There are many types of caregivers in our country today. 80% of care is given in the home by a loved one or other informal caregiver. Long distance caregivers as well as children providing secondary care for a loved one in assisted living or a nursing home also make up a large segment of our population.
With today's two career couples and a very hectic lifestyle, caregivers face many challenges. The good news is that much assistance is available. If children want to take care of their parents in their own home, a tremendous support as well as opportunity for social enrichment exists in the form of Adult Daycare.
Almost every community in Michigan now hosts a program of this nature. Many centers have built-in senior friendly grooming facilities so that trained staff can assist their parents with grooming. This can reduce the stress associated with the morning "Get out of the House" rituals.
Assisted Living facilities can arrange for transportation to physicians' appointments, reducing the time needed away from the office to take your loved one for an appointment. They can also arrange for visiting physicians. Make sure that you check their ability to have hospital privileges. In some cases lack of access can be a disadvantage.
For people needing nursing home placement, the State of Michigan provides an excellent Web page detailing what to look for and listing the citations for each residence and a Caregivers' Corner provides up to date information. You can access this via www.michigan.gov/miseniors. This is the web site for the Michigan office of Services to the Aging, the state focal point for Michigan seniors.
