With American Heart Month just around the corner, we wanted to share a short video on the topic. Hollywood actress Elizabeth Banks teamed up with Go Red for Women™ to portray someone we all know or can relate to - the person who takes care of everyone but themself. In this case, Elizabeth, who plays a mother getting her family ready for the day, starts experiencing symptoms of a heart attack but fails to recognize it. Watch so YOU know what to look for:
As the baby boomers have started turning 65, the prevalence of family caregiving has skyrocketed. More and more families are taking on the responsibility of caring for their loved ones and a recent article by SmartMoney blogger Anne Tergesen cites a new report that confirms just how much responsibility.
In 2009, the “estimated economic value” of the unpaid contributions of family caregivers was a staggering $450 billion according to “Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update, The Growing Contributions and Costs of Family Caregiving,” a recent report from the AARP Public Policy Institute. And this $450 billion figure represents a 20% increase over 2007’s $375 billion estimate. Reasons include a 23% rise in the number of caregivers, a 9% increase in the number of hours spent on care, and a $1-per-hour hike in the “wage” used to determine the value unpaid caregivers deliver.
"Unpaid family caregivers are shouldering a majority of the burden of long-term-care in the U.S," Tergesen concludes. With caregiver stress and even burnout being common concerns, what can be done to help families? Here are 3 ways you can help a family caregiver you know:
- Organize. This is the one the best ways to most successfully mobilize the support that every family caregiver should have. Call a family meeting, set up and manage a schedule that everybody has access to. People are willing to pitch in, but it's easier to commit if it is clear what they are committing to (and how often).
- Communicate. Family caregivers should have a means of remaining in communication because, of course, this benefits the care recipient, but open communication promotes an environment in which family caregivers can be honest about how they're feeling (mentally, physically, emotionally and otherwise). Remember: if the care recipient is completely reliant on the family caregivers, it is imperative that the family caregivers are well.
- Break. One of the greatest benefits of mobilizing a "team" of family caregivers who can pitch in is the ability to take a break when necessary. Take whatever time you can for yourself to reduce the risk of illness and burnout.
Do you have any tips for supporting families who are caring for a loved one? Share them with us! And, for more family caregiver resources, click here.
According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Because glaucoma affects over 4 million Americans and nearly 70 million people worldwide and experts estimate that half don't even know it yet, we wanted to take a closer look at what glaucoma is and what can be done to prevent or detect it.
Glaucoma, the "sneak thief of sight" (since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent), is the 2nd leading cause of blindness in the world according to the World Health Organization, and is the leading cause of blindness among African American and Latino populations. Because early detection and careful, lifelong treatment can maintain vision in most people, we wanted to highlight one of the best things you and your loved ones can do: regular eye exams. Here are good rules of thumb for different age ranges:
- Before age 40, every 2-4 years
- From age 40-54, every 1-3 years
- From age 55-64, every 1-2 years
- After age 65, every 6-12 months
In addition, it is recommended to maintain a healthy lifestyle consisting of a balanced diet as well as a regular program of moderate exercise (which has been shown in studies to have an IOP, or "intraocular pressure," lowering effect, which can prevent damage to the optic nerve). For more information about glaucoma, visit www.glaucoma.org. And, for helpful informational videos, click here.
In April, BrightStar Care CEO and Co-Founder Shelly Sun and her husband JD were featured going undercover in their own company on the CBS hit series "Undercover Boss." And now you can ring in the New Year with a re-run of BrightStar Care's episode THIS SUNDAY, January 1 on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) at 5 p.m. CST. Click here for more information and check out the preview below.
It's that time of year again! As part of looking to where we're going in the New Year, it is customary to also look at where we've come from in 2011. And what better way to do that than with the top 10 most popular blog articles from the year!
Let's take a journey through 2011 led by the content that was most compelling to our readers:
- BrightStar CEO Goes "Undercover" With Caregivers In CBS Series "Undercover Boss"
- From "Undercover Boss" Comes CareTogether™
- 10 Tips for Long-Distance Caregiving
- Emotional and Financial Costs of Family Caregiving
- How to Tell When a Senior May Need Care
- Family Caregiver Tools: Planning A Family Meeting
- Few Seniors Prepared for Long-Term Illness
- Family Caregiver Support
- When Mom Moves In: A Tale of Family Caregiving
- 50 Disease Specific Websites for Seniors, Caregivers and Aging Parents
The common theme of family caregiving is ever present and the need for information and resources is something we hear about all the time. Whether you've read them before or you're just seeing them for the first time, these were the articles that really resonated with our readers this year. If you know someone who has taken on the responsibility of caring for a loved one, feel free to pass this information along, you never know what's to come in 2012.
Whether you have a special need that you’d like to keep friends and family in the loop on or you have a family member who is enduring an illness, CareTogether® is a private communication tool that families can use to stay in touch, share information and rally support.
