When I visited an adult day care center yesterday the 20 older adults there were just finishing up a game that had most of them smiling. Maybe the smells of lunch played a part in their good mood but they generally seemed to be in great spirits.
For adults with a chronic disease/disability the need for day care and home care is rising. Many of the Caregivers are either too fragile or they work all day so finding a place to stay that is safe and caring is crucial.
So, the needs are great but there are several barriers to offering care for all of us older folks.
1. The average retiree has only about $400.00 saved and that is not enough to pay for a week of care.
2. Medicare and Medicaid are available for the indigent and those over 65 but we are rapidly running out of funds and the numbers are rising.
3. The number of people doing home care is shrinking. Care taking is a tough job and the places where they can get good training are few, the crisis is growing.
4. The pay for caregivers is low. They make about the same as working at Wendy's.
I do not have an answer to these issues but each person and family needs to start thinking about who will care for them. We are living a lot longer but outliving our ability to care for ourselves or pay for others. How do you plan to deal with these realities?
We are releasing a new web based software to guide caregivers through the process of dealing with the stress and details of having a loved one with a chronic disability or illness. Pray for us as we deal with the caretaking crisis.
If you want to learn more about thinking clearly, get the eBook Power Christian Thinking at Sweeten Life or on Kindle at Amazon.com
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