Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead Judy Bowen OAA Program Analyst 3 Department of Human Services/SPD State Unit on Aging 676 Church Street Salem, OR Tel: Fax: Bandana Shrestha Director, Community Engagement AARP Oregon 9200 SE Sunnybrook Blvd, Suite 410 Clackamas, OR Tel: Fax:

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead2 Helping Families Plan Ahead Current trends in caregiving Reaching current and future caregivers Tools to help families

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead3 Caregiver Facts What percent of care provided in the US is provided by family or friends? 83% What percent of caregivers are paid? 13% What percent of US caregivers are male? 39% What percent have children in the household? 37%

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead4 More Caregiver Facts A typical caregiver is 46yrs, female, married, and employed outside the home. Most care for their parents, grandparents and spouse (in that order). Nearly 6 of 10 workers are balancing work & caregiving. On average, working caregivers provide 18 hrs/week of care for older persons. Workers providing long-term intense care averaged $659,000 in lost wages, pension, and Social Security. Long-distance caregivers miss an average of 20 hrs/month. Average full time employee caregiver costs an employer $2110/year.

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead5 Future Trends Life expectancy in the US went from 47 to 77 over the last century. The fastest-growing age group is 85 and older. 35 million older Americans today will increase to 70 million in Caregiving is expected to increase in the future due to: Growth of older population Smaller family size Increase in two-earner households Long distance caregiving

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead6 Unprepared! Most Americans understand why it’s important to plan for the future. But when it comes to caring for a loved one, most families don’t have a plan until there is a problem.

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead7 Implications of Crisis- Driven Care Failing to plan for future responsibilities can make a bad situation worse. Caregiver - Care Recipient - Employer - Society Stress Family finances Training Support Recognition Lack of choice Quality of care

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead8 Never Too Late What really matters is that every American family has the opportunity to talk about and create a caregiving plan for their loved ones based on the needs and wishes of those who will be receiving the care.

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead9 Reaching Current and Future Caregivers What are you currently doing to reach current and future caregivers? How can you expand outreach? Uncommon Partners Employers Chamber of commerce Service clubs Faith communities Activities Lunch Seminars Resource fairs Caregiver Clinics Letters to the editor Start support groups

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead10 Tools to Help Families Plan Ahead! 41 Tip Sheets on: Caregiving Your Home Housing Options Transportation Legal Insurance End of Life Resources

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead11 Prepare to Care Designed for working caregivers Includes a guide and tools to help planning AARP Foundation/OSU Extension Pilot Project

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead12 Five Steps to a Family Caregiving Plan STEP 1: Prepare to Talk STEP 2: Form your Team STEP 3: Assess Needs STEP 4: Make a Plan STEP 5: Take Action

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead13 Step 1: Prepare to Talk “Every time I try to bring up the future, my mother just shuts down. She told me the important papers are in the cabinet, but the conversation never seems to go beyond that.”

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead14 The reality is… That some conversations are just plain difficult – even with the people to whom you feel the closest.

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead15 Step 2: Form Your Team

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead16 Step 3: Assess needs Before you can come up with a family caregiver plan that works for your family, gather two types of information: Personal information National and Local Resources

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead17 Step 4: Make a Plan Now that you have put your team together, and gathered all the information you need to make solid decisions, it’s time to sit down with your members and put your plan together. Keep in mind that you can’t plan for every detail, if you have the basics covered, you will have an important foundation.

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead18 Step 5: Take Action The strength and success of a family caregiving plan is only tested when the plan is actually put into action Most important, family members should always remember that no matter how organized and committed you are, the plan will have to change as you go along. That’s OK!

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead19 Families and Aging: Dilemmas & Decisions Get into small groups: Roll the dice Move the indicated number of squares on the game board Draw a card and read it out loud Say “how you feel” and “ what you would do” Discuss the situation “Dialogue” card: Act out the situation

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead20 References: Caregiving in the U.S., National Alliance on Caregiving and AARP 2004 Miles Away: The Metlife Study of Long-Distance Caregiving, 2004 The MetLife Juggling Act Study: Balancing Caregiving with Work and the Costs Involved The MetLife Caregiving Costs Study: Productivity Losses to US Business, 2006

Prepare to Care: Helping Families Plan Ahead21 How Can I get More information? AARP and AARP Foundation Key words: Caregiving Prepare to Care OUR-AARP ( ) OSU Extension THANK YOU!!!