| An MIT study finds more caregivers providing more care to elders… |
Researchers at the MIT Workplace Center at the Sloan School of Management have confirmed what most family caregivers have known instinctively: there are more family caregivers than most people realize, and the value of the services family caregivers provide is enormous.
The study, entitled “Caring for the Caregivers: Improving Resources for Elder Caregivers in Massachusetts,” covers some well-traveled ground. Lending the MIT name to the subject matter, however, should raise public awareness of what caregivers do and what they need. Here is the 10-point plan for supporting caregivers as it appears in the report’s executive summary:
- Make Elder Care and Caregiver Support a Public Priority by launching a public education campaign on existing agencies and services, and requiring interagency planning and coordination at the highest levels of state government.
- Build Stronger Connections between Health Care Institutions, Elder Care Services and Families to create a seamless system so that elders and their families can move safely and easily across diverse care settings.
- Expand Caregiver Support Resources, including information and referral services, respite care, and affordable geriatric care management services.
- Emphasize Wellness for Caregivers by teaching caregivers self-assessment techniques and by making PCPs and other health care providers more aware of, and proactive about, caregiver health issues.
- Train and Certify a Geriatric Care Workforce by expanding continuing education courses for doctors, nurses and social workers, and expanding the number of medical schools and nursing schools with a geriatric care focus.
- Create More Effective Transportation for Elders through a combination of public resources, affordable fee for service programs, and community volunteer programs.
- Encourage Employers to Expand Workplace Supports such as
leave programs, flexible work arrangements and elder care information. - Improve Conditions of Support for Paid Caregivers, including a livable wage, health insurance and adequate benefits for those in the Personal Care Attendant Program, and the Adult Foster Care Program, and expand the definition of “eligible family” members to include spouses as well as other family members.
- Utilize Information Technology to Help Elders and Caregivers, including expanded computer access to elder care services and resources, as well as in-home monitoring devices and other types of assistive technology.
- Make Massachusetts a Model for Supporting Caregivers at Work by providing elder care resource and referral services, flexible work arrangements, and adequate leave.
When those 10 points become part of every family caregiver’s everyday reality (insert the name of your state, instead of Massachusetts, in number 10) this blog can go out of business.
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