Archive for April 27th, 2009

Posted on April 27, 2009 - by Nurse Virginia

Caregiver Tips: Why blog? When we have a “silver tsunami” coming at us and more family members are becoming caregivers

The question for healthcare professionals is –
Why not Blog?

Recently I have heard this phrase several times “we have a real tsunami of dementia coming at us” or “the silver tsunami is coming.” What we know is that we now have 4-5 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Current estimates are that there are about 2 million people living in Nursing Communities. People 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the population. When you are 85 years old you have a 47% chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

All of these facts point to the overwhelming awareness that we all need to do something now.

The number of caregivers in the home, whether spouse, children or private duty home health caregiver is staggering. And that is just for the people with Alzheimer’s disease. Many home caregivers are taking care of someone with a disability, someone with another dementing disease or someone terminally ill.

This week I have had the opportunity, at the Illinois Department of Aging 2009 conference, to speak to many case managers. The stories they tell of difficulties they and their home health caregivers are dealing with are truly overwhelming.

Opportunities abound for health care professionals in facilities to learn person-centered care. But for the caregiver in the home, how much help is there for them?

If “blogging” is a way of reaching out a helping hand to that growing multitude of caregivers struggling in the home – many times going it alone, why not do it?

Then the question for the health care community should be, why not blog?