Respite Care: Caring for the Caregivers

Aimee Sharp
Author | Shield HealthCare
11/11/14  11:43 PM PST
Care for caregivers

By the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services

Janet Barker could write a book about being a caregiver. Barker spent 13 years taking care of her mother, evolving from tracking her mother’s medications to living with her in a senior housing setting. Along with a sister, she now helps care for her 95-year-old aunt.

People like Barker who provide unpaid voluntary care and assistance for family members are sometimes called “family caregivers.” They are adult children, spouses, friends, neighbors, parents or grandparents of those receiving care. By helping with daily activities such as meal preparation, bathing and dressing, medication, transportation, shopping, and more, they provide much of the support that lets people stay in their homes and out of institutions.

A 2012 report by the Alzheimer’s Association states that 15 million of those family caregivers are caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, the typical caregiver is a 46-year-old woman caring for her widowed mother who does not live with her. She is married and employed.

Read The Full Article at Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

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