11-27-2024 Primetime Living - Flipbook - Page 13
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, November 27, 2024 13
Caregiving thoughts from a
professional caregiver
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
Why This is Important
Family caregivers are expected to
bear the brunt of caring for our aging
baby boomers, all of whom will be over
65 by 2030. This is already the second
largest segment of the U.S. population
with 20.93 percent of the total population. Only Millennials account for more
of the population, with 21.71 percent. So
how will the Millennials, Gen X and Gen
Z cope with this burden?
The answers are defined in MDOA’s
multisector plan for aging, Longevity
Ready Maryland, developed under the
aegis of MDOA’s Secretary of Aging
Carmel Roques. She’s been working on
this since taking office in 2023. “In our
state” says Roques, “older adults are
living longer. By 2030, Maryland baby
boomers will represent about 26 percent
of the population. We are committed to
providing them with the support they
need and deserve.”
MDOA is looking at how to develop
better strategies and policies. “We need
to work together instead of in silos,”
says Ray. “We also want to learn from
the other states, what they are doing
and how they are doing it. If there’s one
goal we want to implement, it would be
having a policy to cover caregiving from
birth to death.
“We have accumulated some data,
but we need more. As we dive into this
planning, we want to use some of the
grant money to hire a dedicated director to oversee this program, not just a
volunteer; however, the Maryland State
Senate has not funded the position yet.
Right now, staffing is provided as part
of the duties of existing State staff. We
envision that a staffing position could
be proposed in a future budget cycle for
sustainability once grant funds end, if it
is successful.
“We will continue to go beyond
demographics and define who the people are who require assistance, who
are overwhelmed and floundering. We
define ‘sandwich’ caregivers as those
who manage two groups: people under
18 and those over 18. They are supporting multiple loved ones of different
ages. We find there are commonalities
we can address together across sectors
and there are opportunities to better link
resources available to different target
groups to improve access through a true
No Wrong Door approach.”
Another component of the grant is
to do evidence-based caregiver workshops, to educate those who are in
the role of caregiver but have no idea
what they are doing. They need guidance and education on resources. MDOA
will partner with Maryland Department
of Human Services (dhs.maryland.gov),
which already has information and expertise in helping with different younger
populations. Its mission, “through its
24 local departments of social services,
[to] aggressively pursue opportunities
Family caregiver
continued on page 15
Bianca Wise is the owner of Home
Helpers Home Care of NW Baltimore
and loves what she does, which is to
help older adults stay safe, independent
and thriving in their homes. Her team
of professional caregivers do just that.
She also does home consultations and
assessments to make sure the environment is safe for your loved one.
When my mother’s health started
deteriorating, three of my siblings and
I took on caregiving duties but, since
we all worked, we needed help during
the day. We alternated staying with her
in the evening. It was, for us, the best
solution.
Family caregivers are priceless. They
bear the weight of caring for a family member and it takes a toll. Those
“sandwich” caregivers who have two
generations to tend to, their own kids
and either one or both parents, are
today’s heroes.
Wise provides caregivers when you
can’t do it yourself. “I am passionate
about aging,” she says, “and aging in
place. When families call me, they are
usually at the breaking point, unable to
cope any longer. They also, often, feel
guilty that they can’t do more. That’s
wrong. These situations are fraught with
emotional stress and trying to do it all is
impossible.”
One of the most difficult issues when
you become a caregiver is figuring out
how to do it and what resources are
available. Wise describes what they
go through. “They are unfamiliar with
what’s out there to help them. They are
unfamiliar with their area’s agency on
aging, which can often be too hard to
navigate, they need a guide to access
what they need for the person they are
caring for, and then they find out they
have to be their own guide. And it’s
frustrating.”
According to the Administration for
Community Living (ACL), the place to
start is an “area agency on aging (AAA),
a public or private nonprofit agency
designated by a state to address the
needs and concerns of all older persons
at the regional and local levels. AAA is
a general term – names of local AAAs
may vary.”
In Maryland, start with the Maryland
Department of Aging (www.aging.maryland.gov). In Baltimore City, visit the
Baltimore City Health Department Office
of Aging and CARE Services (http://
health.baltimorecity.gov/programs/
seniors). And in Baltimore County, it’s
the Baltimore County Department of
Aging (www.baltimorecountymd.gov/
departments/aging).
Because Wise wants to help, she has
started a non-profit: Charm City Senior
Care Alliance. It brings senior care professionals together to build trust, to connect with leaders in the area, to elevate
services and care. She hopes the nonprofit will lower the barrier between the
caregivers and the service providers.
For more information, contact Bianca
Wise at info@charmcitysca.org.
Wise spoke about “Family Caregiver
Guilt,” what families go through: “When
it’s a family member you have to care
for, especially with the parent-child
dynamic, there’s no training on how to
balance that obligation that we all feel
when family is involved. It’s what leads
to burn-out. They don’t know how to ask
for help or accept it when it’s offered.
“They should access support groups
or therapy, and it’s out there. They need
something before they start breaking
down emotionally and physically. If they
are not there at a specific time, if they
take time for themselves, they feel guilty
or they start resenting the relative and
that strains the relationship.
“People don’t understand that no
matter how strong the family caregiver
Caregiving thoughts
continued on page 15
