Caregiver Statistics
65.7 million caregivers make up 29% of the U.S. adult population providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged
52 million caregivers provide care to adults (aged 18+) with a disability or illness
43.5 million of adult family caregivers care for someone 50+ years of age and 14.9 million care for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia
An average of 20 hours a week is spent caring for a loved one. This level of stress can take 10 years of someone’s life.
As a family caregiver for an ailing parent, child, spouse, or other loved one, you’re likely to face a host of new responsibilities, many of which are unfamiliar or intimidating. At times, you may feel overwhelmed and alone. But despite its challenges, caregiving can also be rewarding. And there are a lot of things you can do to make the caregiving process easier and more pleasurable for both you and your loved one.
Providing care for a family member in need is an act of kindness, love, and loyalty. And as life expectancy increases, medical treatments advance, and increasing numbers of people live with chronic illness and disabilities, more and more of us will participate in the caregiving process.
There are many different types of family caregiver situations. You may be taking care of an aging parent or a handicapped spouse. Or perhaps you’re caring for a child with a physical or mental illness. Regardless of your particular circumstances, you’re facing a challenging new role.
If you’re like most family caregivers, you aren’t trained for the responsibilities you now face. And you probably never anticipated you’d be in this situation. You may not even live very close to your loved one. At the same time, you love your family member and want to provide the best care you can. The good news is that you don’t have to be a nursing expert, a superhero, or a saint in order to be a good caregiver. With the right help and support, you can be an effective, loving caregiver without having to sacrifice yourself in the process. At Second Family Home Care, we understand that being a family caregiver for a spouse, parent, child or loved one takes time, effort and work. They may not always have the answers, know what to expect, or how to react. But through our Family Learning Center, we are able to provide family caregivers with for accurate information to make it easier to care for their loved ones…and themselves.
With the Family Learning Center resources are always available.
Help is as easy as connecting to the internet and logging in to our Family Learning Center, with resources that are engaging and interactive, and walk step-by-step through essential caregiving topics. And, most importantly, the information is available whenever it’s needed 24/7.
Be prepared…know what to do.
The Family Learning Center includes tutorials on first aid, measuring vital signs, providing skin care, nutrition and other vital topics. Families have complete access to this information from the moment they logon, allowing them to train and prepare for events before they happen. Now they can have peace of mind, knowing that important information is just moments away.
Caring for others means caring for you.
The Family Learning Center can help the family caregiver understand the multiple perspectives and challenges that go along with providing care – not just for their loves ones, but also for themselves. Families can learn to manage and prevent challenging behaviors and identify signs of caregiver stress and burnout.
Extensive training on Alzheimer’s and Memory Care
With our specialization in Alzheimer’s and dementia care, Second Family works with many families struggling with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. The Family Learning Center can provide answers and encouragement to face this challenge, which now affects over 5 million families nationwide. Our Family Learning Center offers over 20 Alzheimer’s and Memory Care training courses to help you care.
Courses offered in Basic Caregiver Training include:
Avoiding Caregiver Stress
Becoming a Caregiver
Body Systems and the Aging Process
Common Chronic Diseases
Common Communicable Diseases
Communicating with Others
Controlling Infection
Elimination and Toileting
End of Life Care
Environmental Hazards and Safety
First Aid: Burns and Poisons
First Aid: Chocking and Falls
First Aid: Heart Attack and Shock
First Aid: Other Sudden Emergencies
First Aid: Stoke and Wounds
Handling Difficult Situations & Behaviors, Part 1
Handling Difficult Situations & Behaviors, Part 2
Helping Around the House
Human Needs and Development
Measuring Vital Signs
Nutrition and Hydration
Observation, Reporting and Recording
Promoting and Maintaining Good Mobility
Promoting Personal Independence
Providing Personal Care
Providing Skin Care
Tasks of a Caregiver
Understanding Elder Abuse
Understanding Senior Rights
Courses in Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care include:
Signs and Symptoms
In their shoes: A person’s perspective
What families should know
Diagnosis & the caregiver’s role
Learning to Communicate
Daily Care Skills
Practicing good hygiene
Environment is important
Creating a calming, restful environment
Activities for Special People
Household chores can be FUN
Preventing weight loss
Improving diet & nutrition
Challenging behaviors: Prevention
Challenging behaviors: Priorities & protocol
Challenging behaviors: Violence & Aggression
Challenging behaviors: After an event
Managing pain & non-verbal cues
Assessments and Care Planning
Documenting care
Wandering: Staying safe
There’s no getting around it, being a caregiver on any level can be stressful. But if you are a family caregiver you don’t have to become overwhelmed by your responsibilities. Learn as much as you can about your family member’s illness or disability and about how to be a caregiver. The more you know, the less anxiety you’ll feel about your new role and the more effective you’ll be. At Second Family Home Care we want to be a resource for families and their loved ones, and with The Family Learning Center we can equip them with the knowledge and training to better care for their loved ones and themselves.