Local News
Providing care for the caregivers
A good post-holiday present, according to one local agency, is for family members to let a caregiver have a weekend free for a vacation or a night free for a movie.
Date: 1/2/2010
Posted by St Catherine Hospital on 1/6/2010
By MONICA SPRINGER
The holidays are typically an added stress for those who care for a sick parent, spouse, sibling or other relative, according to St. Catherine Hospice. And often after Christmas, the caregiver feels tired mentally, physically and emotionally.
According to a study done by Kansas State University Research and Extension, more people are becoming caregivers. In 2009, 31.2 percent of American households queried included one caregiver, said Debra Sellers, KSU Research and Extension specialist on adult development and aging.
The study also found that 66 percent of caregivers are female, Sellers said. The average age of the caregivers is 48, and the caregiver is often the daughter who lives the closest who takes the responsibility for aging parents, grandparents or extended family.
Kenne Whitson, director at St. Catherine Hospice, said he agrees with the findings of the study.
Whitson said the aging population and the fact that the average lifespan keeps increasing means more people will care for elderly parents and other family members.
In light of the holidays, there are a few ways that families can relieve stress on a person serving as the caregiver, Whitson said. That includes the caregiver having a list of ways family members can help, including cleaning up the yard, going grocery shopping or helping on household projects.
And help often is hampered by family members living in different cities or not communicating effectively, Whitson said.
Family members living away from home can assist by hiring help to relieve a caregiver, researching health care options and opportunities and helping to cover costs from a distance, Sellers said.
The Kansas Department on Aging offers the following suggestions for caregivers: get sufficient sleep; eat a healthy diet; stay physically fit; have periodic health checkups; do not abuse alcohol and drugs; spend social time with family and friends; pursue your own interests; seek support from family, friends, professionals, religious advisors or join peer support groups; and use appropriate in-home and community-based services.
Whitson said people should explore their options before their loved ones need help so they know what kind of help is out there. For example, he said, people should utilize the services of the following businesses and agencies in southwest Kansas: Area Agency on Aging, the Senior Center of Finney County, St. Catherine Hospital, The Garden City Family YMCA, the Garden City Recreation Commission, as well as hospice for help and advice on caregiving.
And it's important for people to make prior arrangements and start exploring options because more and more people are becoming caregivers, Whitson said.
The average woman will make four end-of-life decisions in her life, Whitson said. Those decisions can range from whether to remove a relative from life support, caring for someone with a terminal illness, making funeral arrangements or properly handling a relative's estate.
Those four decisions a woman will make, Whitson said, usually are for her parents, her spouse, her spouse's parents, and sometimes a sibling or a child.
More information on caregiving is available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices and online at: www.ksre.ksu.edu and www.aging.ksu.edu.