Informal Caregiver Case Study

July 02, 2010, I received a letter from the Department of Social Services Caregiver Background Check Bureau notifying me that I no longer had a background clearance. The letter stated that I had to resign from Villa Serra my employer at that time. I immediately, called my supervisor, Sandra, to inform her I was resigning because I received a letter, which informed me I had to resign because I longer had a background clearance. My superior insisted I show up to work the following day and show the letter I received to the main boss, Greg. The following day I provided Greg with the letter and he contacted corporate and they confirmed that I needed a background clearance to continue working with them. At this point I was terminated from Villa

Long-term care or nursing home was used by someone requiring help with physical and emotional needs, etc. The role of informal caregivers like family and friends are to help those less fortunate than themselves. In the past, there were several generations living under the same roof of the informal caregivers. (Pratt)(2016), “There are several types of services that makeup the institutional and nonistitutional care.” (p20) (Pratt)(2016), “Institutionalized cares are mainly the nursing care, assisted living care, subacute care and housing services because these are in a facility.”

Chapter 1 introduces the argument for examining informal eldercare and offers a glimpse into the lives of diverse informal elder caregivers. The chapter provides a brief introduction to the theoretical perspectives that frame this proposal, ethics of care or care ethics, Black feminism and critical race feminism perspectives. The chapter also poses questions as to why this proposed study should proceed to the next phase, as well as, its significance, limitations, and delimitation. In addition, it provides the definition of terms to enlighten readers who are unfamiliar with aging and eldercare terminology. Chapter 2 will contain the review of related literature and research related to the problem being examined, whereas chapter 3 will furnish

A caregiver is anyone who provides care for another person in need, such as a child, an aging parent, a husband or wife, a relative, friend, or neighbor. A caregiver also may be a paid professional who provides care in the home or at a place that is not the person's home (Pinquart, M., & Sorensen, S. 2003).

Primary Caretaker(s): Christina Cromeny (biologcial mother) and Joe Price Jr. (Christina's boyfriend) Address: 6480 Tate Marshall Road, Coldwater, MS 38618

The challenge America now faces is the number of people reaching retirement will double in number by 2030, and the U.S. population will increase almost 20 percent ("Our Aging Nation," 2015). The goal is for the elderly to maintain and live with independence and dignity, as well as, provide a wide range of professional health and social service expertise, home care, and residential support and services that will be needed ("Our Aging Nation," 2015). Since the number of caregivers needed for this population will not be able to meet the demands other resolutions are considered necessary.

A significant number of our aging population now relies on their family for some level of care. Families now provide every level of care from helping with household chores that have become difficult all the way to providing daily care when the senior becomes bed ridden. Many families are finding it difficult to help because they already have demands on their time and financial resources. For family members that cannot entirely give up their incomes to care for an aging relative, but are willing to make a job change, technology has created many opportunities for income that not only didn't exist ten years ago, but can be a perfect fit for a care giver.

Ample research exists that focuses on care recipients and elder caregivers, but generally, with a white majority as participants. However, there is limited research that examines health disparities and socioeconomic inequities’ impact on aging organizations and health care providers’ cultural awareness, competence and sensitivity when delivering care and services to minority informal elder caregivers and their care recipients, and the effect of those influences. Montgomery and Kosloski (2009) contends that informal eldercare research has not been successful due to the inconsistencies in caregivers’ experiences. Due to the complexities of African American eldercare, it is important that this proposed qualitative narrative inquiry occur to

A study that used data from the National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS) was conducted at the Center for Demographic Studies at Duke University to look at who receives in-home care from a sample of 2428 adults. They found that overall the odds of receiving at least one hour of home care services were about 2 times greater for older people with family incomes over $75,000 per year and at the same time, the odds for receiving the same services for individuals with family incomes over $30,000 were .22 times the odds of families in the lowest income category (Alexander L. Janus1* and John Ermisch2). The same study showed that 63% of caregivers were paid by personal sources and 28% by Medicaid (Alexander L. Janus1* and John Ermisch2). This means that only 9% of the caregivers work with individuals that fall between the highest income category and the lowest income category further showing the lack of HCBS services accessible to the population of people 65 and older who do not fall in the middle income

Due to the unpaid family care that is provided by informal caregivers, less money is spent by Medicare or Medicaid. Informal care also helps society since it helps control the costs of total long-term care. If informal caregivers did not provide their care, total long-term costs would double since the value of informal care exceeds the costs of paid home care.

Although, a partner or spouse is a caregiver to the other they should still manage to take time for themselves so they will not be to stressed. They should try to get a paid caregiver, that way the spouses can be together, enjoy each other's company and focusing on sharing. They should also continue to do daily activities to stay active. One major issue that comes along with the spouses as caregiver is when the other has Alzheimer's because it has an emotional effect

During the stages Alzheimer’s in which the resident is in need of care, but that care is not too complex, it is most common to turn to an informal caregiver. According to the 2016 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (2016), “In 2015, caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias provided an estimated 18.1 billion hours of informal (that is, unpaid) assistance, a contribution to the nation valued at $221.3 billion” (p. 32). Informal caregivers are mainly daughters and spouses of the residents. Females make up the majority of family member caretakers, but it is becoming more common for men to take on this role (Brodaty & Donkin, 2009). Roughly a third of the caretakers in the United States are over the age of sixty-five and the majority are married or are in long term relationships. It has also been found that around 23% of caretakers for residents with dementia also have their own children under age eighteen (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). This can increase the level of stress that the caregiver faces, as he or she is being stretched in different directions.

In the U.S, one in four will be aged 60 years and older by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). This represents an overwhelming number of people who will either be in the caretaker role or be the ROC. Like today, most of the care will be provided by informal unpaid caregivers. The number of informal unpaid caregivers is expected to rise from 20 million in 2000 to 37 million in 2050 (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [ASPE], 2003). Because of the burden of care giving, many caregivers will experience depression, poor health and quality of life (Etters, Goodall, & Harrison, 2008). Their well-being is an important public health concern.

Anyone can become a carer and for numerous reasons, yet adult care is predominantly undertaken by family members during later life. Although some may relish and find this role rewarding, others may not on account of the sacrifices and massive changes which occur in their own life. The pressures attributed to care can overwhelm carers, leaving them physically, emotionally and mentally drained and too ill to continue caring. Consequently, The Care Act 2014 has been introduced to address this issue and give recognition to the valuable service provided by unpaid carers as

For informal caregivers, self-identifying can be viewed as a complicated chapter to undertake due to the issues that may arise along the way (Dobrof & Ebenstein, 2003). The authors state that many are slow to accept the title of caregiver because it may signal a change of self-perception and that of their care recipient, and in their own daily activities (Dobrof & Ebenstein, 2003). Ebaugh posits (as cited in Dobrof & Ebenstein, 2003, p. 35) that a person’s social roles induce hesitation because those roles affect people’s conception of self and self-identity. The author states that “when there is role change,” the integrity of the self is jeopardized to some degree” according to Ebaugh (as cited in Dobrof & Ebenstein, 2003, p. 35). Another