Blessing of caregiving elderly love ones and their cost.

Repairing that broken heart is one of those chores in life that requires you to find your own way. You have to wander around and find your own path.
Michael Vargas.

The burden is compounded by ignorance, which found that most Americans have no idea how much long-term care costs and believe that Medicare pays for it, when it does not. Hispanic Families have always looked after their elderly loved ones. Instead, across the income spectrum, Hispanics are sacrificing to care for their parents to the limit of their means and sometimes beyond.
We should encourageing Young Hispanics and other ethnicities that Elderly love ones are from different cultural backgrounds and may have differing from their beliefs and values but the question is how can we learn their language and how we should speak to them? Well; Elderly Love ones can communicates depends on his or her culture. Thus we should expect that cultural differences should be reflected whether they are developing or typically have a disability. We should support, listen, observe, value, encourage, talk to, interact and expand as a way to develop and build their language skills. Longevity is not a problem, but a life stage for which we must be prepared physically and emotionally, thus achieving a productive old age, useful and active. Throughout history we can see that the role of the elderly within the family and society has changed. The modern world does not tolerate the revocation, is trying to combat the time and deny old age. Currently, the society we live insists on using the chronological age for many purposes social and labor, preferring to young people and relegating the elderly. The problem of "age" denotes a form of discrimination before the old man because of his age, which turns out to be so dangerous and unfounded as racism and sensismo. Lastima que ya no estas conmigo Mi Viejito, Mi Padre. Qpd.

Recenlty study released from UnitedHealth Group's Evercare organization and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) finds that more than one third of Hispanic households (36 percent) have at least one family member caring for an older loved one -a larger percentage than all U.S. caregiving households which is 21 percent (one in five), according to the Evercare Study of Hispanic Caregiving in the U.S. The study, the largest comprehensive look at Hispanic caregivers, also revealed that caregiving caused a major change to the working situation of Hispanics, which could have dramatic personal implications as the current fiscal crisis continues to unfold in the United States. Additionally, the emotional and physical tolls of caregiving might also impact the local and national economies, given that more than eight million Hispanics provide care to older loved ones nationwide.

The participants of the study indicated that additional resources and tools-in Spanish-are necessary to help them care for their loved ones. Seventy-three percent of Hispanic caregivers think it is very or somewhat important that caregiving information be provided in Spanish, with 56 percent who say it is very important. Eighty percent of Hispanic caregivers indicated training sessions that teach caregiving skills would be helpful, while more than seven in 10 would find online training in caregiving skills to be helpful.

Evercare, a leader in the fight against chronic illness, is dedicated to providing health care management and preventive care for the millions of Americans suffering with advanced or long-term illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Through Evercare health plans, family caregivers are part of the primary care team led by Evercare Nurse Practitioners and Care Managers who help coordinate care and guide members to improve their health outcomes, remain independent, and live at home as long as possible. In addition, more than 500,000 working caregivers have access to Evercare™ Solutions for Caregivers, a caregiver services and support program provided through employers nationwide or on a private-pay basis.

"Family caregivers are an essential part of our health care system yet very often they need additional training and support for the critical role they play," says Ana T. Fuentevilla, M.D., Medical Director for Evercare/ Ovations National Support Team. "Understanding the specific cultural needs and issues of caregivers in the Hispanic community is an important part of how we design our specific health plans and services for our members. Through programs such as Evercare Solutions for Caregivers, we can help these caregivers maintain their own health and stay on the job."

Caregiving has also caused a major change to the working situation of many Hispanics. The study found that more than four in 10 Hispanic caregivers (41 percent) have changed their work situation either by cutting back on hours, changing jobs, stopping work entirely, or taking a leave of absence. This is compared to 29 percent among non-Hispanic caregivers.

In fact, two-thirds of Hispanics were employed at some point while they were caregiving (66 percent), whereas only 52 percent are currently working, a decline of 14 percentage points. Although the notable proportion of Hispanic caregivers who made major employment-related changes while caregiving might lead one to believe that they would be less satisfied with the balance between caregiving and work, they are actually more highly satisfied than non-Hispanic caregivers. Nearly half of Hispanic caregivers (47 percent) report being very satisfied with their home/work balance, compared to 36 percent of non-Hispanic caregivers.

The Evercare/NAC Study revealed that Hispanics spend 17 percent more time on caregiving than non-Hispanics do - 37 hours a week compared to 31 hours a week for non-Hispanics. Hispanic caregivers also perform more strenuous activities for their loved ones than non-Hispanic caregivers. In fact, Hispanic caregivers perform 17 percent more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) including bathing, feeding, and other personal care tasks - than non-Hispanic caregivers.

However, while Hispanic caregivers provide more care, more than half reported little or no stress from caregiving. In fact, a significant number (35 percent) indicated that caregiving is not at all stressful - compared to 22 percent of non-Hispanic caregivers who reported the same. This is an important cultural finding given that more than four out of 10 Hispanic caregivers reported living with their loved one (compared to more than three out of 10 non-Hispanics who are co-residents) - a situation that in previous studies has typically increased caregiver stress levels.
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