Taxation & Estate Planning

Caring for the Caregiver

By Deirdre Wheatley-Liss

The caregiver cares for the ill and needy, but who cares for the caregiver?  Family Fortress Estate Planning Blog has an interesting post this week about "Help For Caregivers: 10 Steps Toward Taking Care of Yourself".  A staggering statistic:

The number of people serving as caregivers has exploded in recent years, and according to PR Newswire the number of caregivers now tops 65 million people (29% of the population of the US.)  This includes people providing care for elderly adults, special needs children, young adults with disabilities, and more. 

Caregiving is exhausting - physically, financially and emotionally.  I have seen caregivers end up in the hospital, or not be able to retire because they never joined the workforce and don't qualify for social security.   All of this can be summed up as "Caregiver Burnout".  The question is how to recognize and deal with Caregiver Burnout.  The blog post provides some help sources:

 But there are ways to combat the onset of Caregiver Burnout. HelpGuide.org provides an entire section on how to recognize and prevent Caregiver Burnout, including tips for family caregivers and a list of some of the warning signs of Caregiver burnout.  And that's not all, this article in PR Newswire offers 10 steps caregivers can take to ensure they take care of themselves financially.

Full post as published by New Jersey Estate & Elder Planning Blog on April 22, 2010 (boomark / email).