Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Understanding the Progression of Care Commitment

Full Article-

Tacoma, WA
The chart below illustrates the relationship of informal care to formal care. As care needs increase, both in the number of hours required and in the number or intensity of activities requiring help, there is a greater need for the services of formal caregivers. Unfortunately, many informal caregivers become so focused on their task they don't realize they are getting in over their heads and they have reached the point where some or complete formal caregiving is necessary. Or the informal caregiver may recognize the need for paid, professional help but does not have the money to pay for it.

It is the job of a care manager or a financial adviser or an attorney to recognize this need with the client caregiver and provide the necessary counsel to protect the caregiver from overload. An overloaded caregiver is likely to develop depression and/or physical ailments and could end up needing long-term care as well. Or the consequences of not being able to cope with caregiving might even result in an early death for the caregiver.

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