Money--perhaps the most taboo subject culturally. Yes, we only talk to some friends about our sex life, and maybe with very close friends, we talk about our faith life or our prayer life--that is such intimacy, isn't it? But the thing we share the least? Our financial lives.
Just think about that. Think of three of your really close friends. You may know who is having sex and who isn't anymore, and occasionally who likes what. But do you know how much money your friends make? or their partners make? or how deep their debt is? Who has family help? You might guess at those things but rarely do we know financial details of our friend's lives.
This is also true in CancerLand. And that can be devastating. The cost of cancer care is steep. Even with insurance the copays can break a family. And when cancer goes on and on--as it does more and more often now--the cost can use all resources including savings and retirement funds.
This is something worth thinking about--and talking about. But you'll see in the attached article that many folks worry about talking about money with their doctors because they fear changes to the quality of their care.
Click on the link below to read more. Share this post with friends who have cancer or who care for those who do. Let's open this last box of secrets in CancerLand. Let's reduce the fear and anxiety around money that is an additional cost and worry.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/12/26/financial-burden-of-cancer-care-lowers-patients-quality-of-life/79084.html
Showing posts with label cost of caregiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cost of caregiving. Show all posts
Friday, December 26, 2014
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Caregiving Costs Calculated for Dementia Care
You may have seen or heard about the newly released study on the anticipated rise in dementia diagnoses. There was a front page article on this in the New York Times earlier this week and I have attached the link at the bottom of this post.
Do take a look at the article if you have not seen it yet. There are implications for all of us even if we are not currently caring for someone with a form of dementia. The numbers are startling. Here is just one: According to the RAND study there are currently 3.8 million people in the United States with dementia. That is 15% of people over age 70. By 2040 --less that 30 years from now--it is expected that there will be 9.1 million people with dementia. And of course, we often forget, that increase doesn't happen 30 years from now..it begins now, this year and then next year and then the year after that--to increase. And that means us.
Now here is the part of the article that jumped out at me: Dr Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging said, "And as we have the Baby Boomer group maturing, there are going to be more older people with fewer children to be informal caregivers." (Again, he's talking about us.)
And really interesting to those of us who are interested in caregiving: The study quantified the value of informal caregiving required for dementia--usually provided at home or by a mix of family and friends and estimated that the cost will range from $50 million to $106 million PER YEAR.
And again that is absolutely us because whether or not we care for a family member with dementia or we are the family member with dementia, we are all tax payers and that is where the remedy to that "cost of caregiving" hit will come. It also means that in two-income families, one wage-earner will give up a job to be the primary caregiver.
We have some big homework to do on preventing and managing dementia, and we need much more open and focused conversations on cost/benefits of our "good" healthcare and yes, the right to die, if dementia is on our personal horizon.
Here is the link to the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/health/dementia-care-costs-are-soaring-study-finds.html?smid=pl-share
Do take a look at the article if you have not seen it yet. There are implications for all of us even if we are not currently caring for someone with a form of dementia. The numbers are startling. Here is just one: According to the RAND study there are currently 3.8 million people in the United States with dementia. That is 15% of people over age 70. By 2040 --less that 30 years from now--it is expected that there will be 9.1 million people with dementia. And of course, we often forget, that increase doesn't happen 30 years from now..it begins now, this year and then next year and then the year after that--to increase. And that means us.
Now here is the part of the article that jumped out at me: Dr Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging said, "And as we have the Baby Boomer group maturing, there are going to be more older people with fewer children to be informal caregivers." (Again, he's talking about us.)
And really interesting to those of us who are interested in caregiving: The study quantified the value of informal caregiving required for dementia--usually provided at home or by a mix of family and friends and estimated that the cost will range from $50 million to $106 million PER YEAR.
And again that is absolutely us because whether or not we care for a family member with dementia or we are the family member with dementia, we are all tax payers and that is where the remedy to that "cost of caregiving" hit will come. It also means that in two-income families, one wage-earner will give up a job to be the primary caregiver.
We have some big homework to do on preventing and managing dementia, and we need much more open and focused conversations on cost/benefits of our "good" healthcare and yes, the right to die, if dementia is on our personal horizon.
Here is the link to the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/health/dementia-care-costs-are-soaring-study-finds.html?smid=pl-share
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