- Aging Parents. Aging is part of life, but it can come as a surprise to see a parent start to slow down or experience health issues. Whether it’s bringing them to appointments or visiting to spend quality time, adult children who live locally will often help aging parents with daily tasks. With CareTogether, family caregivers can invite others to view a loved one’s appointments and key tasks through a private calendar so that everyone has an opportunity to pitch in and stay updated on how they are doing.
- Long-Distance Caregiving. The world is getting smaller, but when families that are separated by distance face difficult health situations, staying in touch can be challenging. And being so far away can leave you feeling powerless. With CareTogether, everyone can stay in the loop and everyone has an opportunity to contribute – even if that means periodically sending words of encouragement from afar or sharing photos that will brighten your loved one’s day.
- Children with Special Needs. Your children are your life. And if you have a child with special needs, having a solid support system is everything. With CareTogether, parents, teachers and caregivers have one centralized place to share necessary updates and ask questions, keep track of calendar appointments and even share photos to celebrate successes and capture special moments. All from one place.
- Cancer Treatment. When a loved one is undergoing treatment for cancer, it is not always in their best interest to be interacting with a lot of people because their immune system is weak. And the treatment process can be a long, arduous journey for both the patient and their loved ones. With CareTogether, families have a private platform to post supportive comments, send messages and even use the calendar to coordinate meal deliveries and even respite to give family members a much-needed break.
It always seems that the big things that seem make headlines in the news these days. But in reading the hundreds of stories that poured in from families across the nation, nominating their caregiver for BrightStar’s 2011 Caregiver of the Year award, it quickly became evident what the real news was to those touched by the compassion of their caregivers.
To capture the essence of these caregivers and their stories, we sat down with each of them when they joined us at BrightStar's Annual Conference in Las Vegas to discuss their experiences making more possible for those in their care. Debbie Glaze from BrightStar's Chesapeake, VA office was nominated by her client's family for putting the "care" in "caregiver" and providing compassionate homecare. This is her story:
So many of the people we interact with each and every day are family caregivers, people who are looking after an elderly or disabled loved one, friend or neighbor. Being a caregiver, especially if you're caring for someone you know, can take an emotional and a physical toll. And to think that these caregivers also work full time is almost incomprehensible. An infographic from LiveScience.com depicts some interest data about working Americans who are also caregivers:
Source:
LiveScience
If you are or if someone you know is a family caregiver - working and not working - get the tools and resources you need to help coordinate care (and ask for help). Create a free CareTogether page at www.caretogether.com.
Even Santa needs help from Elves.
Holiday shopping is not for the faint of heart. Lines are long. Aisles are crowded. Parking lots are gridlocked. It’s a nightmare even for the young and able-bodied. For elderly family members, friends, and neighbors, shopping during the holidays can be frustrating, uncomfortable, and even dangerous. So send a BrightStar Care® Elf into the fray!
With a Hire An Elf® gift certificate, you can give the much-needed and always-appreciated gift of assistance this holiday season. In addition to navigating the holiday shopping shenanigans, BrightStar Care®’s professionally trained and licensed caregivers can help your loved one wrap presents, decorate the house, bake holiday treats, address holiday cards, join them on trips to festivities, and more.
Call us at 866-618-7827 (STAR) or find a location to order a Hire An Elf® gift certificate for that special someone in need.
'Tis the season! It's that time of year when we gather to break bread, exchange gifts and... discuss elder care? Discussing senior care with an elderly loved one and other family members is probably not exactly a holiday staple, but is not to be overlooked. According to ComPsych Chief Executive Officer Richard Chaifetz in a recent USA Today article, it's a good idea to go home prepared to have a good time but to be aware of changes occuring in older parents.
So why does all of this often fall during the holiday season? If you think about it, while relatives may keep in touch throughout the year, the holidays are a time when families gather after long absences. "A lot of people will decide not to say anything to parents when they're visiting," Chaifetz points out, "but then they'll go home and start to realize their parents might need help." And when it comes to important conversations about elder care, the earlier you can have them, the better. Urgent situations are stressful enough, so if families are starting from square one with important decisions, it can really add on. Here are four questions to ask yourself when trying to determine if an aging parent needs helps:
- How do they look? If they used to be fashion divas or dapper Dans and now their clothes are dirty or do not match, be sure to ask the next three questions.
- Is the home in good order? If the house and property were always photo-ready for Home and Garden and now they are messy or have stacks of old newspapers and magazines scattered around, that could signify other problems.
- Are they eating well? If the refrigerator lacks healthy ingredients, your parents might not be meeting nutritional needs.
- How are their cognitive skills? If there are unpaid bills or expired pill bottles, they might have depression or dementia.
If you or someone you know needs assistance this holiday season, from providing relief for a family caregiver, helping with holiday decorations and transportation to grocery shopping, meal prep and more, BrightStar Care®'s Hire An Elf® program can help ease the stress that can overwhelm us all this time of year. Call 866-618-7827 (STAR) and punch in the zip code, or visit: www.brightstarcare.com/find-a-location to find a BrightStar Care® location near you.