November is recognized as National Family Caregiving month, to honor the hard work and dedication of those family members serving as a caregiver to a loved one. This month also gives us the opportunity to reflect on this fact: the combination of aging Baby Boomers and the increase in life expectancy is going to lead to a doubling of the 65 and over population by 2050.
Because most of our society does not plan for old age, much of the responsibility accompanying this unprecedented growth will be placed on the friends and families of the aging population. Since most assisted-living and nursing options can cost upwards of $90,000 a year – unaffordable to most and only 10 percent of Americans invest in long-term care insurance, we’ve have to prepare for the coming tidal wave.
To do this, Arizonans should expand our current efforts to provide training for prospective family homecare in Phoenix, increase awareness of home care needs and establish additional support groups for those taking care of the elderly and disabled. We at Cypress HomeCare, recognize this need and make it part of our mission to help train family caregivers. To date, Cypress HomeCare has trained over 800 families in our Caregiver Training Lab.
In addition to receiving proper training, it is important that the caregiver takes care of themselves. To be a caregiver you have to be healthy. To be healthy, you have to get rest or as we at Cypress HomeCare say respite.
In a recent study conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, an alarming 91 percent of the caregivers surveyed reported suffering from depression. Respite care can help to alleviate this. Now is the time for family members and friends to remind caregivers to share the responsibilities.
If additional assistance is required please don’t hesitate to reach out to a homecare agency in Phoenix, like Cypress HomeCare Solutions. Make certain that they are bonded and insured and that they thoroughly background screen, drug screen their employees. To ensure the best Phoenix Home Care for your loved one call 602-264-8009 Cypress HomeCare Solutions or contact us online.
Read more about National Family Caregiving Month in this week’s Jewish News.
