A new study conducted for Home Instead Senior Care, a home care service for seniors with 27 offices across Canada, has revealed that just over half of seniors resist care.
According to the study which surveyed family caregivers in Canada and the U.S., 51 per cent of caregivers said that their aging relative was very resistant to care.
"This is a big problem for family caregivers," said Lisette Wirta, owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Sudbury. "They worry about the safety of a senior loved one who might be forgetting food on the stove or neglecting to take their medications. But some seniors resist help so much that they even call the police when the family arranges for a caregiver to visit their home."
Wirta said many seniors often object to help whether it's from a family caregiver or a professional who comes to their home to assist.
The study involved 24,147 online caregiver interviews analyzed through the Home Instead Senior Care website www.caregiverstress.com over a five-year period from 2005 to 2009. Of the caregivers who responded,
- 81 per cent said the needs of their senior loved ones were becoming overwhelming
- 58 per cent said that caregiving was taking a toll on their job, and
- 42 per cent said they spend over 30 hours per week on caregiving
Those aged 50-59 had the highest levels of stress.
For those caregivers who spend more than 30 hours per week on caregiving, this is the equivalent of having a second full-time job.
"If seniors admit they need help, they think their independence is in question," said Wirta. "They worry about losing control of their affairs. They are trying to maintain dignity, and unless they feel they can trust someone, they may resist change. This is all about fearing that the life they have known is being taken away from them."
Sometimes, seniors only want help from their sons or daughters, which can put a lot of pressure on the family caregivers, especially if they're working.
"Most caregivers can go into crisis mode to rally around a loved one in the short term," said family caregiving consultant Dr. Amy D'Aprix, who holds a PhD and Masters in social work, and is author of the book From Surviving to Thriving: Transforming Your Caregiving Experience. "But you can't be totally immersed in a crisis mode long-term without your own family, work and health suffering."
D'Aprix advises caregivers to ask their loved ones why they are resistant to help. "Family caregivers often make assumptions, but never ask," she said. "And sometimes the parent doesn't realize that they're being resistant."
Dementia can complicate matters even more and may require a doctor or geriatric care manager. "Reassuring a senior loved one that you have the same goal in mind will help," D'Aprix said. "Start with ‘my goal for you is to be independent, too.' Tell them that you can't be there all the time, so a little extra assistance will help them stay at home."
Earlier this year, the Alzheimer Society of Canada released a report called Rising Tide: the Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society. It showed that in 2008, Canada had 480,600 people with Alzheimer's and related dementias, with 103,700 new cases each year. This involved 231 million hours of informal care and a total economic burden of $15 billion. Projecting to the year 2038, the report said Canada will have 1,125,000 people with Alzheimer's and related dementias, with 257,800 new cases a year. This will involve 756 million hours of informal care and a total economic burden of $153 billion - more than ten times the total for 2008.
Home Instead Senior Care is addressing the problem of seniors resisting care and has launched a program called Caring for Your Parents: Education for the Family Caregiver. This family caregiver program, which is free of charge and is available in the community, addresses senior resistance to care and features various topics such as choosing an in-home care provider, the signs of aging, long distance caregiving and communicating with aging parents. Materials and videos are available at www.caregiverstress.com.
In Canada, there are 27 independently owned Home Instead Senior Care offices. Services include companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and escorts for errands and shopping. Home Instead Senior Care services are available at home or in care facilities from a few hours per week up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Founded in 1994, the Home Instead Senior Care network is the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors, with more than 875 independently owned and operated franchises in 14 countries and 15 markets, spanning four continents.
