The FAMCare Blog

Throughout life, we may find ourselves having difficult conversations with our loved ones. There is never an easy way to approach these, and some can be upsetting to even think of. Discussing end-of-life arrangements is perhaps one of the hardest to reconcile, yet it can be one of the most important conversations we can have.

The San Francisco board of supervisors recently introduced a budget measure that would raise the minimum wage for nonprofit and in-home supportive service workers from $15/hour to $17/hour. When challenged, the board justified the $13 million added annual expense to the city budget by citing the crisis the home healthcare field is experiencing in San Francisco. It is bleeding workers daily.

The Hospice movement is a humanitarian, patient-centered protocol that is still striving for complete integration into main stream medical practice. Traditional medical regulations, policies, protocols, and cultural norms are geared toward  improving the patient’s health and, at the very least, maintaining current levels of patient functioning. Even the metrics used by skilled nursing facilities to assess the quality of care are not congruent with end-of-life care.

Research shows that most people currently living with dementia have not received a formal diagnosis. In high income countries, only 20-50% of dementia cases are recognized and documented in primary care. This ‘treatment gap’ is certainly much greater in low and middle-income countries, with one study in India suggesting 90% remain undiagnosed. If these statistics are extrapolated to other countries worldwide, it suggests that approximately three quarters of people with dementia have not received a diagnosis and, therefore, do not have access to treatment, care and organized support that getting a formal diagnosis can provide.

When we’re very busy taking care of other people, it’s easy to overlook the need to take care of ourselves. But self-care is vitally important for making sure you’re up to the challenges of being a caregiver. In order to be there for your loved ones and handle all your responsibilities, you need to keep up your health and energy levels. Here are some tips for making time for yourself in your everyday life.

As Health Care Becomes More Complex

Health care delivery models increasingly rely on social workers and social worker case managers because of their specialization in identifying and meeting the needs of patients, post-discharge.  Social workers are also healers...

In January 2015, Global Vision Technologies reported on the impending avalanche overhanging the long-term care industry as the baby boomer generation began to reach retirement age. At that time, we reported that by 2030 sixty-one million baby boomers aged 66 to 84, along with more than nine million of the “oldest of the old” born before 1946, will require some form of long term care services. Congressional Budget Office estimates suggest that total long-term care expenditures will increase at a rate of 2.5% per year compounding to $270 billion in 2030.

Ten thousand baby boomers turn 65 every day. As our population ages at this rapid rate, the incidence of dementia and the attendant challenges for family caregivers are becoming daunting. The impact on social work that this astounding statistic suggests also cannot be over-rated. In fact, the rapidly increasing incidence of dementia is opening up an entirely new practice area for social workers.