Watch this video blog: Research Shows Family Caregivers Want More Education on Caregiving
The National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP did an extensive report on “Caregiving in the U.S. 2009”. The report shows that the increase for information and formal caregiver training has increased over the past 5 years.
What family caregivers want is more information and education on, is care recipient safety at home, easy activities to do with the person they are caring for, as well as how to choose a home care agency, assisted living facility or nursing home. A large portion wanted information on one subject and since the report showed an increase in those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease – that is one of those areas we just can’t give families enough information and guidance.
It was interesting to me that families looked to the doctor for ideas on education and in our area very few physicians are aware of what is available in the community unless they were connected to a senior service of a local hospital. They also looked to their caregiving provider for information – however, not all home care agencies have skilled professionals to provide caregiver specific education.
Another surprising finding is caregivers expressed less desire for information about finding time for themselves. I am not sure how to interpret this – I would like to say that they all find time for self-care or at least more know of the importance of caring for oneself while caring for another. I hope it isn’t that they are overly focused on caregiving and have not thought about their own needed self-care.
See our website for the classes and support groups we have scheduled in our offices and in the community. We believe information is empowering.