Are you asking if anyone feels the way you do? There are lots of different caregiver situations. Which one matches closely to yours?
Jen and Rob have been married for 40 years and have been retired for nearly 10 years. They enjoy staying active, meeting friends, traveling, and spending time with their grandchildren.
A few years ago, Jen noticed Rob’s memory was slipping. At first, he forgot names and addresses. Then one day, he couldn’t find his way home from the grocery store. The doctor diagnosed Rob with dementia. Now, he needs care all the time.
Jen was a librarian before she retired, and she likes to be organized. She manages Rob’s medical needs but struggles with the physical strain of caring for him. Rob is much bigger than Jen, making tasks like bathing him difficult. One of their daughters lives a few hours away, but Jen feels guilty asking for help.
Last month, Jen hurt her back helping Rob out of the shower. She now struggles to sleep and hasn’t seen a doctor because she can’t leave Rob alone. Stuck at home, she rarely sees friends. She is often feels like crying, especially when Rob, who was once her best friend, feels like a stranger.
PA CareKit can help Jen and Rob in many different ways. Training videos could teach Jen how to safely lift and transfer Rob, making him more comfortable and reducing her risk of injury. Jen can find a local respite provider or Adult Day Center where Rob can socialize under supervision and give her time to see her doctor and care for her own needs.
The Carekit offers more information on dementia so Jen and Rob can feel more prepared for the journey ahead. Jen could join a virtual support group and find comfort in sharing her experiences with others who understand. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Gloria is the oldest of three children. Her mother, Anna, lives alone in Pennsylvania, while Gloria lives about seven hours away in Indiana. Her younger siblings live even further away. Gloria travels often for work as a regional sales manager.
Gloria and Anna are close and talk almost every day. Anna has diabetes and high blood pressure but always makes her health concerns sound small. She does complain about the cost and number of medications she must take.
Recently, Anna tripped over a rug and hurt her wrist. A neighbor named Sarah took her to the hospital. When Gloria spoke with Sarah, she learned Anna had been struggling with moving around the house and navigating her home’s narrow stairs, so she has not been using the second or third floor of the house at all. Anna had also stopped driving due to vision issues and had not picked up her medicines in weeks. Gloria was grateful for Sarah’s help, but felt guilty that she was not able to be there in person for her mother.
Anna raised her children to be independent and does not want to burden Gloria with her health concerns. When Gloria called Anna’s doctor, she was told they couldn’t share information without Anna’s consent. Gloria wanted to help but wasn’t sure how, especially with her job’s travel demands. Her siblings wanted to help, but she didn’t know what to ask for.
The PA Carekit offers several opportunities for Gloria and her family. Gloria and her siblings had a conversation with Anna to better understand what is important to her, so they can provide her with care that will meet her needs. Gloria and her siblings can use the Caregiving Coordination Worksheet to divide tasks to help Anna and any hired support workers. They could use the Home Safety Checklist during a visit to reduce fall risks and keep Anna safe in her own home. The siblings could also use the Visit Checklist to track changes in Anna’s health whenever they are in-person with their mother.
Gloria could use the Medical Appointment Worksheet to share information, questions, and notes before, during, and after a doctor’s appointment. They could help Anna track her prescriptions more safely with the Medication Management Worksheet.
Gloria and her siblings could also find their mother’s local Area Agency on Aging and arrange transportation services through the local senior shared ride so Anna could get to her medical appointments. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Joe lives with his son, Eric, and has cared for him alone since Eric’s mother passed away. Eric, who has Down syndrome, works part-time at a coffee shop and plays basketball with friends. Joe helps with daily tasks like cooking, laundry, bills, and health care coverage. He also makes sure Eric gets to work and appointments. At home, Eric doesn’t like to be left alone for too long, sometimes not even an hour.
Recently, Joe was diagnosed with COPD, making it harder to breathe. Their daily walks have become shorter, and Joe struggles to drive Eric to see friends. Household chores, like cleaning and helping Eric get ready for work, have become more difficult. Managing finances and health care coverage for both him and Eric has also become overwhelming.
Since his diagnosis, Joe has been thinking about his and Eric’s future. He wants to make sure Eric is secure if he can no longer care for him.
The PA Carekit offers several opportunities for Joe and Eric. Joe might not expect aging services to apply to him, but he could be connected to a care manager through his local Area Agency on Aging. As someone over 55 who cares for a relative with a disability, Joe may also be eligible for the Caregiver Support Program. CSP can help with benefits applications, insurance or other health care coverage forms, and financial planning for Eric.
