Americans don’t like to talk about those in our aging population. But caregivers don’t have that luxury, and neither should we.
For those lacking adequate resources, the challenges of providing care are magnified and compounded by stress, difficult physical labor, out-of-pocket expenses, loneliness and worry. It is no wonder that caregiving, although rewarding in many ways, threatens caregivers’ physical, emotional, mental and financial health.of a critical shortage of direct care workers
, which seriously limits the alternatives for even the wealthiest. In addition, there is a dearth of health care professionals with the specialized knowledge and skills needed to provide the counseling and treatments needed to support the physical and emotional needs of those living with dementia, not to mention their caregivers.
Society still too often dismisses the contributions of caregivers as “women’s work” and ignores the volunteer labor that keeps the long-term care system afloat. About 60% of caregivers, according to the same report, are employed, which results in other challenges. They may experience workplace policies that inadvertently penalize them for being caregivers. Moreover, the federal government has been slow to provide the tangible resources and workplace protections caregivers need.
Tax incentives for employers need to be set up to promote the development of special programs for employed caregivers. Federal and state dollars need to be used to provide health professionals with the skills to support caregivers and manage the symptoms of persons with living with dementia. We also need to earmark more funds for training direct care workers and creating wages and working environments that acknowledge the value of their work.
Federal programs like Medicare need to be adapted to better address the needs of those living with progressive chronic illnesses, and bolster their informal support systems. Critical federal legislation like
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