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Caregivers deserve more help
Caregivers need care, too
Date published: 11/26/2006
THE RATHER TRAGIC sce- Doctors do a great job of keeping people alive. But, Karch and others say, doctors are not as good at caring for caretakers, whose needs may in some ways be as great as those of the sick patients. The main thrust of the office visit with Mr. X and his wife was why we shouldn't reverse the decision the neurologist had made: that his Alzheimer's would make him unsafe on the road. Mr X pleaded pitiably to be allowed to drive, while his wife discretely urged me not to comply--while trying to not incur his anger. The strain on Mr. X's wife was very apparent. She was there herself to be seen for fatigue, aches and pains that she thought were a form of the flu--but which I interpreted as psychosomatic manifestations of stress. Her husband was persisting with a plan for a long-distance trip, and she was exhausted by the thought of it. Hidden patients"Hidden patients" is the term coined for caregivers in an article titled "Practical Guide to Caring for Caregivers," published in American Family Physician. Many experts in the field lament the rather poor job physicians do, and this guide encourages doctors to bone up on their skills. Up to 47 percent of caregivers were found to be depressed in one study, the authors say. And caregivers have been found to have decreased immune function as a result of stress. Caregivers also suffer a significant financial burden. It's estimated that an Alzheimer's patient for example, requires 70 hours of care giving per week. By 1990-dollar amounts, says the article, it was calculated that a caregiver provides $34,517 of care annually. Caregiver burden is obviously linked to the number of elderly needing care--a number that is growing, thanks to various factors, says Karch, who owns a business called Home Instead Senior Care.
Date published: 11/26/2006
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