November is National Caregivers Month
November is National Family Caregiver Month. Governor Cox has also declared November as Family Caregivers Month in Utah. Are you a family caregiver?
Not everyone who supports someone else sees themselves as a caregiver. This may mean that they are not aware of the many resources that can help caregivers and the loved ones they care for.
If you step in to help with everyday tasks like shopping, meals, cleaning, driving, paying bills, medications, bathing, dressing, or more, you are a caregiver. By designating a month to honor family members and friends who selflessly and without pay provide care for loved ones, Governor Cox hopes to “increase public awareness and ensure family caregivers in Utah have the resources, support, and flexibility they need to continue providing care to families.”
About one in five Utahns (more than 336,000) provide unpaid care for family members, friends, and neighbors. They support older adults, individuals with dementia, children and adults with disabilities, veterans, individuals dealing with substance abuse or mental health concerns, children living in a home without a parent present, and individuals with cancer. Without help, many risk caregiver burnout.
Chances are that because you are reading this blog, you are already aware of at least some of the caregiver resources that can be found via this UCOA website. If so, I challenge you to make any struggling caregiver you may know aware of these and other available resources. Spread the word!
Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old?
Recently, I had a unique opportunity to share some of what I know about care planning and caregiving resources with a group of women in my church. They were invited to attend a class titled “Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old,” inspired by the book with the same name that I highly recommend.*
Unless we are professional caregivers, resources to help care for a loved one stay off the radar for most of us until we have a sudden need for them. Then we rush around trying to find out all we can about the options that are available to us and our loved ones. The purpose of the class was to raise awareness of what attendees could do to prepare for taking care of aging loved ones or even for themselves before that sudden crisis arises, or to ease the caregiving burdens they already have.
Reactions of some of the attendees: The feedback I got both during the class and after the class was not surprising to me, but what they learned was definitely surprising to some attendees. For example, singles without family nearby and even some of their friends assumed that church members would be able to provide for all their needs as they aged. Personal examples I shared of having to very quickly make care decisions for my dad and husband with little help from professionals were shocking to the point of disbelief for some. Several shared they had done some preparation but realized there was still much more than they could and should do.
I can’t share our whole discussion in this space, but I can give you a To-Do List with trusted links to help guide some of the steps every family needs to take to be more prepared. Because everyone’s situation is different, these are only some of the basic advance care preparations needed to help overcome the feeling that “I don’t want to talk about it” until it’s too late:
- Make advance care planning a family affair; council together on how you will help each other.
- Learn how to ask for help. You can’t do it alone!
- Fill out the forms that will ensure the care you want to have for yourself & your
loved ones:
- Advance Care Directive for anyone over 18, fillin-2009electronic.pdf (utah.edu)
- Physicians Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment, POLSTStaticRevised219.pdf (utah.edu)
- Power of Attorney, Utah Power of Attorney Forms (9 Types) - PDF | Word – eForms
- Have an Estate plan in place that includes your digital assets.
- Let loved ones know where to find your paperwork. Have copies in a safe place.
- Make your home safer to age-in-place or to have an older loved one move in with you.
- Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from Elder Fraud.
- Plan now for future financial needs. Research the financial aid provided by:
- Research and discuss decisions on when it is time to:
- Start advance-care planning (now!)
- Stop driving, take away the keys.
- Take over the finances, take away credit cards.
- Know who to call and what to expect when someone dies at home unattended by a professional.
Be Prepared
November is a good month to not only remember and honor caregivers, but to become more aware of the information and services available to make aging and caregiving easier for us and our family members. Now that you’ve been reminded by Family Caregivers month, make some time to notice and praise the efforts of family caregivers and offer your help and support.
If you are a caregiver, Thank You! If you know a caregiver, be sure to thank them for the challenging work they do all year long, not just during the month of November. Click here to enter a tribute honoring a professional caregiver or a caregiver in your family: https://www.alz.org/events/nadam.
*Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old? Plan Now to Safeguard Your Health and Happiness in Old Age, by Joy Loverde, author of The Complete Eldercare Planner.