Millennials, the New Generation of Caregivers For years, millennials have been regulars on the news for supposedly “killing off” mainstays of industry and culture, from homeownership to buying once standard items like napkins, breakfast cereal and diamonds. But one thing that millennials can’t be accused of killing off? Unpaid caregiving. Every year, more and more millennials step up to take charge of caring for a loved one, providing physical, personal and emotional care and support, often while attending school, working one or more jobs, taking care of young families and navigating student loan debt. Read more
Using Resources to Help Choose Home Care Home health care agencies can provide care to a loved one right in his or her own home. They offer a wide range of services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and skilled nursing care. Receiving care in the home still offers the same effective care one would receive in a hospital or nursing facility, while typically being more cost-effective and convenient. Finding which home health agency to use for a loved one can be a daunting task. However, there are resources out there that can help ease the stress of finding the best home health care for a loved one. Read more
Reducing the Stress of a Transition to Assisted Living The decision to move a loved one to assisted living can be one of the hardest a caregiver can make. However, if we are caring for a loved one with a chronic disease, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia, it may become necessary to consider assisted living placement if we lack the time, resources or support to continue caring for a loved one at home. Shifting a loved one’s care to an assisted living facility may seem as if it will relieve many of the stresses of caregiving such as anxiety, depression or feeling overburdened. However, studies show that assisted living placement can instead change the type of stressors a caregiver experiences rather than eliminate them. Read more
Helping a Loved One Maintain Good Credit While it’s important for all of us, at any age, to keep our finances in good condition, issues of credit card debt are growing among older adults. If we are caring for a loved one struggling with debt and maintaining good credit, it is important for us to understand credit scoring and how to help a loved one improve their credit so they can better manage debt. Read more
I’m the Man (and the Caregiver) All of us caring for aging loved ones face unique challenges. Societal expectations about who handles these responsibilities – and how they should be handled – make some of these challenges ever more difficult for male caregivers. After all, when we think and talk about family caregivers, most of us immediately envision a woman, usually a wife or a daughter, and it is with this image in mind that most caregiver support programs have been created. And yet, according to a recent AARP study, 44 percent of family caregivers for older adults—or six million caregivers—are actually men, and 28 percent of these men are millennials Read more
Planning for the Future after a Dementia Diagnosis: Why Working Together Is Important If we are caring for a loved one who has recently been diagnosed with dementia or a related disorder such as Alzheimer’s Disease, it can feel devastating. Often, families avoid having discussions with their loved one about what the diagnosis could mean for their future out of fear. As the disease progresses over time, we may find ourselves as a caregiver in the position of making important care or health-related decisions for a loved one in a time of crisis, even if we have never previously discussed with our loved one what kind of care they would prefer. As a result, we may feel guilty about having to make decisions on our loved one’s behalf, without prior knowledge of their care values and preferences. Read more
Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Older Adults It may strike some as surprising, but the rates of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in older adults are rising. Older people who are sexually active may be at risk for diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, genital herpes, hepatitis B, genital warts and trichomoniasis. Read more
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease and What Comes After As your loved one ages, you may grow concerned about the possibility of them developing Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. However, you may not know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of the disease, how best to discuss your concerns with your loved one, or how to care for them if a diagnosis is made. If you are looking to take some initial steps to assess your loved one’s condition, consider these common questions regarding Alzheimer’s disease to help you better understand the disease and its symptoms and what steps you can take to prepare yourself and your loved one for a diagnosis. Read more
Protecting A Loved One From Self-Neglect It can be challenging to ensure the needs of an older family member, or a loved one living with a disability are met. It can be especially difficult if they are living alone or cannot care for themselves because of physical or cognitive declines, such as dementia. In some cases, a loved one’s health condition or social isolation can put them at risk to self-neglect. Read more
The Impact of Caregiving on Family Members and Friends Family members and friends provide an average of 80% of the help needed by older adults who are unable to independently complete all their daily activities due to an illness or disability. While assistance from professionals or paid helpers may also be beneficial, most of the time, family members and friends are the main source of support, with one or more assisting and serving in the role of caregiver. Read more
