Unpaid and Overwhelmed Family Caregivers Find Support, Respite and Resources.

Palos Heights – It might start with a kind offer of picking up a few groceries, or providing another set of ears at a doctor’s appointment. Over time, a daughter, a son, a niece, or a grandchild may find themselves bringing lunch and dinner, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, and checking in by phone or in person several times each day – and realizing they are now a family caregiver for an older loved one.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, an opportunity to honor the over 52 million U.S. family members who care for older relatives, almost always without financial compensation. In fact, family caregivers in the U.S. provide about 18 billion hours of unpaid care each year, totaling nearly $340 billion in economic impact.

For many of these unpaid caregivers, the hours they put in supporting, running errands, juggling appointments, cleaning, feeding and tending can amount to another job; family caregivers devote an average of 27 hours of week to their older adult loved one. An outsider may wonder why the older adult doesn’t just move to an assisted living facility.

Carletta Gatling, Senior Caregiver Specialist at Pathlights in Palos Heights, says, “Most people want to age in place, and stay in their own home. For many people, they have lived in their home a long time. It holds memories, it holds love, and it holds comfort. As things change with the health and perhaps their memories, staying home is really what people prefer.”

“However, they will need support to stay home. They’ll need help with personal care, maintaining a medication schedule, going to doctor’s appointments and maintaining and cleaning their homes. For many children or relatives of older adults, even though they may live close by, it becomes more and more difficult to take care of aging relatives. These children have their own children, jobs and their own responsibilities,” says Gatling.

That, she says, is where Pathlights comes in. The organization, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, provides support, resources and assistance to older adults and their families in the southwest and south suburbs of Chicago. There are several ways Pathlights can help.

“Our home-delivered meals can relieve caregivers of the burden of cooking for the older adult. When a caregiver is at work, but knows that the older adult is being fed a healthy, medically appropriate diet, and that someone delivering that meal is checking in on them, it can be a huge emotional relief,” says Gatling. “Pathlights can also arrange in-home services, such as light housekeeping and laundry help. With this support, caregivers can spend more time actually tending to their loved one.”

Emergency fall detection buttons, assistance with personal care and medication management can be arranged through Pathlights, so caregivers have peace of mind that safety, personal hygiene and compliance to doctor’s medication orders are being supported and monitored.

Pathlights also offers several types of support groups for caregivers, such as virtual support groups and in-person groups. There are groups that focus on specific types of caregiving, such as caring for loved ones with memory loss, Alzheimer’s and dementia, or supporting older adults who find themselves caring for young children again. These groups allow caregivers to connect and know that they are not alone in their journey.

Gatling says, “Whenever a caregiver gets support, and can talk about what they are going through, I feel like that fills their tank a little bit more. Whether they find resources directly from Pathlights or they learn from others in a similar situation, the support helps them continue on with their caregiving journey.”

When an older loved one can’t be left alone, a 24/7 caregiver rarely has a moment to tend to their own needs – even for a simple doctor’s appointment. When other family members are unable to step in, caregivers can become overwhelmed, frustrated and burnt out. Pathlights offers Respite services. They can direct caregivers to Senior Day Care programs in their neighborhood, providing valuable socialization opportunities for the older adult. Pathlights can provide in-home care so a caregiver can have a moment of precious solitude or run errands. Short term, out-of-home respite can also be arranged, when the older adult stays in a skilled nursing care facility for several days to allow family to take a break to rest and recharge.

Often, caregiving can create financial burdens as well. Gap filling funds can be arranged by Pathlights to cover items such as incontinence pads, wipes, and gloves.

Whether a caregiving situation has been discussed and agreed upon before it’s actually necessary, if the caregiving grew slowly and organically over time, or if it happened quickly after a medical crisis, family caregivers in Bremen, Lemont, Orland, Palos, Rich and Worth townships can call Pathlights at 708-361-0219 or visit www.pathlights.org for more information about joining support groups, accessing Respite services, applying for gap filling funds or arranging for in-home services or home-delivered meals.

Gatling says, “Don’t wait to ask for help. Whether you’ve just started your caregiving journey or if you’re an experienced caregiver, get the support you need now. No one can pour from an empty cup, and Pathlights is here to help. People who have taken on the commendable role as a family caregiver deserve so much more than gratitude. They also deserve as much support and assistance as we can possibly provide.”