relative?
• What do I need to talk to them about?
• How do I know when to intervene?
• How do I adapt to my new role as caregiver?
• What can I do to avoid caregiver burnout?
• How do I determine what “in-home” resources are available?
• How do I make use of community resources?
• What factors should be considered in determining whether or not my relative may need to move?
• What housing options are available?
• What criteria should be used in determining the type of environment that my relative needs?
• What does Medicare really cover?
• How do I help my relative protect his/her financial future?
• What legal planning does my relative need to undertake?
• Who will advocate his/her healthcare needs?
• Can I manage long distance caregiving?