Comments on: The Caregiving Equation

By: Jane Caregiver

Jane Caregiver — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:27:47 +0000

Maybe with new health plan payments for caregiving assistance will get much better. What do you think?

By: Derrick

Derrick — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:22:55 +0000

In some states you can actually get paid to deliver the care if your loved one would otherwise receive publicly paid caregiving assistance. It’s just a thought if possible and available. I hear where you’re coming from, though.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:16:24 +0000

I agree with your premise. I never really thought about the unpaid labor that society benefits from until I cared for my aunt with her second bout against breast cancer. I lived in CA and traveled back and forth between there and WA to be her primary caregiver. I had lost my job and felt that I should step up because then no one else would have to quit her job or shorten their hours. After those 8 months, I began researching primary family caregiving. I am now caring for my aging mother from a distance with 7 hour drives regularly. It is making it difficult for me to get a job. I would not change anything that I went through with my aunt but I realize that many families are being drained financially, emotionally, and physically. I don’t know if there is a recipe that everyone can follow but some heads up and guidelines would help.

By: Kari Berit

Kari Berit — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:43:59 +0000

Excellent. Good to see others paying attention to this issues. My answer, as a speaker who starts the caregiving conversation for financial & insurance companies, associations and personal caregivers…so that we can raise awareness of the toll caregiving is and will continue to take on women’s lives:

Women and the Caregiver Casserole

As a rule, men don’t make hotdish. It’s just something everybody expects women to do – even if there’s no recipe. The need’s there. The family’s waiting. It doesn’t have to be all that well planned. Just throw something together and it’ll be good enough for now.

What works for making casseroles doesn’t work for giving care, however. Yet today, millions of women nationwide are becoming primary caregivers to aging parents – and there’s no recipe. There’s also no support, let alone an appreciation for what goes into assuming this new and challenging role. We’re just supposed to throw something together that’ll be good enough for now.

Now there’s help. Kari Berit has been a caregiver, both personally and professionally. She’s trained professional and family caregivers. She’s written a book – The Unexpected Caregiver: How Boomers Can Keep Mom & Dad Active, Safe and Independent – that lays out a comprehensive approach to dealing with the needs of aging parents. She has the recipe, plus the warmth and the wit to show you how to make this challenging role more manageable – for everybody involved.

In invite you to visit my website: http://www.kariberit.com