April 19, 2010 chat

on Monday 19 April 2010
by laureld author list
in Chat archives


fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:58] 		Thanks so much for reading....don't forget about Dancing with the Celebrities. In fact, I will be there doing the cha cha cha! (May 15!) And remember, take care of yourself as you look after others.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:54] 		I do want to list one more thing tonight. We had the opportunity to talk with the Consumer Health Coalition this week about the Campaign for Better Care. This is an important initiative the Pennsylvania is lucky to be a part of. If you are interested in issues of health care quality, please check out the CHC >click for link<
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:36] 		So, I will stay on tonight until 9. If you have a caregiver story or question to share, please sign in.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:33] 		I would like to talk about the sorts of things that caregivers are providing care for: according to the METLIFE report, old age and dementia are two the most common caregiving situations. >click for link<
But the next conditions might surprise you. 7% list mental illness or emotional problems, 7% listed cancer, 5% heart disease and 5% stroke. Looking at the these statistics...does it help you understand that you are not alone. And that are so many kinds of caregivers that we really need to try and learn and support one another.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:27]
This can be the hard part. Please know that caregiving is hard for everyone. The care recipient often feels guilty and can feel like a burden. They can be depressed and can lash out. Family members who are unable to help can be angry and feel guilty too. That doesn’t seem great….but it is normal. Just know that the people you love are not against you. This is a time of great transition and stress. It is a time that will require a commitment to communication and compromise. It is worth it.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:26] 		Of course, after time of caregiving and the financial costs...there exists how caregiving affects our relationships, particularly with family.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:24] 		There are also several internet based resources to help you find professional assistance (such as nursing homes)
Patient Advocate.org
>click for link<

agency for healthcare quality and research
>click for link<
(How to choose a nursing home)

Medicare.gov
>click for link<
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:21] 		Or you might need to seek support services such as day services, paid caregivers, or volunteer respite workers. We have posted these before but I don't think that the can be listed too often. VOlunteer respite services across the region include: >click for link<
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:19] 		FMLA might be an option for you.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:18] 		Employment
Next, look at your employee handbook or human resources website. You are probably entitled to FMLA. FMLA is unpaid (if you don’t have time off banked) but it does secure your position. Here is the policy from one major area employer (unnamed but also unrecognizable!)

FMLA can be used for up to 12 weeks to care for:
For incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care or child birth;
To care for the staff member’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care;
To care for the staff member’s spouse, son or daughter, or parent, who has a serious health condition; or
For a serious health condition that makes the staff member unable to perform the staff member’s job
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:13] 		Resources
If you are caregiving~ male or female~ there are ways to access services at your own pace. First, you are on this website. If you don’t see the resource that you need, contact us and we will try and direct you towards support systems. The United Way of Allegheny County has a database of support services and service agencies that serve this region. This is a great resource to check out too.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:11] 		So a question that comes up is this? If men can be caregivers too….and many do assume caregiving responsibilities, do the access programs in the community or with the employer?
AARP feels that many men are more likely to “disguise” their responsibilities.
They don’t want to be perceived as being unable to manage personal and career activities.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:10] 		This column from Suite 101 (http://caringfortheaged.suite101.com/article.cfm/men-as- primary-caregivers-for-elderly-parents-and-spouses) above and the new issue of AARP (http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/the-secret- caregivers.html ) highlight the realities of caregiving: men are caregivers too. While historically caregiving responsibilities have fallen to women (and are in fact discussed in this week’s Time magazine describing women as sort of chief executive officers of households.) (according to Caregiving in US 2009 66% of Caregivers are female, 34% take care of more than one person; >click for link<) there exists a population of men who caregive.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:03] 		Tonight, I wanted to talk about Men as Caregivers.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:01] 		So, I am asking you as a community member to complete your Census form if you haven’t already. I would love to say that Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network is a beneficiary. We are not financially. But we do use the reports about caregivers and our community to help us plan our activities. This helps us serve you. Help us serve you.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:01] 		In the studies done to understand caregiver issues, including the recent and very important report, Caregiving in the US 2009, >click for link<
Funded by Metlife, statistics were in part gathered from the Census.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 20:00] 		As a graduate student, I used statistics gathered from the Census (both the short form and the longer population survey) to help make my research more robust. Understanding how populations in communities are impacted by disease by comparing Census numbers to CDC disease rates allows us to understand disparity in health care access. One of the things that I looked at as a student was obesity in neighborhoods that had more crime. It doesn’t seem intuitive that filling out the Census form provides that data but it does. Researchers use Census numbers to compare against different data sets to understand how the health of populations, crime rates, educational achievement and school capacity and community resources impact the communities we live in. Further, it tells policy makers if communities need more resources.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 19:58] 		I wanted to talk a minute about the US Census. Although there seems to be a reason why people do not complete this form every 10 years I wanted to share with you how the Census impacts me.
fitzgerald

[19 Apr : 19:54] 		Chat tonight at 8:00!
fitzgerald

[24 Mar : 20:01] 		Also, I want to mention that tickets are still available for the Dancing with the Celebrities Pittsburgh event. This is to take place May 15. PCSN is a beneficiary of this year’s event! So, if you know of someone who likes some exciting competition and would like to kick up their heels…this is the night for you! We have details listed on this site under "Dancing with the Celebrities Pittsburgh"