Roughly 43.5 million people support an elderly family member, ages 50 and older, with serious chronic illnesses at home, according to data cited in The New York Times.
Many of these people, who are often overlooked by physicians, carry a "caregiver burden." This burden is the subject of a study published in JAMA this year by Ronald Adelman, MD, co-chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine at New York City-based Weill Cornell Medical College.
For some, the caregiver burden becomes so great, they go to extreme lengths to relieve themselves of the responsibility. The report noted an elderly woman from Dr. Adelman's research who unsuccessfully attempted suicide while caring for her husband. While in the hospital, she was relieved to be momentarily free of the responsibility of care giving.
The New York Times report notes several tips for physicians from Dr. Adelman to identify and help alleviate caregiver burden, including the following:
- Learn to identify the risk factors for caregiver burden. It often affects spouses who have no choice but to take a caregiver role, those who care for people requiring complex care or frequent trips to healthcare facilities, as well as those under financial stress.
- Spend time individually with the people who attend a patient's appointment. They may not want to express their stress in front of the patient.
- Ask questions about the caregiver's own wellbeing and what their plan is if they can no longer provide care for the patient.
- Have a list of nonmedical referrals on hand to provide additional help. These may include community agencies, visiting nurse services, geriatric care managers or elder care lawyers.
- Use the Family Caregiver Alliance toolkit for more guidance on assessing caregivers.
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