Health Tuber

Could an elder-care-co-op work for family caregivers? It's an idea that's worked for years in small communities across the United States with childcare. Thirty years ago, three of my friends, all stay-at-home moms, got together and worked out a system that worked very well. One day a week, each of us took our children to our friends’ home for a ‘play date.’

It allowed each of us to take one full day to shop, go to doctors’ appointments, get our hair done, all without our darling children in tow and all without spending money we didn’t have on child care. Sometimes, we didn’t run errands; we simply spent the time alone, soaking in the ‘quiet’.

The amount of family caregivers across the United States that could do something like this is mind-blowing. In fact, statistics most readily quoted are that on any given day, fifty million families are caring for a loved one.

Most family members readily jump in to help a loved one and will put their own lives on hold. Only 46 percent expect to be caregivers longer than two years. In fact the average length of time spent on caregiving is about eight years, with approximately one third of respondents providing care for 10 years or more.

Senior Approved Services has decided to run a casual poll to gauge the interest of such an idea. If the interest can indeed be substantiated, it will move forward by organizing a program that will match family caregivers interested in trading time in exchange for receiving time in his or her local community.

Coming together, equally taking and receiving, may actually help both the family caregiver and the elder person in need of care. Seniors would meet at least one other senior providing the opportunity to develop a caring friendship. Family caregivers would have the support of at least one other care provider in their local community.