Being a Caregiver for Another Person

While the care-taking of an ill elderly spouse may not pose a large problem given adequate family and adjunct support, many elders are left to care for an ailing relative when they themselves are in poor health. Ancillary services are not often readily available or are inadequate for their particular needs. Managed care tends to exacerbate such problems by sending the ill elderly home before they are able to manage their own care and often limits supportive services, including respite care. This is an issue that probably warrants both individual and societal advocacy actions.

Managed care does not accept social reasons for why further hospital care is essential, even if the health of the patient will be compromised without it. Often a nurse is faced with a mandate to discharge a patient home when their caretaker at home (spouse or other) may also be fragile or ill, and thus not capable of providing the care needed.

Home health care services may not be available due to health care financing changes and assistance for caregivers may be scarce, at best. This is a particularly difficult situation when the patient is sent home to the care of a relative or friend who also suffers from a chronic illness.