Over 44 million American adults provide care for an aging loved one, and that number is only expected to rise as the Baby Boomer generation ages. Caregiving can be very rewarding, but the day-to-day tasks are demanding — it can start as simple as providing transportation to and from doctor appointments, grocery shopping, preparing meals and organizing medications, but grow over time to include bathing, dressing and feeding a loved one. And, family caregivers often juggle caring for a loved one while working at a full-time job. What gets dropped in this balancing act is the caregiver’s own health and well-being.

Evercare, one of the nation’s largest care coordination programs, recently surveyed family caregivers who had previously reported their health had declined due to caregiving — a representative sample of the 2.5 million caregivers nationwide — to find out what services they felt would help them most.

Of the several services described to them, these caregivers preferred:

* Respite relief — a professional home health aide to stay with their loved one to relieve them of their caregiving responsibilities so they can get a break (50 percent)

* An expert they can call about stress and other caregiving issues so they don’t feel alone (63 percent)

* A mobile health service in their neighborhood so they can drop in for routine health services (63 percent)

* An objective consultant who can help them get more support from friends and family (51 percent)

* Someone who calls to check in on their own health, and remind them of personal health goals (47 percent)

* Help learning how to do caregiving tasks more efficiently (45 percent)

Fortunately, the government is taking notice. Congress and President Bush just signed the “Lifespan Respite Care Act,” which provides $289 million over the next five years for states to make respite care available to family caregivers, allowing them to run errands, visit their own doctors or just relax.

“The Evercare Study helped sound an alarm bell — for caregivers but also for our legislative leaders — that caregiver health is a serious public health issue,” says Sherri Snelling, director of caregiving services at Evercare. “Providing relief — which we spell R-E-S-P-I-T-E — is exactly what caregivers told us they need. Our message to these important family caregivers is ‘You are not alone — help is available.’”

Many caregivers don’t know that programs exist to help them with their daily tasks, or don’t take advantage of all the available resources. Evercare offers health plans for people with Medicare and Medicaid in many states that include respite services to help caregivers get a break and cope with the day-to-day challenges of caring for a loved one. Evercare also has a program called Solutions for Caregivers, primarily offered through employers benefit plans, that gives caregivers access to expert advice from a Care Manager who can help manage their loved ones needs and develop a personalize plan for future care.

When you help a caregiver, you’re really helping two people. To find out more about Evercare, contact (866) 323-7568 or visit www.evercarehealthplans.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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