Caring for Aging Parents Jeremy B. Yorgason, PhD, School of Family Life BYU Wellness, Winter 2008.
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Transcript of Caring for Aging Parents Jeremy B. Yorgason, PhD, School of Family Life BYU Wellness, Winter 2008.
Caring for Aging Parents
Jeremy B. Yorgason, PhD, School of Family Life
BYU Wellness, Winter 2008
Caregiving• How many of you currently provide care for an aging
parent?
• How many of you currently provide care for both aging parents and children in the home?
• How many of you have provided care for a parent in the past?
• How many of you are here in anticipation of things to come?
Objectives
• Raise common concerns
• Provide some brief answers
• Provide some resources where you can find more direct and complete answers to your specific situations
Caring for Aging Parents: Examples
• Savior to Peter on the cross– Caring for a loved one
• Nephi, Sam, Jacob, Joseph, Laman, Lemuel – caring for Lehi and Sariah– 2nd generation behavior affecting the health of
the 1st generation
• Ruth and Naomi– Loyalty
The maturing of parent/adult child relationships• Parent/Child relationships maturing
• Role changes
• Life coming full circle
The maturing of parent/adult child relationships• When caregiving starts…
• Encourage a healthy balance between autonomy and dependence
• Allow parents to give
Talking about aging concerns
• Bring up the hypothetical – “What would you want if…” Frame this in your parent’s best interest.
• Research: Concern, Urging, Action
• Difficult decisions often follow crises or are based on safety issues (driving, moving residence, increased level of care)
Caregiving
• Health care– www.careutah.com (see Geriatric health care
providers)
• Primary caregivers, secondary caregivers, long distance caregiving (working?)
• In home, in assisted living facility, nursing home, hospital
Important documents
1. Will
2. Durable power of attorney (for finances)
3. Advance directives (living wills, durable power of attorney for health care)
www.hsdaas.utah.gov/pdf/ADInstructions4.pdf
Family Meetings• Communicate desires
– Important documents– End of life care– Financial situation
• All together• Individually• Video/audio• Whatever works!• http://www.eldercare.com/modules.php?op=modload&name
=CG_Resources&file=article&sid=868• http://www.eldercareteam.com/resources/articles/familymee
ting.htm
Healthy living• Physical health
• Mental health– Be aware of the three D’s (Depression, delirium, and dementia)– Dementia care– www.alz.org/utah/ – www.alzheimers.org
• Social health– Activity theory, disengagement theory, socioemotional selectivity theory
• Misc. issues– Driving (
http://www.aging-parents-and-elder-care.com/Pages/Checklists/Elderly_Drivers.html)
– Attending church, serving in church callings
Paying for care
• Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, out of pocket expenses
Paying for care
• Medicare (www.medicare.gov)• http://www.longtermcarelink.net/
eldercare.htm • http://www.longtermcarelink.net/
a16four_steps_book.htm • Take home message: Medicare does not
pay for assisted living, and only pays a portion of nursing home care.
Caring for the Caregiver: Get Help
• Eating, Sleeping, Exercise• Respite• Emotional support• Transitioning to and from primary caregiving• http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~drstall/hndbk0.html• http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001215/2613.html• A little blurb on the book, “The 36 hour day”
http://www.sleephomepages.org/books/36hourday.htm• The Kansas Caregiver’s Guide:
http://www.agingkansas.org/Publications/caregivers/cg_index.htm
Facing death
• Hospice services• At the death• Healing rituals (funeral, burial)• Grieving (stages, yet different for all)• Sorting through belongings, assets
– Take time to relate memories, be fair/generous, remember that all parties are likely still grieving (be forgiving)
We’re the Next Generation
• Preparation– Physical– Relational– Financial– Spiritual