Category Archives: Family Caregiver

Celebrating Older Americans Month – Communities of Strength

Each May, the Administration for Community Living champions the national observance  of Older Americans Month.  “Communities of Strength” is the theme for 2021.

I can think of no other time in that this theme could be more appropriate as we have witnessed one of the most challenging years in history.  Older Americans have proven to be our source of wisdom, strength, perseverance and a model of overcoming difficulties.   And I will add that the communities that support older adults have risen to the challenges of creating new ways to engage and build even stronger communities in the face of unprecedented challenges brought on by a global pandemic.

The health and well being of older adults, especially is grounded in connecting with others.  It is paramount to the health and well-being of everyone, but especially as we age.  Thanks to the Administration for Community Living and other governmental bodies that have collaborated to serve the needs of older adults, we have continued to see more emphasis placed on connection and engagement than ever before.  COVID created opportunities for bridging creativity and  technology so that older adults, especially those living alone or even in community could continue to engage with others in meaningful ways.

As we all look forward to seeing COVID in our rear view mirrors,  what we’ve learned as a body of stakeholders serving older adults, is first and foremost that we have even more ways than ever to strengthen our communities by collaborating with others, using technology and learning to be flexible.  We don’t know if and when we will be in a similar position, but chances are we will be much better prepared to serve older adults in times of need.

This is critically important as our older adult population grows at an extraordinary rate.  Because we are living longer, more stakeholders will need to work collaboratively and creatively than ever in our history to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of an aging population.  We will need to broaden our efforts to educate others on important aging issues, so that older adults are not marginalized.  We must keep up our efforts to teach and support family members who are caring for older adults and strengthen our aging services’ providers with new policies and training to support the direct care workforce, currently facing monumental challenges.

As we honor our older adults who are the backbone of our society,  I hope all Americans will take time this month to reach out to older adults in their own lives who have made a difference, and consider donating needed time, money and resources to community organizations who are working tirelessly to support the needs of older Americans in this country.

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate Training Institute and a passionate advocate for older adults and those who care for them.   AGE-u-cate is a global organization dedicated to developing innovative and effective training for professional and family caregivers.  

How Can We Better Support and Educate Family Caregivers?

Family CaregiversAccording to estimates from the National Alliance for Caregiving, during the past year, 65.7 million Americans (or 29 percent of the adult U.S. adult population involving 31 percent of all U.S. households) served as family caregivers for an ill or disabled relative.   That is 65.7 million family caregivers who are desperately needing education, training, support and help with finding available resources.  We must do a better job as these numbers are increasing drastically with our aging population.

I am passionate about family caregiving needs.  Why?  Because over 25 years ago, I became a family caregiver myself.  With zero preparation and knowledge, little did I know that for the next 15 years I would be identified as a family caregiver for my aging parents.  But 25 year ago I didn’t identify as a caregiver for my parents.  I was raising my two young children for goodness sake!  I loved and respected my parents dearly so I was just doing what a loving child should do.  Little did I know the emotional, physical and spiritual challenges that comes with caring for an aging parent.  Would I trade  that time?  Absolutely not!  Did it make me a passionate advocate for anyone sharing the journey that I walked?  You bet.

I’m going to be very frank in saying that in the 25+ years that I have personally and professionally been in the family caregiving space, we have made some strides.  Not fast enough to keep up with demands.  We still have lots of work to do to include families to actively and  intentionally include them as part of the care team.

A new study lead by Jo-Ana Chase, assistant professor in the University of Missouri’s Sinclair School of Nursing, interviewed family caregivers of old adults who received home health care after a hospitalization to better understand caregiver’s experience regarding training and support.

She found that most family caregivers receive little formal training, and these caregivers need home health care providers to proactively engage them in planning and decision-making for more effective, coordinated care.

“Caregivers want to know how best to care for their loved ones, but they often feel like they are learning on their own,” Chase says.

As stakeholders across the spectrum of care, we will all see better outcomes by including families as a integral member of the care team.  But we must do so intentionally.  Are we including in our staff training the needs of families?  There are many complex issues that family caregivers face, and if staff do not understand their challenges, then they certainly cannot be expected to help them find solutions.

The weaknesses in our healthcare system have been made abundantly clear with the events of COVID-19.  At the same time, we have many opportunities to take from these lessons and make our organizations better.  This is the time that leaders must take a hard look at how effectively they are training and supporting their staff AND families.  Without both of these working together, we’ll continue to struggle in providing the quality of care that our older adults deserve.

