Guest Column: Caregiving affects us all

At Community Hospice, we are keenly interested in the recent poll by AARP which assessed the awareness of and support for local caregiving services. We are pleased to see in the data that our neighbors agreed this is an issue that warrants immediate attention.

Community Hospice works to provide care and support to families who are caregivers for their loved ones. The issues brought to light by this survey are central to all that we do on behalf of our patients, families and our community.

More of us are reaching old age, but our care system isn't prepared for how many of us are doing so with multiple chronic illnesses. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, those who need care most - those age 85 and up - will increase at a rate of 70 percent over the next 20 years.

Currently, 87 percent of Americans who need care receive it from unpaid family caregivers. Florida has over 1 million "single-family nursing homes" where an older adult receives care from a relative. The Rand Corporation estimates the value of these unpaid services in the U.S. to be $522 billion annually. It also estimates it would cost the government $642 billion to replace those services with paid support.

Caregiving is also a workplace issue. An estimated seven of 10 caregivers are working, and most are women. An increasing number are also caring for children, as their aging parents live longer and with greater disabilities. Many caregivers are forced to leave their jobs, forfeiting income and insurance benefits, due to the stress of balancing work and caregiving. This alone can have a profound adverse impact on Florida's businesses and economy.

The AARP survey shows that most of us support cost effective, home-delivered aging services and nursing home diversion services that allow older adults to remain at home. In Florida, funding for these low cost/high impact services has grown at rates in the low single digits, while the numbers of those who need the services has grown in double digits year after year. It costs Florida approximately $7,200 annually to maintain a frail older person at home with community care for the elderly. The cost of skilled nursing home care for that same person is estimated at $69,000 a year.

While the numbers are sobering, the good news is that awareness of the need and support for its importance will give our community opportunity to focus on the problems. These needs can't be addressed solely by our federal, state or local government - even though each can and must do its part. Business leadership, faith communities, health care providers and non-profit organizations can all play a role.

Support programs can be adopted and offered by employers who recognize the value of retaining reliable and experienced staff. Our organization has several caregiving programs that are open to all, with plans to greatly expand these services. We will be asking other businesses, groups and organizations to join us in this worthwhile and critically-needed effort.

We can and must provide for those who need care. We must also support those providing that care, so they can continue being there for their loved ones.

This issue will affect our economy, our quality of life, our health care system and our community in many ways in the years to come. Let us begin working on changes that will allow all of us to age in place with dignity and the support that we need.

Ponder-Stansel is president and CEO of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, the convener of the Caregiver Coalition of Northeast Florida. The coalition is an alliance of health care, civic and social service organizations that promotes awareness and support for family caregiving in Northeast Florida.