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As the Baby Boomers Age
Many employees today are calling in sick - not to care for themselves or their children, but to care for their aging parents. Baby boomers are rapidly moving into the role of caregivers for their parents, but with a few extra challenges due to the changing face of our workforce. Nearly 25% of U.S. households are now involved in caring for a senior family member, spending an average of 20 hours a week in caregiving services. Nearly 65% of those individuals providing the caregiving are employed outside of the home. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, approximately 15 million days of work per year are lost due to these circumstances. These numbers are forecasted to increase since the longevity of life is being extended by modern medicine. The workforce is also aging with more people moving toward retirement age and fewer young people filling the ranks. The median age of workers has risen by five years since 1986, making the average worker 40 years old. Women in this age group, who are primarily the caregivers for their parents, continue working full time in order to support their family, pay their children's college tuition, or save for their own retirement. These situations are even more compounded because many baby boomers have relocated away from their senior family members to pursue job opportunities. Another issue facing baby boomers and their families is the cost of care for their senior family members. Many members of the sandwich generation will be shocked to find out what the cost of prescription medications really run, especially since many of the medications are not covered by Medicare. This will cause many retired seniors and some baby boomers to continue their pursuit of a career, and not enjoy their Golden Years. When faced with these issues, it is always best to have some future plan in place. Do not wait until mom or dad is in the critical care bed or is being discharged from the hospital. Here are a few suggestions for the potential or current caregiver to contemplate: 1. Talk to your parents and/or family members before a crisis. This will help you and all those involved to truly understand their wishes. Discuss with them the topics of Medicare, health insurance, long-term care insurance, and if they have other important legal documents regarding medical treatment (i.e., Living Will, Durable Medical Power of Attorney, etc?). 2. Locate any community resources that may be available to you and your family. The Valley of the Sun has numerous services available for the elderly (i.e. Area Agency on Aging, Meals on Wheels, Adult Day Care Facilities, Housing, etc?). You can access many of these services via the local hospital or skilled nursing facility discharge planners, senior citizen centers, or even the local clergy. 3. Ask your employer if they can help. Many employers are willing to help employee caregivers in order to retain valuable workers. Find out if your employer offers paid leave benefits for flex hours. Some employees are even beginning to include long-term care insurance or caregiver respite programs in their benefit package. 4. Ask friends and family for help. Ask them what experiences they have had with some of the community services. Many of these people may have already gone through this and can be of assistance. 5. Talk to your local clergy. Many local churches and synagogues have family assistance programs or have access via their denominations. If these services are not available, most clergy are familiar with what can be obtained by you or your family. Caring for our aging parents may be one of the more challenging roles we undertake in our adult lives. With forethought, consideration and a little planning on everyone's part, it can actually have a more positive outcome. Hearts of Joy Senior Care provides an affordable, non-medical, in-home companion care service for seniors, which enables them to maintain their independence, as well as dignity and self-respect. Marc and Susan speak around the valley on numerous topics regarding senior care, with a primary focus on fall prevention and home safety. Hearts of Joy Senior Care Inc. can be reached at (480) 948-4655.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. Premiere CEO Is Replaced by News Corp.'s Williams (Update2) (Bloomberg.com) Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Premiere AG , the German pay- television company partly owned by News Corp., said Chief Executive Officer Michael Boernicke is being replaced by a senior News Corp. executive. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. Tribune blames Google for damaging news story (Market Watch) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Tribune Co. said Wednesday that the mistaken online publishing of an old news story that cratered UAL Corp.'s stock price earlier this week was because of a repeated technology failure at Google Inc. DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news (MLB.com) DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (Philly.com) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. All the news that gives us fits (Seattle Times) Public trust in the news media was shaken by the failure of news organizations to challenge the deceptive claims by the Bush administration during the run-up to the Iraq war. STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Conergy rises on talk of unit sale (Reuters via Yahoo! Philippines News) STOCKS NEWS Reuters Results diary Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (> required at line 14, column 29) in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/elder-care/magpierss/rss_fetch.inc on line 238 Site: Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/elder-care/inc/ads-body.inc on line 52 MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for elder care Martins get Elder Care Specialist designations (Portsmouth Herald) EXETER - The husband and wife team of Milton T. Martin, Jr. and Edda M. Martin of Durham, NH, have successfully completed the requirements for the prestigious, nationally recognized Elder Care Specialist ® ?ECS? Credential conferred upon by the... Bill to Keep Workers with Criminal Records Out of Long-Term Care System Clears Committee (Senior Journal) Sept. 10, 2008 ? A bill aimed at preventing persons with criminal histories from working in long-term care services moved a step closer to reality yesterday. It was approved by a unanimous voice vote in the Senate Finance Committee. Franklin County judge slams Chambersburg man who abused his mother (Chambersburg Public Opinion) A Franklin County judge on Wednesday rejected a Chambersburg man's plea for clemency in an elder abuse case, sentencing David Baine, 42, to five to 10 years in state prison. Strange behaviors in hospital could indicate ICU psychosis (The Oklahoman) Recently, my friend Evelyn Harms and her mother, Dorothy, 80, spent five days in a hospital intensive care unit. Evelyn stayed with her mother around the clock. Early in their stay, Dorothy started experiencing ICU psychosis. "Forty-eight hours into our stay in the ICU, we began living a nightmare,? Evelyn Harms said. "But it wasn't a nightmare; it was something called ICU psychosis. Momma ... Home prices driving care choices (Contra Costa Times) Advice, resources and how-to tips on elder care for the Bay Area New laws proposed to combat elder abuse in Washington (Seattle Times) A new state initiative aims to make it easier to identify, prevent and prosecute abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults in Washington. Tiger cub dies in Corbett for want of medical care (HT via Yahoo! India News) An injured tiger cub, not more than six months, died due to non-availability of veterinary doctors at Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. The cub and another young tigress, aged one-and-a-half years, were abandoned by their mothers and were found 12 days ago by villagers residing near the reserve area. Carved to show care: Rice man pours love for daughter into handmade trees (St. Cloud Times) RICE - When Jodee Johnson was battling breast cancer, her father surrounded her with a forest of trees that he had made. Study Shows Seniors Adapt Well to Remote Monitoring Technology (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. & PHILADELPHIA----A new research report released today by Healthsense and NewCourtland Elder Services concludes that seniors who rely on remote monitoring technology to help them remain secure and independent adapt well to living with the technology and do not see it as intrusive or impersonal. Whooosh! 11 Spring Makeover Includes Dual-Flush Toilets; $17.95 M. Triplex (The New York Observer) ?We were admiring your security cameras,? a man in a paint-splattered Ralph Lauren polo shirt said last Sunday afternoon, standing next to his wife outside of 11 Spring Street . ?We need some for our building.? He was talking to Caroline Cummings , the 27-year-old who bought 11 Spring from Rupert Murdoch?s elder son, Lachlan, exactly two years ago for $12 million. Back then the ... Site: elder care - Google News Elder care monitors dwindle in Oklahoma - NewsOK.com
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