Pam Brandon is President and Founder of AGE-u-cate Training Institute, a global company dedicated to quality aging and dementia care training.   AGE-u-cate’s latest initiative, REVEAL Aging Workforce training includes in all of it’s courses, staff training on the needs of families.  Pam may be reached at pam@AGEucate.com

 

 

#KnowMorePD – Elevating Awareness of Parkinson’s Disease

April marks Parkinson’s Awareness Month and the theme the Parkinson’s Foundation has chosen is #KnowMorePD to help elevate the public’s awareness of the disease and to share the resources available to those who are diagnosed with PD and their families

Parkinsons’s Disease (PD) is a complex movement disorder with symptoms that vary from person to person.  Some of these symptoms may include tremors, slurred speech,  a masked face, slow movement, and unsteady gait.  Because PD is largely misunderstood  by the general public and even healthcare professionals, it’s often frightening to see a person struggle with these symptoms.  And when people don’t understand what is happening, they generally react by becoming fearful or avoiding that person.

My mother’s journey with PD was one that she would often describe as life on a roller coaster.  One day, she would feel energetic and would go about her activities with ease, and the next day, exhaustion would overtake her, making the simplest tasks a monumental feet.

Along with the physical symptoms that others would see (and not understand), such as slowness of movement and unsteady gait, PD can wreak havoc on the inside.  My mother, like others  living with PD often struggled with depression, ill side effects from medications that are constantly in need of adjustment, and feeling self-conscious for unexplained  physical movements.  While PD can be managed with medications, it is a disease that progresses, so living with the unknown of what will happen to body and mind can lead to a constant fear of tomorrow.

As her caregiver, I too felt her emotions, because that is what caregivers do – take on the emotions of those they love.  So that ‘roller coaster’ was a ride we both shared.  It’s so very important for persons who are diagnosed with PD to seek education, resources and support – for themselves and their care partners and families.  With education comes empowerment, and with support comes the community of others to help with knowing you are not alone.

While there is so much advancement being done to treat PD and research that will hopefully lead to cure, we must also focus our efforts on elevating our awareness, education, resources and support for this mysterious and challenging disease.   Please support the work of the many national organizations who are working tirelessly to bring an end to PD, and to your local chapters and community organizations who help bring awareness and education to people like my mom and me who journeyed together in living with Parkinson’s Disease.

#KnowMorePD

Pam Brandon is President/Founder of AGE-u-cate Training Institute, a global organization dedicated to supporting aging services providers with caregiver training to improve the quality of life for older adults.

 

 

 

 

Home Sweet Home: Transforming Aging in Place

 

This is where people want to be.. home. It is time to examine changes needed for people stay safe and well with availability of appropriate care and services.

The Home Health/Care Industry quickly stepped up to the plate during the COVID pandemic.  The demand for services ballooned almost over-night, and providers responded with a fierce determination to serve those in need.

The challenges were not that different from long term care.  However, one might argue they were a bit more challenging due to the remote nature of the workforce.

COVID testing and protocol training required an enormous amount of coordination.  Another challenge was the lack of testing for the home-bound elders, and discovering that in desperation for care,  dishonesty of symptoms was a factor.

Transforming Aging in Place

There is no question that most people in need of care assistance wish to remain at home, for as long as possible.  The reality is that meeting this societal expectation is nearly impossible, for many reasons.

Workforce.  The United States is not investing in building a sustainable workforce.

Regulation.  The current regulations constrain homecare service delivery.  In Illinois, the Home Health/Services regulations were last updated in 2006.  This is a likely scenario in other states as well.

Training.  It is time to update content and delivery methods to meet the needs of a remote workforce.

Join in a round-table conversation with Susan Scatchell, Business Development Director of Gentle Home Services and Pam Brandon, President and Founder, AGE-u-cate.  Susan and Pam will discuss the challenges and opportunities to transform the experience of aging in place.

Register here for Home Sweet Home:  Transforming Aging in Place.  Wednesday, March 17, 1:00pm CST.

We hope you are able to join the discussion and help to re-imagine the future of this vital industry.

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is a the Director of Grants and Consulting Projects and a Certified Master Trainer with AGE-u-cate Training Institute. In addition, she is an instructor and of Gerontology and Leadership in Aging Services at Northern Illinois University and lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburb of Mount Prospect, IL.