Joe may also be eligible to secure reimbursement for a personal care aide to assist Eric in the mornings on workdays and give Joe time to focus on his own health.
His AAA care manager can connect him with legal services for estate planning. Joe could use the Important Documents Worksheet to organize important financial and legal documents, such as banking information and tax records. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Elise is a dental hygienist who lives 30 minutes from her mother, Dorothy. Dorothy’s arthritis has become so severe that she needs help with most daily tasks. For the past year, Elise has visited daily to help with chores. Dorothy has lived in her home for over 50 years and doesn’t want to move, but her house has stairs that make daily life difficult. Elise does her laundry, cleans, and brings groceries. She also visits twice a day to cook meals and take Dorothy to frequent doctor’s appointments.
The extra time adds to Elise’s commute and often makes her late or leave work early. Her supervisor is understanding but recently suggested switching to part-time, which would mean a pay cut and loss of health care coverage. Elise also worries that caregiving will hurt her chances for a promotion. Elise misses having more time to spend with her friends and go for walks on the trail with her dogs.
Elise is increasingly concerned about Dorothy being alone. Dorothy’s neighbor Pam occasionally visits with her during the day, but otherwise, Dorothy is often alone, and she seems increasingly sad and down when Elise visits her. Between working and caring for her mother, Elise sometimes feels like she has two full-time jobs with no break. She also feels guilty for sometimes resenting the demands of caregiving. A friend suggested hiring a home care worker, but the cost was too high for Elise and Dorothy’s budgets.
The PA CareKit offers several opportunities for Elise and Dorothy. The toolkit could help Elise find a Senior Community Center near Dorothy’s home. Dorothy could attend the Center to enjoy meals, socialize, and find engaging activities. The local Area Agency on Aging could connect Elise and Dorothy to a shared ride service to take Dorothy to the Center on weekdays. This would help Dorothy with social isolation and assure Elise that Dorothy would get a nutritious meal.
This freedom from 24/7 supervision would help Elise focus on her career without having to worry about her mother’s health and safety. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Rebecca lives with her father, James, who is a Vietnam Veteran. She has no other family members nearby. Rebecca has struggled with anxiety, chronic pain, and knee issues since a car accident in her twenties. She moved in with James after her accident, and they have remained close, enjoying baseball and playing cards together. She works part-time at a convenience store and loves cooking and reading.
Their lives changed when James had a stroke. Rebecca’s days became filled with medical appointments, pharmacy trips, and daily caregiving. She helps James with stairs, getting in and out of bed, and using the bathroom. They value their privacy, so this change in James’ needs has been an adjustment. Rebecca’s own health issues make caregiving even harder.
After months of rehab, James regained some independence but still needs daily help with dressing, eating, and moving around. Doctors say he won’t return to his previous level of functioning. Rebecca tries to take things one day at a time, but her knee pain has gotten worse. She’s tired, often gets upset easily, and struggles without family support.
The PA Carekit offers opportunities for Rebecca and James. The Toolkit could connect Rebecca to an online caregiver support group to help with her anger and feelings of isolation and loneliness. Rebecca could use the Caregiver Decision-Making and Care Needs Worksheets to document James’ needs and plan for future emergencies. With a call to the PA Link, Rebecca could find in-home support for James and get connected to the Veterans Affairs system. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Nicole lives with her husband, David, their two children, and her mother, Martha. Martha moved in five years ago to help with the kids so Nicole could go back to work full-time.
Though her kids are in school, Nicole juggles their schedules along with her own. Her day starts before 5 AM and often runs late into the evening. David works the night shift at the hospital, so he is not always available to help during the day.
Over the past year, Martha’s health has gotten worse. She tires easily, struggles with simple tasks, and can’t drive anymore because of poor vision. She also forgets to take her medications. One night, Nicole had to rush her to the ER for high blood pressure and chest pain. After that, Nicole took over managing her mother’s medications, scheduling appointments, and driving her to the doctor.
Nicole spends hours each day helping both her kids and her mother. Recently, she came home to find Martha hadn’t eaten all day and had slipped when climbing the stairs and injured her knee. Nicole can work from home sometimes, but not enough to provide the full-time care Martha needs.
