A Shift in Care

New Hampshire is one of the first states that acts as a bellweather every four years as we ready ourselves for presidential elections. They may also be the leader and state that the nation looks to when it comes to senior care. The number of people 85 and older is among the fastest growing population in the state of New Hampshire and with this growth comes an increase in the number of adult children facing decisions about how to care for their aging parents who can no longer care of themselves. More caregiving children are looking towards options such as home health aides and adult day care programs to provide health and social services for their parents during the day as they maintain their position in the work place.

This shift to day services is favored by the senior population. According to a release by the New Hampshire branch of the AARP, 84% of retired people surveyed in the state support a shift to state funding from nursing homes to home and community based services. These programs promote socialization as a major part of their curriculum through activities such as arts and crafts and card games with new friends. Some programs even provide transportation, health services and meals.

In comparison to the fees of a nursing or assisted living facility, the price of adult day care or an at home health aide is cost effective for many families. It allows the caregiver the chance to maintain their daily lifestyle and helps the senior maintain some level of independence. With our troubling economic times, a shift in how care is provided could again follow New Hampshire's lead.

Cutting Costs

Retirement savings are being decimated. Medical costs are skyrocketing. The generation caring for their parents and also for their own children is being overwhelmed with no immediate help in site. According to a 2007 survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare, the average cost for day to day expenses like food and doctor's visits for an elderly parent is $5,500 per year. Here are five tips from SmartMoney on how to manage the costs of caring for an elderly loved one.

1. Negotiate - It never hurts to ask, especially when dealing with a nursing or assited living facility that is not filled to capacity.

2. Offer to share a room - Some nursing facilities set aside a number of "shared" rooms that are designed for lower income seniors.

3. Hire a geriatric care manager - They can help with everything from asssessing your parent's long term care needs to mediating family conflicts over care decisions.

4. Adult Day Care - This is often more affordable than private, in-home caregiver fees and allows you to still be active at work and valuable to your employer.

5. Hire a part-time caretaker - For someone who does not require full time care, ask a neighbor, church acquaitance or trusted friend to check on your parent a couple of times a day. This also promotes independence if the senior is able.

The Effect on the Workplace

In a recent publication, The Family Caregiver Alliance estimated that one out of four households in the United States has some involvement in caring for a family member 50 years or older. Between one third and one half of these caregivers also work outside of the home. In the workplace, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) allows eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to be used all at once or intermittently for serious illnesses to themselves or a family member, including an elderly parent. These demographic and government changes are creating an increasing amount of problems for employers who are having to juggle their staffing schedules when the caregiver needs to tend to more important issues at home than at work.

But many work places are realizing that this is a sign of the times as the demographics of our nation changes and we become an "older" population. Companies are becoming more flexible with their work structures and some have even offered elder care assistance. It is in the employer's best interest to show some efforts to help the caregiver and let them know that they are still valued by the organization. It is the hope of these companies that these offered benefits result in employee loyalty, productivity and retention of their workers.

One never knows when they will called on to care for a loved one. Caregiving is going to be a part of all of our lives at one point in time. Whether to boss or assistant, compassion to all employees will only help the reputation of the business and make it a better environment for productivity and teamwork.

Banking on the Future

In a small town in a remote province of China, a man on the verge of retirement has come up with quite an intereting idea. He has created the concept of "Age Banks". China is going to see a senior boom greater than that of the United States with one third of their population being over the age of 60 in the next forty years. Age Banks are designed with caregiving in mind. A volunteer can go into an Age Bank and spend time with an elderly member of the population who may not have family or loved ones to assist them. The hours that they spend volunteering is recorded and placed into their "bank" to be used on care towards themselves when they are the ones needing the assistance. Their work done shopping, cleaning, obtaining medicines, etc. is logged into a personal data base and will conceptually assist them at a later date. Would a program like this work in the United States? Would our society of what's in it for me volunteer time to the elderly if we didn't see an immediate return? It may be a question that we need to ask ourselves if this concept catches on.

Men Assuming the Caregiving Role

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Alzheimer's Association, men now make up 40% of family care providers. This number is up 19 percent from a similar study in 1996. Men have become more of a "hands on" style of caregiver in the past 10 years, straying from their roles of just taking care of financial records, arranging parent's schedules, etc. In some cases they are now the primary source for personal hygeine (including changing of incontinence supplies and bathing), meals, medications and other tasks that have in the past been left to a female relative such as a sister or wife. Why the change? Several factors such as more women being full time workers, smaller family and support roles and the rising costs off healthcare all have contributed.