Gerontology – reflection on Informal & Family Caregiving

Write 350-450 words (double space) reflecting on the following case/scenario:

 As you continue your aging journey and your health becomes more of a challenge for your social support system – what will be the challenges in receiving the direct care you need for your Instrumental Activities of Daily Living as well as the struggle with Dementia that has recently been diagnosed?  Who will provide this and for how long?  At what cost?  Be realistic in your assessment of who can provide this care (if anyone), how will they provide the care, what are some inherent challenges they will face, and will this promote a healthy outcome for all.  Tie all concepts from Chapters 5 through 7 together in your narrative being helped by your life experience, and your research (use 2 outside resources, remember one of them is a personal communication with an older adult). 

 
Module 7 Overview: 
Caregiving in America primarily consists of informal and family caregiving.  The direct and indirect costs of this “shadow workforce” have an impact on the caregivers as well as the care recipients.  The economic value contributed by informal/family caregivers is estimated to be $480 billion – far more than the total expenditures for formal services and more than the annual revenue of some of America’s largest companies.  This contributes to caregiver burden and does not address the caregiver’s access to services, which can result in serious consequences to the caregiver as well as the care recipient.
Module 7 Objectives:  At the end of this module, the student will be able to:
1. Identify the kinds of family/informal caregiving that exists in communities
1b. Discuss the benefits and costs of caregiving
2. Review services and supports for caregivers as well as future service and program directions
3. Discuss caregiver burden, its consequences, and the approaches to relieve it
4. Define direct care workers and their most common characteristics