While Nicole is grateful for her mother, the stress of balancing work, caregiving, and parenting is too much. She feels like she is always on call and rarely has time for herself or David. Her husband and kids help where they can, but her siblings rarely visit or offer help. This has caused problems in the family, and Nicole even argued with her brother at Thanksgiving. She used to be close with her siblings but now feels alone.
The PA Carekit offers several opportunities for Nicole and her family. She could learn how to manage her frustration and communicate better with her family. She can find tips on holding a family meeting and look into respite care options. An Adult Day program might be a good option for Martha. Nicole and Martha could use the Managing Medications Worksheet to track Martha’s prescriptions. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Daniel is a retired teacher, and he has lived in the same Pennsylvania home since he was a child. He is close with his neighbors, especially Maria, a longtime family friend.
Maria now lives alone. As she got older, Daniel noticed she was having trouble keeping up with household tasks, so he started helping with chores like taking out the trash and picking up her medications. Over the past year, Maria has become more forgetful and stopped enjoying activities she used to love, like baking. Sometimes, she even seems confused about who Daniel is, even though they have been friends for 50 years.
What started as small favors has become a bigger responsibility. After finding moldy food in her fridge, Daniel and his wife began bringing Maria groceries and meals several times a week. He is also worried about her money. Last month, someone pretending to be calling from Maria’s bank tricked her, leading to fake charges on her debit card. Daniel spent hours helping her fix the issue. As Maria’s needs grow, Daniel is worried she may soon need full-time care.
The PA Carekit offers several opportunities for Daniel. He could contact the local Area Agency on Aging, which could set Maria up with a care manager. The AAA could also help Daniel learn more about different in-home care options to explain them to Maria. Daniel could arrange for meals to be delivered to Maria by the AAA. Daniel and Maria could learn more about getting and checking her credit reports and recognizing fraud and handling unexpected phone calls to avoid future scams. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Casey lives with his dad, Sam, and his grandmother, Donna. Donna has lived with Sam and Casey since Casey was born. Sam works seven days a week, so Casey and Donna spend a lot of time together. Casey doesn’t mind – Donna helps with homework, and he likes learning from her too.
Donna uses a walker and wants to do things on her own, but she struggles with daily tasks like cooking, laundry, and taking out the trash. When Sam works early or late, Casey does these household chores. He also helps Donna get dressed and shower before school when his dad isn’t home.
Sometimes, Casey stays home when Donna isn’t feeling well. One time, when she was weak and dizzy and Casey was at school, she forgot to use her walker, fell, and got a huge bruise. Last month, Casey got in trouble at school for being late and missing too many days.
Casey worries about his grandmother but also feels stressed about school. He even said no to playing basketball with his friends because he didn’t want to leave her alone. He knows his dad is busy and doesn’t know what to do.
The PA Carekit offers several opportunities for Casey and his family. Casey could check out the video library to learn how to help Donna safely, like assisting her in the bathroom. His family could work together to complete the Care Needs Worksheet to help understand what Donna needs and how Sam and Casey can help. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
Elizabeth and Sal met in high school and have been married for many years. Sal used to be a plumber, but had to take a desk job because of knee and back pain. He was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which causes shaking in his hands and numbness in his legs.
Elizabeth works at a dental office, and she really likes her job. She drives Sal to work since he can no longer drive. She has always helped care for her grandson, Jason. His mother, Beth, struggled with drug use problems for many years. Six months ago, Beth died of an overdose, and now Elizabeth and Sal are raising Jason by themselves.
Dealing with grief is hard. Elizabeth is trying to keep Jason in the same school with the same group of friends. Her days are very busy, and time feels short. She also spends hours on the phone with Jason’s school. Things like signing him up for sports or finding a mental health counselor have been complicated without legal custody. Jason’s father is not around, and Elizabeth doesn’t know where to start. She constantly worries – about Sal’s health, Jason’s grief, and her own stress.
The PACarekit offers several opportunities for Elizabeth and her family. Elizabeth can find information on Parkinson’s to manage Sal’s symptoms. She could get connected to the PA Link to learn more about home and community support. Elizabeth could find the SeniorLAW Center, which offers free legal help, to get guidance on custody and medical consent.
Elizabeth could access the Caregiver Support Program which provides education, training, financial help, and care management. Elizabeth could use these resources that give her more time to focus on her own needs, like taking care of her health and grieving her daughter. Caregiving is hard, but the PA Carekit offers resources and support to make it a little easier.
