Caregiving

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, 'Woman, here is your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour, this disciple took her into his own home" (John 19: 26,27).

Even as Jesus hung on the cross, despite his own agony and pain, he looked down, saw his mother, and had compassion for her. Before he died, Jesus entrusted his mother's care to another disciple. Jesus was concerned about his mother's well-being; and before he died, he made certain his mother was being cared for.

Caring for a family member can be very rewarding, but it is also hard work; and caregivers are often filled with conflicting emotions. Caregiving often means sacrificing one's own pastimes and plans for the good of someone else. Women who provide long-term care for a chronically ill loved one often suffer serious long-term financial consequences — including reduced Social Security, pension, and retirement income — as a result of reduced time in the workforce.

Who are the caregivers? There are at least 44.4 million caregivers in the United States, according to a new study conducted for the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP and funded by the MetLife Foundation. (For more information, see www.aarp.org/research.) The study found that caregivers are desperate for support. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they need help or information on at least one of fourteen activities or issues they commonly face.

In addition, a new Fact Sheet developed by the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance,*describes some important issues related to caregiving:

• The average caregiver is a 46-year-old married woman who works outside the home earning an annual income of $35,000.
• The value of informal caregiving provided by women in the U.S. is in the range of $148-$188 billion annually.
• Women are likely to spend a total average of twelve years out of the workforce raising children and caring for an older relative or friend.
• Although men also provide assistance (and about 39 percent of caregivers are men), female caregivers may spend as much as 50 percent more time providing care than male caregivers.
• Thirty-three percent of working women decreased their work hours to care for a chronically ill loved one; 29 percent passed up a job promotion, training, or assignment; 16 percent quit their jobs; and 13 percent retired early.
• Women who provide care for an ill or disabled spouse are six times as likely to suffer symptoms of depression or anxiety as those who had no caregiving responsibilities.
• Twenty-five percent of women caregivers report health problems resulting from their caregiving activities.
• The challenges of caregiving also have a positive side, however: Many women caregivers report feeling a stronger sense of purpose in life than their non-caregiving women peers, as well as more autonomy and personal growth.

*Source: Family Caregiver Alliance, 690 Market St., Ste 600, San Francisco, CA 94104. Phone: 415.434.3388 or 800.445.8106. Fax: 415.434.3508. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.caregiver.org.

With decreasing federal and state dollars and with society's challenge to provide effective, quality health care, the church is faced with new and exciting opportunities for helping both care-receivers and caregivers. Many congregations have started congregational health ministry programs, parish nurse ministries, Stephen Ministries, Children of Aging Parents Support Groups, Respite Care Ministries, Adult Day Services, and so on, in an effort to focus on helping the needs of both care-provider and care-receiver.

It has been said that there are three categories of people in the world: caregivers, former-caregivers, and some-day caregivers. This issue of Center Sage looks at several issues related to the topic of caregiving. It is not an exhaustive list, nor is it intended to deal with all areas of caregiving. There are far too many areas of concern with caregiving for a single issue of our newsletter. However, we hope that you find these articles interesting and the resources helpful for your ministry as you seek to provide a ministry of care for both the caregiver and the care-receiver.

This article appeared in the Fall 2004 issue of Center Sage.