4:20
There is a serious shortage of direct care workers in Michigan and the nation, caused on large part by the low pay, long hours, arduousness, and no benefits. But people who stick with it do it because they love to take care of others. We meet once such person, Sarah Sutherlin, during one of her shifts at the home of 92-year-old Carmela Palamara.
There is a serious shortage of direct care workers in Michigan – as well as states across the nation. Direct care workers provide caregiving for disabled and elderly people – everything from making meals and managing medications, to housecleaning and companionship. About half of these workers provide services to disabled and elderly people living in their own homes.
9:53
By some estimates, more than 20% of adults in the U.S. provide unpaid, daily care to one or more adult family members. Caregivers are often overwhelmed emotionally, physically, and sometimes financially. WXXI s Beth Adams looks at how meditation and mindfulness can help them care for themselves, the differences between the two practices, and how accessible they are.
Kathie Gansemer uses breathing exercises to incorporate mindfulness into her nature walks. She says using such practices helps her with the stress she sometimes feels as a caregiver to her parents.
Credit Max Schulte / WXXI News
Kathie Gansemer concentrates on her breath first.
Caregivers are in short supply due to a rapidly growing older population that is living longer and requiring more assistance. The caregivers who step up, both family members and those who are paid to do the job, face many physical, emotional and financial challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Michigan Radio is part of a new media initiative that aims to shed light on caregivers for older adults and investigate potential solutions to their challenges. Sixteen media outlets in Southeast Michigan are tackling the issue as part of a journalism collaborative supported by the Solutions Journalism Network.
The collaborative will publish news content with the goal of raising awareness about caregiving issues and introducing the community to replicable ideas that have been vetted by a team of journalists. You can find the first of these stories