By Lucretia Devine
Mullis Community Senior Center caregivers group
In November, the San Juan Island Community Foundation joined the nation in recognizing the value of unpaid caregivers by granting funds to the Mullis Community Senior Center for its caregivers’ group to continue. This generous action was received with deep appreciation by the Mullis Center and by the ongoing caregivers’ group.
Caregiver Action Network (or the National Family Caregivers Association) began promoting national recognition of family caregivers in 1994. President Clinton signed the first NFC Month Presidential Proclamation in 1997 and every president since has followed suit by issuing an annual proclamation recognizing and honoring family caregivers each November. (http://caregiveraction.org/national-family-caregivers-month-background)
The topic of caregiving appears frequently in the media. A recent AARP circular stated “Today about 40 million Americans care for older parents, spouses and other loved ones to help them stay at home.” In response to this growing population, AARP proposed the CARE Act which has been enacted in approximately 20 states. It is under consideration in the state of Washington.
What is The CARE Act:
The CARE Act recognizes the critical role family caregivers play in keeping their loved ones out of costly institutions.
The bill features three important provisions:
- The name of the family caregiver is recorded when a loved one is admitted into a hospital;
- The family caregiver is notified if the loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home; and,
- The facility must provide an explanation and live instruction of the medical tasks – such as medication management, injections, wound care, and transfers – that the family caregiver will perform at home.
Why Washington state needs The CARE Act:
- Most care recipients (69 percent) did not have a home visit by a health care professional after discharge from the hospital.
- Almost half (46 percent) of family caregivers perform medical or nursing tasks for their loved ones with multiple chronic physical and cognitive conditions.
- Three out of four (78 percent) who provide these medical or nursing tasks manage medications, including administering intravenous fluids and injections.
- Most family caregivers report that they received little or no training to perform these tasks.
- AARP report “Home Alone: Family Caregivers Provide Complex Chronic Care” (http://states.aarp.org/the-care-act-supporting-wa-state-seniors-their-family-caregivers/)
A rugged independence to remain in one’s home is a mark of modern American culture. As we applaud the advances of medicine, our life span has increased. A by-product is that fulfilling the dream and the reality of remaining in one’s home until death is often accompanied by challenges that include the need for care from others.
On a local level, Friday Harbor’s fastest growing population is retirees. Although we live in a beautiful, uplifting, natural environment, paradise does not necessarily bypass the vicissitudes of age. When a change in health announces itself, it may introduce the need for caregiving. Our rugged, independence may give way to a new reality. We may ask “Will there ever be a world I can call my own again?”
The Mullis Center caregivers’ group helps one understand this new and unfamiliar world. It provides support and information; and most importantly emphasizes self-care, a major component of the caregiving role. This group meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Mullis Center’s library. It is open to unpaid caregivers and welcomes new members.
Once again we extend thanks to the San Juan Island Community Foundation for its support. For more information, contact Facilitator Lucretia Devine or Senior Services Specialist Gail LaSheen at 378-2677.
