Judith Graham writes a “Navigating Aging” column for Kaiser Health News. Last Thursday’s column is based on a report on family caregiving from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
The chair of the panel authored the report says: “Caregivers are, on the one hand, heavily relied upon but on the other hand overlooked.” So true!
The panel calls for a family-centered approach to health care that recognizes the important contributions of family caregivers. You can find the report “Families Caring for an Aging America” here:
www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2016/families-caring-for-an-aging-america.aspx
Last Thursday’s “Navigating Aging” column details six recommendations for our health care system — from the point of view of family caregivers — that are extrapolated from the report’s findings. Ms. Graham describes these as a “practical to-do list for family caregivers”:
1- Your identity needs to be documented in your loved one’s medical records.
2- Your capacity to provide care to a loved one should be assessed.
3- Your capacity to provide care should be incorporated into your loved one’s care plan.
4- You should get training in medical tasks for which you’ll be responsible.
5- You should be connected with community resources that can be of help.
6- You should be given access to medical records and information.
You can find the column about the to-do list here:
khn.org/news/a-practical-to-do-list-for-family-caregivers/
Probably this is enough for most of you…
Robin