Life is a journey! As a board certified RN geriatric care manager, I have the distinct privilege of meeting families and joining them in their care-giving journeys, and this is where I thrive!

At some point most of us will possibly care for another human being along the way. We all will grow old one day, and need assistance with either maintaining our optimal level of independence, or worse, our precious aging loved ones become chronically ill, and need ongoing, higher, hands-on levels of care.

It’s not easy being a care-giver. Knowing where to begin on the care-giving journey or having an idea about what exact paths to take, can be very overwhelming and create undo anxiety, adding more stress to any family unit. That’s why today we see more “sandwich type care-givers.” These are care-givers, either men, or women, who not only care for an aging loved one; but they also care for a growing family with dependents still at home. Thus they are sandwiched in with care-giving!

Not to mention, the statistics indicate that nearly 70% of all care-givers are women. With more women leaving the family unit to go to work now-a-days, the mounting pressure to have to care for both an aging loved one and a growing family is now a staggering social reality. And I am sorry to have to say that our current health care system is not fully equipped, nor is it prepared (really) for the increase in medical care for the aging. People are simply living longer. Enough about those types of stats; the point is, care-givers need help, and they need it to be provided by caring professionals who have both expertise and compassion. That’s where I come in, but I’ll tell you more later, I have to go help a care-giver just now…..