Honor dementia caregivers this Labor Day
According to the United States government Labor Day, celebrates thecontributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, andwell-being of America. Dementia caregivers certainly meet thesecriteria.
Because over 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with dementia,there are approximately 10 million caregivers attending to them. Thisis a hard job that they did not sign up for but was thrust upon them.Honor them this Labor Day for all the difficult work they do.
The first reason to honor a caregiver is for the financial burden theyincur when caring for a person with dementia. First the family hasconsulted an Elder law attorney to get all the finances in order. Mostlikely the caregiver had to cut back on the hours of paid employment.Despite using all the resources out there, all expenses for the care ofa dementia person will not be covered. That means go without, or payfor necessary items out of pocket.
The second reason to pay tribute to ones caring for someone withdementia is their resourcefulness. Caregivers are good at coming upwith unique strategies for managing and paying for the supervision oftheir loved one. They may get help from attending a support group inperson or online. However, they are the ones ultimately responsible fora workable plan of care.
Third is recognizing that many perform physically demanding aspects ofa dementia persons’ care. Many do the bathing, feeding and toileting oftheir family member with dementia. These tasks are difficult becausemany with dementia are confused and combative.
Next, these caregivers should be honored for all the time they devoteto all aspects of a dementia persons’ life. As just mentioned, mostcaregivers are responsible for the physical aspects of care. But theyalso must engage their loved ones in meaningful activities throughoutthe day and sometimes well into the night. Fortunately many takeadvantage of adult day care to ease the burden. Unfortunately somedementia folks refuse to participate in or have behaviors that precludethem from attending these worthwhile programs.
The fifth reason for honoring those caring for a dementia person is allthe time they devote to this job. The caregiver is most likelyresponsible for everything from cleaning to cooking to shopping to yardwork. The list seems endless. These tasks are even more difficultbecause while the caregiver is doing them, he must also keep thedementia person safe.
According to a report published by the national Alzheimer’sAssociation, ten million caregivers provided 83 billion dollars worthof care in 2005.So this Labor Day while you are relaxing or celebratingthe end of summer, think about those 10 million dementia caregivers andall the under appreciated hard work they do, everyday, seven days aweek, sometimes 24 hours a day. If you know someone with thischallenging task, call them, thank them and offer a helping hand.
Source: Health News Stat, http://www.healthnews-stat.com/?id=851&keys=Alzheimers-disease-dementia-Labor-Day
And don’t forget that the Supreme Court of the United States has likened dementia caregivers to teenaged babysitters, and said they are not protected by federal labor laws…