WSJ Examines Increasing Efforts To Assist Care Providers

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 29 Nov 2007 - 11:00 PDT

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The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined efforts to provide assistance to an estimated 45 million adults in the U.S. who care for a family member with a severe or long-term illness. According to the Journal, "care giving responsibilities can exact a drastic emotional, physical and financial toll" on people who look after an ill or aging relative, which can lead to "high rates of depression, stress and other physical and mental health problems."

However, the Journal notes that increasing evidence has shown that caregivers can better handle their responsibilities and the accompanying stress when they are provided with counseling and support group opportunities, in-home skills training and additional help. Some advocacy groups currently are lobbying for increased federal funding for caregiver assistance programs, and some experts are calling for formal evaluation programs that health care groups can use to determine what kind of support caregivers might need, according to the Journal. In addition, more hospitals are offering caregiver services and social worker assistance to family members when their relatives are discharged. Experienced caregivers also are "being tapped to help others new to the role," the Journal reports (Landro, Wall Street Journal, 11/28).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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