|
|
All three scenarios are so very different and yet the everyday reality was strikingly similar. All three relatives required around-the-clock care over an extended period of time. All three had spouses who assumed the bulk of that care and who changed their work schedules or left their jobs altogether. They also have sons and daughters who helped out, and whose own lives and careers have been significantly impacted by their caregiving responsibilities. But, in a sense, all three families were better situated than the average American to handle their situations. Both of my uncles and my mother-in-law had spouses who were willing and able to take on the primary caregiver role. Two had either a spouse or child who was a nurse by profession. All were fortunate enough to have a least one pension to rely on when it became too difficult to manage both caregiving and work.
Despite the many resources available to my relatives, caregiving was a daily struggle, causing me to wonder how other Americans in similar circumstances fare. Divorce rates are high, pensions are quickly becoming a thing of the past, and most family caregivers do not have formal training in a health care profession. As I am writing this preface, Congress has just voted a $700 billion “bailout” of financial institutions in an effort to bolster our failing economy, and unemployment rates are higher than they have been in years, with predictions of more job loss to come. Medicaid programs are searching for ways to cut costs in the face of increasing need. Balancing work and family obligations in this economic climate will be a daunting challenge.
This study was the first to focus attention on the care needs of individuals who needed assistance “prematurely.” Prematurely, however, is a misnomer, as more than 1.4 million Americans aged 55–64 had limitations in physical or cognitive functioning at the time of this study.