GRADD reflects on family caregivers month

December 1, 2019 | 3:15 am

Updated November 27, 2019 | 9:27 pm

November is generally associated with Thanksgiving which encompasses a culmination of food, family and friends. Since 2014, however, the month has also played home to National Family Caregivers Month.

Former President Barack Obama used a Presidential Proclamation to designate it as such, and rightfully so. Nearly 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older in the past year, while approximately 43.5 million have provided unpaid care to an adult or child.

Locally, the Green River Area Development District (GRADD) provides a wide array of caregiving services to several community members in the greater Owensboro area. The assistance they offer stretches from assistance with aging to transportation planning.

While providing these services is an integral part of what they do, their primary mission is to afford local governments and citizens a regional forum to identify issues and opportunities to improve the quality of life in their district. Associate Director for Social Services Jennifer Williams highlighted many of their ongoing and aspiring caregiver efforts.

“Our goal is to offer support for the caregiver in addition to the patient,” she said. “There is a sense of isolation associated with being a caregiver and we can only hope that our supports allow both the patient and the caregiver to continue to be actively involved in the community.”

GRADD’s family caregiver support program offers caregivers support services as well as provides them with a plethora of information and resources. Their most notable effort is the various support groups they provide for caregivers in addition to a monthly newsletter.

“We want individuals to be able to age at home, that’s where their family is,” she said. “We want to support them as long as we can. We want them to feel supported and appreciated.”

Through the proclamation, Obama encouraged all Americans to pay tribute to those providing for the health and wellbeing of family members, friends, and neighbors. As established by the Caregiver Action Network, this year’s theme features the hashtag, #BeCareCurious.

The national organization that focuses on improving the quality of life of family caregivers hopes that the theme will remind caregivers to be curious, as appropriate, about the many aspects of their daily duties. GRADD is following suit by maintaining that same level of curiosity right here in the Owensboro area.

“Individuals are living longer and it’s not uncommon for son or daughter in the 60-70-year-old range to be caring for the elderly parent,” Williams said. “We must continue to get people to listen and bring awareness to this issue. We have some individuals on a waiting list.”

As the number of older Americans continues to rise, it’s expected that an even greater need for family caregivers will present itself in the near future. Many individuals use caregiving as a second source of income, often providing more hours than expected.

While the work offers ample amounts of blessings and rewards, the job can be stressful and emotional, often promoting high burnout rates. Professional caregivers often sacrifice time with their own family to provide for many of their patients in addition to carrying many of their burdens.

“We have to begin to offer a more competitive salary to professional caregivers,” Williams said. “The work can be trying, but the rewards are infinite. It’s imperative that these individuals understand how much they are appreciated.”

December 1, 2019 | 3:15 am

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