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The Stress, Grief And Graceful Humanity of Caregivers
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Unpaid caregivers provide about 90 percent of long-term care in the United States. Those are mostly sons, daughter, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives — all organizing meals, medication, doctor's visits and health insurance policies.
But the challenges of caregiving go beyond statistics and logistics — aging family members often forget who their loved ones are. Family dynamics are upended as children care for parents in ways they never expected.
Northhampton-based journalist Nell Lake examines all the facets of the caregiver-patient relationship in her forthcoming book, "The Caregivers: A Support Group's Stories of Slow Loss, Courage and Love."
She attended caregiver support groups for years, and became close with caregivers and their loved ones on a truly intimate level.
Guests
Rachel Zimmerman, co-host of WBUR's CommonHealth blog. She tweets at @commonhealth.
Nell Lake, author of "The Caregivers: A Support Group's Stories of Slow Loss, Courage and Love." She tweets at @Nell_Lake.
More
CommonHealth: Heroism At Home: An Intimate Look At Growing Ranks Of Caregivers
- "If you’re an adult living in the U.S., it’s a good bet that you (or your neighbor or close friend or colleague) are caring for an elderly family member. Indeed, more than 43 million Americans — about 18 percent of adults — care for a family member or friend 50 or older, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance; 15 million of these caregivers tend someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or some form of dementia."
Vermont Public Radio: At Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Actors Fake Dementia To Train Caregivers
- "Co-leader and nurse practitioner Justin Montgomery wants caregivers to see themselves, not just the faux patients, in action. So they watch videotapes of the simulations."
Excerpt
"The Caregivers: A Support Group’s Stories of Slow Loss, Courage and Love"
This segment aired on February 4, 2014.