As life spans grow longer, adult children are increasingly caring for their older parents — something few people actively plan for.
When Reddit user Tiffer82 found herself in this predicament, there was only so much she could do. Her father had begun to lose his cognitive functions and started to require more attention than the woman could provide.
Because of this, she introduced her family to the idea of hiring professionals to do the job, but her mother immediately objected, sparking additional tension around the topic.
Out of a desire to remain independent in their homes, some elders choose to “age in place”
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual image)
But that means family members with no medical training might be forced to become caretakers out of necessity
Image credits: zinkevych (not the actual image)
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle (not the actual image)
Image credits: Tiffer82
Sadly, such cases are far too common
It is estimated that over 53 million Americans are unpaid caregivers. On average, at-home care in the U.S. costs $61,000 per year, while a private room in a nursing facility is nearly double that.
Nicole Jorwic, chief of advocacy and campaigns for Caring Across Generations, believes the situation is “beyond a crisis point.”
“It’s been a rolling crisis and we’re at a catastrophic point,” she told CBS.
Jorwic advocates for government action to support family caregivers, who she notes provide $600 billion of unpaid care annually.
Because it can be so costly, some try to take on that task by themselves, however, according to Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) Associate Professor Cristina Hendrix, DNS, GNP-BC, FNP, FAAN, whose research focuses on developing and implementing interventions to train and support family and friends of adults in home-based care, lost hours of paid work coupled with gaps in care, such as missing an important sign of worsening condition that might result in an emergency care visit, can lead to even higher costs overall.
Caregiving is a journey, Hendrix said, which usually starts with a diagnosis of a medical condition and ends only after the passing of the patient, so it’s important to consider the needs of everyone involved.
As the woman’s story went viral, she joined the discussion in its comments section
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