Eldercare issues impact every community, every demographic, every racial group, every socio-economic strata. Who you pray to, where you live or who you voted for does not matter. Everyone is impacted. Today, one-in-three U.S. Adults are impacted by eldercare challenges and two out of every three caregivers are women (who tend to provide more “hands on” care like bathing, toileting, cleaning, cooking etc., where men are more likely to schedule appointments, run errands, provide transportation etc.).
The “Baby-Boomers” (people born between 1946-1964) started turning 65 in 2011. According to the U.S. census bureau there are over 73 million people who fall into this category. Due to better nutrition, medicines, heathier lifestyles etc. the average life expectancy for someone who reaches 65 is now almost 86. Although healthier than previous generations the average 65 year old still has 3 chronic illnesses (something that will last at least 1 year) and that number tends to increase as they age. So the older a person gets the more likely they will need care.
As quiet as it’s kept, African Americans have one of the strongest caregiving traditions of any community. When our loved ones need care we don’t send them to a nursing home, we bring them into our homes. In recent years more women have excelled academically and professionally; as they struggle to balance family life with work life a tension has resulted. Given that women in our community have always been the cornerstones upon which everything else is built eldercare challenges have the potential to wreak significant havoc. Women’s importance to the community has not diminished but for significant numbers of them their responsibilities have increased along with their accomplishments:
- African American women earned 68 percent of all associates degrees awarded to African American students, as well as 66 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 71 percent of master’s degrees and 65 percent of all doctorates awarded to black students.” (2010 census);
- African American women earned more than half of all science and engineering degrees completed by African Americans in 2014;
- African American-Women owned businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the business market and are starting up at a rate six times higher than the national average;
- The number of African American women-owned businesses in 2015 was estimated at 1.3 million (49 percent of all African American-owned businesses); and
- African American women-owned businesses employed almost 300,000 workers and generated $52.6 billion in revenue in 2015.
Even family members with greater care needs, such as those afflicted with dementia or severe illnesses, are likely to receive care from their children and live in the community. This leads to the inherent conflict of family life versus professional life. While this is nothing new for women, eldercare issues leave African Americans particularly vulnerable and jeopardizes many of their recent educational and professional advances.
In my capacity as “Mr. Eldercare 101” I focus on eldercare issues all day, every day but was still unnerved recently by a woman who contacted me after hearing me on a nationally syndicated radio show. In short, her story is:
She’s an African American woman in her early 30s, from a single parent home in the Brooklyn projects. Despite the environmental obstacles she went to college and then law school; passed the New York Bar and then started her career as an attorney. Within a year of starting work her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Because of the many demands associated with caring for an older person with Alzheimer’s (scheduling/attending doctor’s appointments, shopping, cleaning, cooking etc.) she eventually left her job and moved back into her mother’s apartment in the projects. While she loves her mother unconditionally and does not begrudge her care in any way, she started to become angry and depressed at the turn her life had taken.
Fortunately, we were able to educate her on available eldercare options, and work with her to put an appropriate care plan in place for her mother. Now she’s resumed her career and is back on track. Unfortunately, there are too many stories like hers. She is one of the fortunate ones.
Most women who care for elders derive satisfaction from their efforts but it negatively impacts them professionally. They tend to reduce their work hours, leave the workforce, or make other adjustments that have negative career and financial implications. Some refuse overtime and pass up promotions (5%), take less stressful/lucrative assignments (9%), leaves of absence (17%), arrive late/leave early (64%), or quit/take early retirement (10%). Women of color are even more vulnerable because they tend to have less flexibility or autonomy in their jobs to take an elderly parent to the doctor or attend to their other needs. In addition to the professional consequences the potential financial impacts are substantial. For example, the average women who leaves the workforce to care for an elderly loved one forfeits $324,044 in salary, bonuses, retirement and social security benefits.
Physical and mental health impacts must also be considered. Caregivers have higher rates of significant illnesses, stress, and depression. None of which is surprising given that the average caregiver dedicates over 23 hours per week to caregiving activities and sacrifices their health and well-being as they focus their time and energies on their loved one.
Each situation is unique so there are no universal or perfect solutions to these challenges. But, prior proper eldercare planning and preparation will help mitigate many of the challenges that can easily cancel out women’s hard earned gains and professional opportunities.
Tips:
- Determine whether you are likely to become a caregiver to an elderly person-if so, start planning early
- Learn about caregiving options and how people pay for them
- Decide if co-location will be necessary, and if so, who will move
- Consider how caregiving responsibilities will impact your career, finances, relationships, and health – create an action plan to lessen the negative repercussions
- Request assistance/involve other family members – even remotely via the internet-if necessary
- Have frequent status updates/conversations with ALL concerned parties (elders, spouses, children, siblings, employers etc.). Listen in addition to speaking.
- Utilize support groups (live/online) – if necessary
- **** Take Care Of Yourself – you can’t care for someone else if you’re in the sick bed next to them ****
For more details on these and many other aspects of eldercare please visit the Mr. Eldercare 101 website (www.MrEldercare101.com) which is frequently updated with new and relevant information to help you on your caregiving journey. Good luck.
Derrick Y. McDaniel
“Mr. Eldercare 101”