We may wonder why it’s not like the old times when sick and older family members could simply return home from the hospital and fit right back in. Why has caregiving gotten so difficult?
-
Hospitals are discharging people quicker and sicker than ever before. Complicated follow-up regimens and medical or medicinal procedures are often involved and discharge instruction is limited.
-
Family dynamics have gotten more complicated over the past few years. Women are working longer hours and there are more non-traditional and extended families. The “primary caregiver” may include several people. They have to communicate extensively and arrange schedules to coordinate care.
-
The “independence trap” makes it hard for caregivers to ask for help. “I can do it,” and “I don’t need any help,” are phrases that professionals often hear from soon-to-be-beleaguered spouses and families. The independence trap comes out of a belief system in the western world which equates maturity and strength of character with going it alone. (Witrogen Mcleod 20)
-
Our economic system can no longer support the burgeoning aging population. This puts more financial pressure on the spouses to continue working and gives them less money for medications and supplemental care (which, by the way, are getting more expensive).
-
Chronic long-term illness has become more prevalent over the past 20 years and dying has become a slower, more gradual, process. Much longer near-critical care periods are becoming increasingly common with repeated admissions to the hospital.
-
Caregiving quickly turns into a matter of sheer endurance. After a few weeks, little things that seemed doable in the short term, pile up and become unmanageable. People don’t know which way to turn and get overwhelmed. This, in turn, sets them back further…it can be a downward spiral.
