David J Levy JD CCE from the American Association for Caregiver Education and a true expert on caregiving issues, sent me a copy of the BusinessWeek article, Our Health-Care System Needs a Bypass.
David says that if you read nothing more read her description of Eldercare:
“If health care is a train headed for a brick wall, then elder care is a high-speed train stuffed with our parents and grandparents racing toward a steel-reinforced concrete fortress.”
In his email to me, David writes that the author has framed the issue for an out of the box solution. Essentially, aging in place with a Social HMO and great reliance on friends, neighbors and the family.
But David asks a question: Who trains and supports these folks to do this? Who explains the reciprocal independence, dignity and quality of life mantra that family caregiver and their loved one deserve? David says all this fails before it starts without a methodology to teach. It is the parable of giving them a "fish" or teaching them how to fish. Like everything else in the system we don’t have enough fish for starters and enough fishermen to teach fishing anyhow.
Something to think about.
Thanks David.
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