Headline News
Family Caregivers Reveal Their Greatest Challenges

Asked to identify their biggest challenges in caring for aging family members and loved ones, 25 percent of respondents to a recent LifeCare poll answered “finding appropriate resources,” while another 25 percent cited “burnout”—the online poll's top two answers. Other leading caregiving challenges were:

	Managing my time effectively — 23%
	Understanding my loved one's needs — 9%
	Dividing responsibilities between other family members and myself — 8%
	Knowing how to assist with activities of daily living (bathing, eating, etc.) — 7%

The money I spend on my loved one's needs — 3%

“Caring for loved ones can be challenging enough on its own but it can become absolutely overwhelming for people who also hold down regular full-time jobs,” said LifeCare CEO, Peter G. Burki. “In fact, family caregivers often report that their quality of life and job performance are seriously affected by their caregiving duties. That's why a growing number of employers, health plans, insurance programs and other membership-oriented organizations now offer their constituents a variety of caregiver support services.”

Recognize the Warnings Signs of Caregiver Burnout Withdrawal from other family members and close friends; refusing invitations to dinner, parties, a night out, etc.; staying home much of the time. Giving up favorite pastimes and hobbies. Feeling irritable, helpless or depressed; crying suddenly and/or for no apparent reason. Getting angry or frustrated more easily/quickly; taking out frustrations on others. Gaining or losing a significant amount of weight. Getting ill more often. Trouble sleeping; feeling exhausted even after a good night's sleep. Suffering from chronic health issues (headaches, digestive problems, etc.).

Burki said that caregiver burnout alone costs organizations millions of dollars every year in terms of illness, lost productivity, absenteeism and increased health care costs.

Caregiving Takes Its Toll
According to a 2004 study, one in six caregivers considers her/his health to be fair or poor, while one-third say that their emotional stress level is a four or five on a five-point scale (five being “very stressful”). Additional studies show that 69 percent of family caregivers report arriving to work late or leaving early; 67 percent take time off during the day to attend to caregiving duties; and 64 percent use sick days or vacation time for caregiving. While flexible work schedules can help workers avoid being late or missing work at particular times, caregiver support services make an even greater impact. These services can include resource and referral services, access to professional care managers (to handle complex cases), flexible work schedules and more.

LifeCare's caregiver support services, for example, ensure that family caregivers have adult care specialists available to counsel them around the clock and help them find the best local resources to suit their loved one's unique needs—everything from in-home services to respite services to caregiving-oriented legal and financial services, and more.

One of LifeCare's increasingly popular offerings is access to a proprietary national network of professional care managers who conduct in-person assessments deliver in-home care services, assist with provider evaluation and selection, make post-hospital assessments, provide facility review and placement, conduct ongoing care monitoring and coordination, offer insurance claims submission support and more.

LifeCare's caregiver support services also help caregivers educate themselves about important issues, make the best possible decisions, avoid burnout and effectively meet the changing needs of their loved ones through a wide array of articles, guides, tip sheets, seminars and other informational resources.

LifeCare's caregiver support services are just one component of its larger Successful Aging Services suite, which helps individuals resolve the full spectrum of mid-life and aging issues, including cognitive health issues (mental function, emotional wellbeing, preventive measures, etc.), aging-related legal and financial matters (wills, estates, document preparation, investing, etc.), and pre- and post-retirement planning needs (personalized financial planning, ongoing work opportunities, volunteerism, remaining healthy and productive, etc.).

If you are not currently a LifeCare client and would like to learn more about our caregiver support services, please contact us at 866-675-3751.