Caregiving

WELCOME TO OUR PAGE ON CAREGIVING.

* Care is provided for a variety of reasons. Among them are:

Shopping
Transportation
Bathing
Dressing
Money management
Friendly visiting
Cooking, laundry, housekeeping
Monitor medications
Helping someone to remain in the community
Provide emotional support and companionsip
Help walk or to get around
Everyone expects you to fulfill these tasks
You can add to this list

Most of us become caregivers at some time during our life time. Some of us are caregivers for elders who have mental health problems including depression, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, dementia, etc. This page is for those caregivers.

* Care is given by many different people:

Informal Caregivers- include but are not limited to:

Family(spouses, children, siblings, partners, et.al.)
Friends
Neighbors

Formal Providers - include but are not limited to:

Homemakers
Personal care aides
Social workers
Nurses
Therapists
Physicians

All of those and more are caregivers.

Informal caregivers are not paid and often provide care at great cost(financial, emotional, physical, relational. etc.). Most caregiving(about 80-85 %) is provided by informal caregivers.

Formal providers are paid( not always well) and provide care at great odds(unrealistic expectations, unclear situations, unfamiliar environments and relationships, etc.)

All who provide care for impaired elders feel some degree of responsibility for them and their families. All are faced with many challenges in order to preserve the elder's dignity.

With that in mind this page will support caregivers and do the following: