Primary Caregiver

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.

In addition, eldercare has also become a more complex institution that involves six key stakeholder groups, which are care recipients, community-based service agencies, employers, government programs, healthcare providers, informal caregivers, and nongovernmental programs (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). Unfortunately, there are times they each appear to operate as separate entities, which leads to occasional overlaps in care, that interferes with their objectives of ensuring that older adults can age with dignity and that informal caregivers receive their appropriate assistance and attention according to Bookman and Kimbrel (2011). There is a mounting body of literature that proposes that in addition to providing an array of instrumental and emotional

Caregivers takes many forms, some are paid and some work voluntarily and even many of us work as caregivers for our parents, grandparents but we do not realize that we are caregivers actually. Those old aged people who do not have some family members to take care of them can benefit from support and incentives programs. Caregivers manage a wide range of responsibilities. In your family, for example: Who will help with buying groceries, cooking, cleaning

In the U.S., there is an essential population of informal caregivers that devote a significant amount of time and resources to caring for older adults with impairments. However, due to the informal nature of these caregiver relationships, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of this population. In “A National Profile of Family and Unpaid Caregivers Who Assist Older Adults with Health Care Activities (2016)”, Wolff and colleagues highlight the importance of understanding the responsibilities of caregivers and how this may affect their own health, as well as the need to identify the basic characteristics of informal caregivers. Therefore, the primary objective of this study by Wolff and colleagues (2016) was to characterize the common responsibilities of caregivers, their utilization of supportive services, as well as to identify the effects of caregiver-related responsibilities on their health. Ultimately, this information may inform future public health services and health care systems to provide much needed support and resources to these caregivers.

The article suggests that to decrease EOL elder abuse, residential and hospice caregivers need more education. Caregivers should know how to handle elders at the end of life stage and know their role as a caregiver. When caregivers know their roles it will assist in the reduction of on the job stress, and eliminate their codependency on the EOL elder. In addition, understanding the knowledge of laws may discourage caregivers from abusing victims. It’s important for both the caregiver and the family to understand what causes abuse, and the resources available to them.

Services that are specific to the aging population are “1) Educating caregivers about aging, health, and mental health 2)Counseling to help families cope with the stresses of caregiving 3)Coordinating care and services 4) Linking caregivers with the resources they need 5)Helping families plan for the future 6)Leading support groups for family caregivers 7)Working through conflicts and managing crises 8)Advocating to help families reach their goals 9)Communicating with other service providers and organizations and 10)Helping families find their way through transitions.” (NASW Standards,

When one thinks of grandparents, they are usually compared to as being a wiser adult who has had various positive and negative life experiences and throughout it all managed to keep their family together. The family structure has changed and more grandparents are forced into parenting for second generation children. Raising second generation children can be difficult for the grandparents who have been forced into the role of becoming a primary caregiver. Most children have a loving and trusting relationship with their grandparents, but when the roles have been forced to change the environment changes as well. With the mass amount of changes happening to the family structure, it was necessary to assist these secondary grandparents in learning how to promote and advocate in their new roles as secondary parents. With the structural changes faced by African Americans, it was appropriate to use this group because of the barriers and challenges faced and it allows for a replication with other groups. African American women can become dominant in an unfamiliar setting, so limiting the size of the group was justifiable and allowed for more interaction and engagement among participants. Using the family system theory would be necessary because this theory places an emphasis on reciprocal relationships and mutual influences between the individual components (Barker, p. 157).

Declining health and depression are two of the largest reasons families look into assisted living homes for aging loved ones. Making sure that the healthcare needs of the elderly are met becomes a priority for every family as the roles begin to reverse from the parent being the primary caregiver of their children to the children being responsible for meeting the needs of aging parents. Diseases such Alzheimer’s and dementia are very difficult for not only the

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.

The demands for informal care are also increasing due to the growth of the oldest old with chronic illnesses, more women finding jobs outside of the home, more complex families that include older relatives living with their adult children, and racial and class inequities. These households may not be able to afford total long-term care and then have to rely on informal caregivers. However, these families then lack the knowledge they need and are unprepared when they are providing informal care. They are not informed on the aging process or any sources available to their older

As the population ages, the number of potential caregivers in the total population is shrinking relative to the number of people who need care. By 2030, there will be only 4 potential caregivers for every potential care recipient. There will be fewer people in the age range when large number of people provide eldercare (from the mid 40s to the mid 60s) and more people in the age range to receive care (age 80 and up). This means that when a parent or other family member needs care, there may only be one family member who can provide it.

The family role of elders and sickness go hand in hand. Elders are held in a high regard being a well-respected member of their community. Due to this their families are very active in caring for their wellbeing. The majority of elders want to live on their own but when they cannot physically care for themselves, although they may move into their family’s home if care can’t be performed adequately. When this happens the elders will live in nursing homes but if family is still present, they are very active in their care. Overall when it comes to the care of any individual in the family the other members are active in giving emotional and spiritual support.

In order to allow for the identification of a primary care pediatrician, patients identify the doctor’s lifetime value. With that, patients will place an emphasis on their relationship with the pediatrician. A strong relationship involves trust and communication, when a pediatrician and patient are able to work together, the overall quality of care can improve dramatically. To begin with, we must understand how a pediatrician can create a relationship. Patients feel the need to bring awareness to their needs and wants, including a conversation with a doctor they can empathize with. This allows the patient to realize the amount of care the pediatrician will practice. In order to sustain brand loyalty, it is necessary to acknowledge the situation

The older adult population in the United States has steadily increased thanks to technology and medical advances. While this definitely is an undeniable achievement, it also creates some challenges that society was not as prevalent to face before. Now that people are living longer it’s also means that often times family members are becoming caregivers to their loved ones during their so called golden years. Not only may it be difficult to care for a loved one, but it also becomes even more burdensome when their loved has a disability. In fact “dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide.” (2016). Fortunately there are adult day centers that serve people with dementia and provide services that can benefit them. However many times caregivers are forgotten about and aren’t provided services that can also benefit them as well. While it does take a bit of pressure off of the caregivers while their loved ones are at the day center, it does not eliminate all the other effects. Many people may not be aware that there are detrimental effects that a caregiver may experience as a result of caring for someone with dementia.

For instance, the women that I have helped live by themselves without support for their families. The U.S. Census Bureau indicates that between 80 to 90 percent of care comes from spouses and family members (Sherr & Ellor). Spouses and family members have loving and trusting relationship that allows the elder family member to appreciate the support that they are providing them. Furthermore, Pope Francis states, “The elderly need the care of family members – whose affection cannot be replaced by the most efficient structures or the most competent and charitable healthcare workers” (Harris). However, taking care of a loved one becomes a burden and family members try their best to provide support. It is a challenge for a caregiver to help their older family member and take care of their own family. In some cases, they forgo their personal lives to care for their family members. The high stress levels and low options of support can lead to abuse or neglect of the older family member. Especially if the elder family member’s health is not increasing with the service that their family is providing them, then that family member is going to get frustrated and not continue to help their elder family member. Thus in some cases, families will send their parents or grandparents to nursing homes and senior citizen homes for care and they may be abused by their nurses or