I come from a very large family. My grandparents had 5 kids and most of those 5 kids had 5 or 6 kids as well. By the time my grandparents were needing extra care they had 5 children and about 25 grandchildren to help them out. The decision was made to pull every one's resources together, as well as my grandparents and share in the payment of hiring a care tech to stay with them during the days. When that was no longer enough, I took over at night time to make sure my grandparents were safe and to make sure that if there were any problems, there would be an adult to call 911 and help out. Neither my grandmother or my grandfather had to go to a nursing home facility. They both died in the comforts of their own home. It was a sacrifice for my family, as well as for my aunts and uncles and their family to make this happen. I was 21 at the time that I spent the nights with my grandmother. I had my own place and my own life, but I wanted to make sure she was taken care of. I just can't help but think how different things would be if more families chose this path. Would our elderly be taken better care of if family members were providing the care, would medicare be on the verge of bankruptcy?
Like I stated before, I know that the choice my family made was a hard one, but I know that my grandparents felt more comfortable and I know that they received the best care because it was from relatives who loved and respected them. Now I am sure that elderly abuse is not limited to long term care facilities and that family members can be abusive as well, but I'm also sure that those who were not abusive would take much better care of their elderly than most long term care facilities.
It's not even just the care factor that's important here, but the fact that trying to keep our elderly loved ones in their homes or at least with family is going to be more comfortable for them.
I also believe that if more families helped out, that our medicare system would not be as overwhelmed as it is now. Our book stated that whether you put family members in a long term facility or keep them at home it evens out, but I don't think this always has to be the case (Pratt, 2010). If you can keep them at home as long as possible, they will be happier, they will be separated from other residents who can carry germs and diseases, and overall healthier. I know that many people have to work and can't be there all the time, but that's why I also think it's great that elderly day care units have opened up. It provides a wonderful alternative if you can't afford to have a care tech stay at the house all day, but don't want them to end up in a long term care unit.
I just think that too often, the burden of caring for our elderly loved ones is dumped on the state or on government. I also believe that medicare cannot afford this burden. Before turning to Long-term care, families need to do everything they can to care for and support their elderly.
Pratt, J. R. . (2010). Long-term care; managing across the continuum. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
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