The world of elder care is in flux. How do we best take care of our elders? What can we do?
This is a question I'll be thinking about today. Since embarking on this elder care path a few years ago, I've learned a lot. For starters, I've learned that there are a lot of dedicated people working day in and day out to lovingly care for the elderly in skilled, thoughtful ways. This is positive. I've also learned that there are not too many well worn paths of tried and true ways to care for the elderly. I believe this is true because of changing social patterns, community planning and services, the myriad of ways the elderly present and the needs they have, and the fact that we don't dedicate substantial time and funding to elder care. In many ways, elder care workers are underpaid and overworked. This creates a troubled landscape of care.
With this in mind, most families of average means or less are piecing together care plans for their elderly relatives. These piece-meal plans can be frustrating and worrisome. How can we do this better?
As I think about this, I'll think about the following:
- What supports are needed?
- What are the best resources for learning about the supports and how to access those supports
- What supports are affordable and available?