I thought this article by Linda Stuart in Women’s Health Matters published by Women’s College Hospital may be of interest to visitors to my site.
You’re not alone, there are resources to help — and it’s vital to take care of yourself, too. These were some of the words of wisdom offered to caregivers looking after older family members, during a session on eldercare at the 2007 Women’s Health Matters Forum & Expo in Toronto.
‘Many of us find ourselves having several responsibilities — looking after our children, looking after ourselves and looking after our parents. Those of us in this group are called the sandwich generation,’ said Audrey Miller, managing director of Elder Caring Inc., a professional eldercare management and consulting company based in Toronto.
As a geriatric care manager, Miller said she is often the first point of contact for families seeking help to care for an aging parent.
‘There are many resources out there, and sometimes we need some assistance in making good and informed choices,’ she said.
Joanne Bunton, community outreach coordinator for Dignity Memorial Community Programs in Thornhill, Ont., said there are certain eventualities in life for which many people do not make the necessary preparations.
Families will be better equipped for situations that may lie ahead if they gather information now about various illnesses associated with aging, such as heart disease or Alzheimer’s, she said.
‘If you can gather information bit by bit now…then when the eventuality does come into your life, you’re going to be prepared to deal with it,’ Bunton said. ‘And know that you need not go through any situation alone.’
Where to turn for help
Miller said a local Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) should be the first stop for any family seeking help with providing care to an older relative. CCACs are publicly funded agencies located across Ontario that help older adults to access government-funded, in-home health-care services and long-term care facilities.
For seniors wanting to maintain their independence by continuing to live at home, there are many basic resources available, such as Meals on Wheels, transportation services, respite care programs and senior day programs. In addition, personal support workers arranged through a local CCAC can help older individuals with personal care needs.
However, often families choose to supplement publicly available care services through private options, which can become costly, Miller said.
When considering long-term care facility options, families should again contact their local CCAC, which coordinates the application process for placement in long-term care facilities. One thing to keep in mind is a decision must be made within 24 hours, once a family is notified that a long-term care bed is available for their older relative, Miller said.
When is it time?
One challenge for families with aging relatives is determining when it is time to start looking at in-home health-care services or long-term care housing options. There can be many telltale signs in an older person’s home that indicate personal care assistance is required, Miller said.
Some of these signs include:
• the older person is not wearing clean clothes or they have body odour;
• there is unopened mail, unpaid bills or other signs of disorganization;
• there are blackened pots in the kitchen, dirty dishes piling up or a lack of fresh food in the fridge;
• the trash has not been taken out;
• the older person has unexplained bruises; and
• there are dents in their car, if the older person is still driving.
Oftentimes, an unexpected event will accelerate the need to address an older relative’s declining health. That was the case for Vicky Riley Keyes, founder of Red Coats Moving Solutions Inc., a Toronto-based moving services company designed especially for seniors.
Some time ago, Riley Keyes’s mother fell down her basement stairs and broke her hip. After hip replacement surgery, her mother needed somewhere to convalesce. Fortunately, Riley Keyes said, she was able to have her mother stay with her, and more luckily, her mother’s younger sister came over every day to look after her, so Vicky and her family could continue to go to work.
‘But what would happen if you were not able to have your mom come home to your house? Or if you lived out of town and couldn’t possibly go over there to look after her, while she was recovering from this hip replacement? How would you manage?’ Riley Keyes asked.
One option for an older person in that situation would be supportive housing, Riley Keyes said. A senior recovering from a hip replacement could go into a long-term care facility to recuperate or a private retirement residence to convalesce until he or she was ready to go home.
In-home safety considerations
Families with older relatives living at home should consider ways to minimize the risks of day-to-day activity in the home. A local CCAC agency can provide a booklet on safety-proofing the home, Riley Keyes said.
Some of her suggestions include:
• installing grab bars in the bathroom;
• using non-skid rugs or taking up the rugs altogether; and
• ensuring telephone lines are properly secured and not running across the floor.
Supervision during bathing is also very important, she said. ‘Know the risks and take the steps to minimize them,’ Riley Keyes said.
‘Talk to the CCAC, the public health department, and your doctor. And find out what there is in your neighbourhood and what resources there are to minimize the risk in your parent’s home.’
Riley Keyes said one option is a personal emergency response system, such as Lifeline Systems Canada Inc.’s Personal Help Button, which can be worn around the neck or on the wrist. The wearer simply needs to press the button to call for help. The call is then relayed to a response centre via a two-way communicator system in the home, and help is summonsed immediately.
‘It’s important to listen to what your family member’s wishes are regarding care,’ said Jane Teasdale, who is responsible for business development at Premier Homecare Services Inc., a Toronto-based private homecare company.
‘Many older adults would prefer to stay in their own home and surroundings, and have a little bit of support with tasks that are getting difficult,’ Teasdale said, adding that private homecare services can provide top-up assistance for seniors who are already receiving some personal care from limited publicly funded services.
‘You also need to be aware of when a parent is no longer capable of living in their own home,’ Teasdale said.
Other housing options
Housing options other than long-term care facilities include adult lifestyle communities, retirement residences and seniors’ apartments, many of which now offer support services such as 24-hour nursing care, common dining facilities, activity areas and wellness centres.
A fairly new option for Ontario residents is life-lease housing, said Riley Keyes.
‘Under a life-lease plan, residents purchase a life-lease interest at market value in the property and their suite, similar to purchasing a home or a condominium. They have exclusive use of the suite and shared use of all of the common areas and facilities, and many more benefits than home ownership,’ she said.
Bunton advised families to visit different retirement residences ahead of time to let their older relatives see what they liked and disliked about the various housing options. With waiting lists being as long as they are, it would be a good idea to get the family’s name on the list, once a suitable retirement residence is identified.
Help for the caregivers
Miller and Bunton both recommended that families have a meeting to discuss the various aspects of caring for aging relatives.
‘If you’re already in a care scenario, sit down with your siblings and find out what everybody can do to help,’ Miller said.
‘Sometimes you need a little professional help to mediate, because we all have sibling rivalry and all of that baggage continues to grow older with us. It’s important to speak out for yourself.’
Family members with the greatest caregiving responsibilities should consider joining a support group, Bunton said.
‘It’s great to commiserate with someone else who is experiencing just exactly what you’re experiencing. There’s going to be an empathy level there that you won’t find in any other place,’ she said.
Bunton said that equipping yourself with knowledge ahead of time is empowering. And, most importantly, caregivers need to keep the balance between their various responsibilities.
‘It’s crucial for us, as we find ourselves pulled in different directions. If you’re not looking after yourself, you can’t look after anyone else,’ Bunton said.
To locate a local CCAC, visit the Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres website.
Editor’s Note:
Written by Linda Stuart, a Toronto-based freelance writer who specializes in health and technology issues. Coverage of a session at the 2007 Women’s Health Matters Forum & Expo.
Related Resources:
More coverage of the 2007 Women’s Health Matters Forum & Expo can be found here.
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