Presbyterians Giving Care

“You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you.”

— Ruth Smeltzer

Do you ever wonder how many Presbyterians are involved in caregiving? We wondered, so last summer National Health Ministries collected information on several aspects of life and life events through a voluntary survey of Presbyterian Women who attended the 2006 Presbyterian Women's Gathering

In order to compare experiences by age cohort, the survey respondents were divided into groups based on the decade of their birth. Care giving worries or responsibilities, more so than any other one single factor, seem to have an impact on aging and older Presbyterians. Some indicated that they were giving care to young children, while others indicated that they were caring for both children and older adults. The largest group indicated they were giving care to someone older.

Of the women who completed surveys, caregiving is a part or was a part of the life of three out of four of them. Fully half of the 1950s decade participants indicated they were involved in caregiving either for older or younger individuals with another 25 percent indicating that they had been caregivers in the past.

Twenty percent of both the 1930s and 1940s decade group is giving care. Fifty percent of the 1930s decade group and 25 percent of the 1940s decade group have previously been caregivers. Viewing the 1920s decade group, one-third is currently giving care, another third has in the past and the remainder has had no care-giving responsibilities.

Family Care Givers

More and more family members are becoming caregivers. At the turn of the 20th century, the average life expectancy was only 50 years. Today, the average life expectancy is near 80 for men and the mid-80s for women. This means that more people will have older relatives and will experience the joys, rewards and stresses of providing care for them. And because many people are starting their families later in life, they may be caring for young children and aging parents at the same time.

Families are the primary source of assistance for older people who are unable to meet all of their own needs. Family caregivers, the majority of whom are women, provide 80 to 90 percent of the care that older relatives receive.

Today's families have changed significantly from decades ago. Families now are more likely to be headed by dual-earner married couples or by a single parent who works. With both women and men in the paid labor force, a growing proportion of families have no adult at home to care for children or to manage or provide care for elderly relatives. Instead, they rely on systems of care that can be costly, undependable, incompatible with hours of work or in short supply. Today's families are struggling to meet multiple responsibilities.

For those family members who work, care for older relatives can be particularly difficult. According to one study, caregivers who are employed outside the home spend an average of four hours per day on caregiving tasks in addition to the eight hours they've already worked.

Other studies have revealed that it is very common for family caregivers to neglect their own health and other needs in order to provide care.

Honor caregivers

For Congregational Care Teams:

1. Incorporate a brief ceremony thanking those involved in care teams into a worship service during November.  If care teams have never been officially “commissioned,” use this as an opportunity to highlight the work and importance of the ministry by holding a commissioning ceremony.  (Download a sample commissioning ceremony )  Even if you do not incorporate a commissioning service, the sentences of scripture contained in the service might be useful.
2. Hold a reception/coffee break after worship services on Sunday during November to simply say thank you.
3. Use a minute for mission or witness opportunity to address the importance of care team work.
4. Feature stories (without revealing the names of the care recipients) about the work of congregational care teams in your newsletter or bulletin.

For individual and family caregivers.

Make and provide caring kits for all family caregivers

Caring kits are pre assembled kits containing items a caregiver might want or need and appreciate. They communicate many things, but importantly among them that the person giving care is remembered, is cared about and has permission to take a bit of time for herself/himself.

Often caregivers do not have many opportunities to "pamper" themselves or may even feel guilty if they focus even briefly on their own needs. A caring kit assembled and delivered by members from the congregation would be a wonderful reminder that they are remembered and could make a crucial difference in someone's life.

Learn how to construct caring kits.

Try these other ideas to honor individuals providing care

• When praying for individuals during worship, pray not only for people who are ill, but also remember their family caregivers. Family caregivers tend to be invisible and their contributions minimized or ignored. Remember to include family caregivers when prayer lists are disseminated to those who pray independently at home.
• Be a truly "Caring Congregation." Survey the caregiving families in your community. Identify the help they need and look at forming a congregational care team to address it. Most frequently family care givers can use supportive help with  transportation, respite, help with insurance or other paperwork, household support, regular meals and guidance on end-of-life issues.
• Establish a family caregiver support network or buddy system. Introduce caregivers in the congregation to one another. Provide them with the opportunity to support and learn from each other by giving them meeting space or by putting together a caregiver phone or email list or online discussion forum. Provide a trained leader for the group or a pastoral counselor.
• Sponsor a health equipment “closet” — a healthcare equipment loan program. Home care equipment can be expensive and is not always covered by insurance. Some members may have canes, walkers, wheelchairs or other equipment they no longer need and will be happy to lend or donate to others.  Publish a list of available equipment and whom to contact in order to get it.
• Honor your family caregivers with an event that recognizes their contributions and provides them with the opportunity to have some fun — a special dinner, an outing, etc. and be sure to include respite care as part of the event for those who need it.
• Provide educational programs and/or materials on end-of-life issues. Some long-term caregiving ends in recovery; however, other long term care-giving may transition to end of life care. Death, dying and grief are natural parts of life, but they are not issues most of us are comfortable talking about. You can help your members and their families by helping them prepare for the end of life by:
  
  
• Providing information on powers of attorney, living wills and other advance directives.
• Developing a list of area professionals (elder care attorneys, geriatric care managers, financial planners), who can help families in time of need.
• Encouraging families to create a living legacy with a scrapbook or video that captures the memories and stories of elders before it is too late.
• Put together readings, scripture, poems and other writing that speak to caregiver issues and needs. Present them as a gift to caregivers in your congregations so they will always have spiritual support when they need it.
• Compile a list of local resources so that families in caregiving situations will know where to turn for help. The list can include government agencies, local home care agencies, medical equipment suppliers, hospices, assisted living communities, nearby senior centers and adult day care facilities, taxi services that have wheelchair accessible vehicles, pharmacies that deliver and more.
• Establish a congregational health ministry (parish nurse program) to minister to the healthcare needs of your community. As part of the program, recruit volunteers from the congregation to serve as support caregivers who are willing to provide respite for caregivers and a friendly visit to care recipients. Consider organizing all of the suggestions above under the auspices of the health ministry for a truly comprehensive program.