Caregiving for Loved Ones New Normal for Boomers

Money was no object when the time came for Joan Lunden to find a senior care facility for her 88-year-old mother.

For years, the former host of "Good Morning America" had been a long-distance caregiver to her mother and brother in California, providing them with emotional and financial support from New York. After her brother's death from complications from type II diabetes, Lunden needed to find a new home for her mother, who was suffering from the onset of dementia.

It was 2006 when Lunden flew from New York to Sacramento and drove around in search of a new home for her mom. She settled on an apartment in one of the fanciest senior communities in town, where her mother, Gladyce Lunden, would have the option of entertaining guests in her home or meeting other residents in a ballroom-style dining space.

It didn't take long for Lunden to realize that she'd chosen a place for the mother she knew 15 years ago, not the one who had been depending on her brother for the last decade. Gladyce Lunden didn't want to spend time with other residents, nor was she capable of living on her own.

"On paper, it was spectacular, but it didn't serve her needs at all," Lunden said. "She was completely stressed out and her emotional situation was deteriorating because she didn't feel safe... she couldn't operate on her own on a daily basis."

It took several falls, a few broken bones and three more moves to find the right place. She now shares a ranch-style home with four others in a small residential care facility. There's a health care aide on site at all times to help her get dressed or take care of daily needs.

"She needed more hands-on, day-to-day care," Lunden said. "I didn't understand that because I wasn't living with her."

Trying to create the best possible quality of life for an aging relative is "the new normal" for 43.5 million Americans caring for someone older than 50, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.

It's not just their parents: With about 10,000 baby boomers hitting age 65 each day, they're becoming caregivers and also those needing care. With people living longer than ever, this is the first generation that might care for its parents as long as it cared for its children, experts said.

Full Article and Source:
Caregiving for Loved Ones New Normal for Boomers