It Starts With Us
In the last two blogs I provided stories and information about the health care crisis. If you did not get a chance to read them you can go back and check out “Where Have All The Nurses Gone” and “Who Will Care for 69.6 Million Baby Boomers?” found here: Blogs
Proposed solutions to consider:
Solution #1 – It starts With Us
Meet Marvin Eppard, caregiver and author, pictured with me. I have so enjoyed getting to know Marv and tapping into his wisdom.
I met Marv at a presentation I was doing as a volunteer Community Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. We traded books, my “Dancing With Lewy: A Father Daughter Dance Before and After Lewy Body dementia Came to Live With Us” for his “A Thief in the Pantry”.
In A Thief in the Pantry, Marvin shares how he took care of his wife Jan for ten years through the “devastating thievery of Alzheimer’s disease.” Marv’s book is a heartfelt account of his caregiving journey, and how his faith sustained him.
In his 80s at the time, Marv diligently cared for his wife Jan at home as long as he could. He tapped into a support system including his adult daughters and their families, and his faith community who provided meals, respite, and support. Marv was fortunate to find excellent and consistent home health care for Jan. Eventually he had to place Jan in a care home as he could no longer supply her day-to-day care needs.
Marv recognizes not everyone has the ability to care for a loved one at home, or has sufficient support. Jan passed away in 2019 before the pandemic, and he recognizes the caregiving situation has become more dire in the last couple of years.
In the conclusion to his book, Marvin appeals to the medical community and administrators of care facilities to prepare for a coming surge in the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease. In talking with him, he also emphasizes the need for families to prepare to care for their loved ones at home, as there simply are not enough care facilities available.
Marvin suggests we can all advocate for ways to improve care. He recommends these suggestions from the Alzheimer’s Association setting forth practical ways to advocate for improved care.
What more can we do?
The National Alliance for Caregiving presents best practices and strategies to identify and address issues surrounding family caregiving. At their website you can find a Collaborative Membership Directory, resources for Caregiving Coaltions, and ways to develop unified strategies to support family caregivers. National Alliance
Advocate for reform and resources. Talk to your friends, your families, your medical community. Anyone can be an advocate by writing emails, contacting legislators, or joining a group or organization to advocate in an organized manner. Go to town halls, communicate on Twitter, or contact your legislators here:
Let them know what matters to you and what you think about healthcare reform. They want to hear from their constituents.
Solution #2 – Educate the “Sandwich Generation”
I used to be part of the “sandwich generation”, but my children are adults and my parents have passed away. Now there is a new group of younger people fitting in this category. The Webster Dictionary defines this group as:
I gave this recorded speech specifically targeting the Sandwich Generation. It’s a ten minute listen and worth sharing with others, especially those you know in the Sandwich Generation. Prepare to be a Caregiver
Solution #3 – Mental Health Intervention
Our society is becoming more aware of the need to provide mental health intervention. In a similar way, medical facilities need to actively provide mental health management strategies for their staff. They must recognize signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). For example, one incident of an angry or violent patient can lead to PTSD, and it should automatically require counseling and intervention by management.
Wolter Kluwer points out that all staff, including nurses, aids, and doctors, can benefit from mindfulness and resilience training. Training
We need to take steps to address the mental health needs of these important people who take care of us. Perhaps it could help stop the hemorrhaging of nurses and other medical staff leaving the profession.
Solution #4 – Address the shortage of Healthcare Educators
The Duquesne University School of Nursing in Pennsylvania addresses the shortage of educators. Nursing schools often have to restrict enrollment due to these shortages. This article states:
“The need is not only for nursing facilities to teach in associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs. Nursing assistants and health aides also need training. Furthermore, a need for nurse practitioners means that schools need faculty members who can teach in master’s degree programs and oversee clinical practice for aspiring nurse practitioners.”
Experienced nurses could be encouraged to become educators to help close the gap, especially if the pay for educators is similar to nurses pay.
This article also offers general ways to address the healthcare workforce gap:
- Promote Public Health and Preventative Measures
- Attract More Nurses to Primary Care Roles
- Provide Online Healthcare Degrees and Certificates
- Increasing Policy Initiatives Aimed at Supporting Human Resource Development
- Collecting Reliable Data for Health Databases
- Giving Healthcare Workers a Voice in Shaping Legislation and Policies
Read more detail about these ideas here: Duquesne – Healthcare Shortage
Lastly, The American Hospital Association offers a few more practical tips for healthcare facilities:
- Customize retention strategies including flexible scheduling and breaks to recharge, strong management support, open lines of communication, input into decision-making, accessibility to mental health and well-being resources to cope with job-related stress, or help with child or eldercare.
- Customize the workforce for Millennial and Gen Z workers. These younger professionals can be more selective in where they work, and they also appreciate the chance to be innovative. In particular, the Gen Z generation wants to find ways to share the mission, and they value diversity and inclusion.
- Develop strategies to keep the workforce reskilled as changes come. Professional development will strengthen the talent pipeline.
If you work in a medical facility, I urge you to get involved in training, advocating for mental health services, and education for yourself and your co-workers.
Is There Hope?
There has to be hope because 69.6 million of us Baby Boomers are getting older every day. Our need for care will affect every member of society. It will require federal and local government agencies, healthcare facilities, legislators, and people like you and me to get involved and take a stand. It takes families to communicate and plan ahead.
Take a small step today, pick anyone of these issues, or tell your own story, and share it with your legislator. Talk about the problem and proposed solutions to anyone who will listen. Support and encourage healthcare workers in your life.