Susan Weiner

Objectives   Review the statistics of Caregiving  Explain what it was like when a spouse is having a stroke  Describe what is needed to get spouse home  Explain the resources available  Describe what it is like after discharge

Caregiver Magnitude Statistics   65.7 million caregivers make up 29% of the U.S. adult population providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged. (The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 2009).  52 million caregivers provide care to adults (aged 18+) with a disability or illness. (Coughlin, J., 2010).

Caregiver Magnitude Statistics   43.5 million of adult family caregivers care for someone 50+ years of age and 14.9 million care for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. (Alzheimer's Association, 2011)  There are an estimated 44.4 million American caregivers (21% of the adult population) age 18 and older who provide unpaid care to an adult age 18 or older.

Caregiver Statistics  Caregivers are present in an estimated 22.9 million

households (21% of U.S. households).  Seven in ten (69%) caregivers say they help one person. Nearly half (48%) of all caregivers say they provide eight hours or less of care per week  One in five (17%) say they provide more than 40 hours of care per week.  The average length of caregiving is 4.3 years. (AARP Caregiver Identification Study, AARP. 2001.)

Care Giver Statistics continued   Many caregivers fulfill multiple roles. Most caregivers are married or living with a partner (62%)  Most have worked and managed caregiving responsibilities at the same time (59%).  The great majority of caregivers (83%) are helping relatives. (AARP Caregiver Identification Study, AARP, February 2001.)

Economic Value

  Caregiver services were valued at $450 billion per year in 2009- up from $375 billion in year 2007. (Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update. 2012).  The value of unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the largest source of long-term care services in the U.S.  The aging population 65+ will more than double between the years 2000 and 2030, increasing to 71.5 million from 35.1 million in 2000. (Coughlin, (2010).

Conclusions of findings   Caregiving is primarily a family issue.  Often intergenerational family issue with most care recipients for older family members.  Both women and men are caregivers  Intensity and length of the care provided differs  Women provide more hours of care, higher levels of care and feel they have less of a choice than men.  This causes an increase in a woman's risk for emotional stress and lower quality of life  (AARP Caregiver Identification Study, AARP, February 2001.)

Stroke Happened   Time  Going to the ED  Transferred to the unit  Swallowing  Speech  Movement

Going to Rehab   Transferred to inpatient rehab  Therapy  Family meetings  What is the disposition decision upon discharge  How do I get him home?

What to do to prepare to take him home

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 Hospital bed—wanted own bed  Bedside commodes both for bowel use and then one for shower– wanted padded seat!  Urinals  Towels  Build shower/bath  Shelving to house supplies  Build ramp  Transportation for wheelchair - van  Over-bed table  Antibacterial soap

Medications   Getting prescriptions filled  Getting a pill organizer (2) to help with daily meds  What meds are needed

Food   What can he eat-Chewing  What is the best and easiest to prepare  Swallowing  Likes and dislikes

Change in Mental perceptions   Obsessive on certain things  Just says what is on mind so will not forget  Focused on himself and what he needs

What it is like to have a stroke   Going from an independent life to a dependent life-

 Loved to bake and cook—no longer do this on own- cannot drive his car-use his power tools-mow grass  Limbs that will not move that used to  Sitting in an electronic chair all day  No more walks on the beach  Cannot go up and down steps in the house  Certain foods create choking

 Difficulty opening mail, packaging, pill bottles  Realizing that we as a couple will not ever be able to walk hand in hand

          

What each day looks like 

Awaken at 5:40 Up to shower or bedside commode Help complete shower Out of shower Get dressed Fix pills and juice and breakfast Off to work Home from work Dinner Suppository To bed

Support   Had niece come and drive him to therapy  Mother comes in to prepare lunch  Son and his friends help as well

Life Today   Monitoring blood pressure  Watchful eye on any signs and symptoms of another stroke  Encourage him  Involve him

Thank you!

Reference   Alzheimer's Association. (2011) Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, Alzheimer's and Dementia. Vol.(7). 2 - Updated: November 2012  Coughlin, J., (2010). Estimating the Impact of Caregiving and Employment on Well-Being: Outcomes & Insights in Health Management, Vol. 2 (1) - Updated: November 2012  Gibson, G.H., Ginzler, E., Barrett, L. and (2004) CAREGIVING IN THE U.S. National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.  The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (2009), Caregiving in the U.S. National Alliance for Caregiving. Washington, DC. - Updated: November 2012  Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update. (2012). The Economic Value of Family Caregiving. AARP Public Policy Institute.- Updated: November 2012