HealthSmart: Caring for the Caregiver

• Keira McGuire
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Keira McGuire is a health reporter and multimedia producer for WITF. She hosts and produces Transforming Health television programs as well as other shows and documentaries for WITF’s Original Productions. McGuire produced the Emmy Award winning series HealthSmart for the last ten years. Keira previously worked at WBFF in Baltimore and WMDT in Salisbury as a reporter and anchor. She’s a graduate of Towson University.

 
Are you currently caring for a loved one? If not, chances are you will be at some point in life. Today most Americans will serve as informal or unpaid caregivers to an ill, disabled or aging loved one. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today informal caregivers make up 80% of our long-term care.

Informal or unpaid caregiving can include many things like helping your loved one with personal hygiene, preparing meals, managing medications and paying bills. Acting as a caregiver can be stressful and it can be very hard to find time to care of yourself. On HealthSmart: Caring for the Caregiver we’ll talk about the importance of finding time for you and ways you can do just that. Plus, if a day comes when you’re no longer needed as a sole caregiver, what happens next?

Below is a link to the PA Area Agency on Aging. Caregivers can choose their local agency and call to see if they can take advantage of resources.

http://www.aging.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/your_local_resources/17952