Link to article on InsightNews.com
Guest Column by Deb Taylor
Retirement is supposed to be a time of leisure, after decades spent in the working world and raising children. But millions of seniors, because of our increasingly aging population, are finding themselves as caregivers – pursuing a new labor of love, the care of a spouse or another loved one.
Gail, 78, works seven days a week, mornings through evenings, caring for her 85-year-old husband David who suffers from dementia. Because he awakens frequently, Gail finally had to hire an aide for overnights. “I’m no spring chicken myself, I need my rest,” she said.
As many older caregivers struggle to keep their loved one out of a nursing home, the constant attention and care can take a toll on their own health. Numerous studies show that many caregivers die before the loved one for whom they care.
Older adults tough it out, feeling a loving sense of obligation. Alvin, 75, cares for his wife Ronda who’s battling diabetes and debilitating arthritis. He helps her with bathing, dressing and moving about the house. Constant vigilance is required because if she falls, it could quickly become a very serious complication. “When this started, I told her that she’d cared for me for 50 years, I guess it’s my turn.”
The National Alliance for Caregiving found that caregivers older than 75 spend on average 34 hours a week on caregiving tasks. This time together, while aging in place, doesn’t have to be a stressful season of life, especially at an age where endurance and physical strength begin to wane.
At Senior Community Services, we know that most Minnesota seniors prefer to live in their own home. And, across the state, family and friends provide more than 90 percent of care for seniors still living at home. However, most of these caregivers have no formal training in geriatric care.
Our goal is to support their independence as long as possible with services that provide a respite and make life more manageable. Our staff and volunteers assist them with household duties they can no longer manage alone. We help ease their isolation and loneliness at our many senior centers, help them navigate the seemingly endless depths of complex healthcare options ( and saving them money) and provide care coordination for caregivers who dutifully and lovingly do all they can day in and day out.
Thankfully, Senior Community Services is able to help them Reimagine Aging in a healthier way that better meets their needs. And tools, like our innovative website CareNextion.org, enable them to better manage the care and responsibilities.
The challenges are here to stay. The needs are growing. Soon, there will be more seniors than school children in Minnesota. And in the next decade, one in four Minnesotans will be 65 or older.
Thankfully, there are a lot of people willing to help, and that’s good, because we’re all part of the solution. Help is a phone call or mouse click away.
Deb Taylor is CEO of Senior Community Services (www.seniorcommunity.org) and its Reimagine Aging Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for older adults and helps seniors and caregivers maintain their independence through free or low-cost services.
