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We
simply can't do the best job by taking care of our aging loved ones
all by ourselves any more. We're
distanced by geography. We have work
and family responsibilities that would have been inconceivable
to our parents and grandparents 50 years ago. We've learned how
to create childcare teams of friends, neighbors, teachers,
sitters, and professionals. Now we're working on creating
eldercare teams, too.
in the past 40 years the number of people age
50 and above with living parents has increased from 37
percent to nearly 70 percent. For us, the
issues surrounding parent care pose an enormous challenge -
unlike anything experienced by the generations who came before
us.
40
or 50 years ago it wasn't unusual for a woman to care for her
aging mother and mother-in-law in her own home with just
occasional help from her husband and children. What we tend to
forget is that, back then, the average life span was much less than
70 years.
Modern medicine
now permits most of us to live longer than anyone would have
believed 40+ years ago. Instead of a life expectancy of 65 or 70
years, seniors are living to 85, 90, even over 100 - with all of
the accompanying disabilities of old age.
And
women aren't at home all day to take care of the elderly.
Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is open to
discussion. However, it's a real thing, and if we're going to
make this work, we're better off if we abandon the idea that any one person
can do it all when it comes to elder care.
My
vision is that one day every caregiver will have the knowledge
and the resources to build a unique eldercare team of family, community,
and professional support. And every one of these special teams will pull together,
giving each and every
one of our elderly loved ones the best
and most cost-effective care possible.
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Molly
has been actively involved in eldercare for over 15
years. She has concentrated for the last decade on
supporting caregivers. She has helped
hundreds of families who were struggling with how to
help their elderly parents.
Molly
is the founder of The Eldercare Team, and an experienced
Professional Geriatric Care Manager. She is a trained
and licensed Master's level social worker.
She
works exclusively with families, medical, legal and
financial professionals, corporate managers and
non-profits on caregiving and aging issues. |
Her
primary focus is always on helping families take
control over what happens to them, and to their elders, as they walk
the path of aging together.
Read
what several caregivers have to say about Molly and The Eldercare
Team.
Molly
lives and works in Dallas, Texas with her husband and Melissa, the neurotic
geriatric cat. Her son and his
wife live close by. They have all (except Melissa) been active partners in the three
different eldercare teams they created to care for her
mother and other elderly family members.
For more information
I strongly recommend that you start with "What You Really
Need To Know" (look at the top right of this page).
Then go to the
Resources
area and browse around.
Please
feel free to call (972) 395-7823 or email me at info @
eldercareteam.com
for more information |
