Based on demographic trends, Kentucky needs to plan for a great increase in caregiving, by 2030 it is predicted that 19.8% of our population will be over 65. Today, over half of Kentucky’s older adults report living with a disability and there is a growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.  The Henry County Extension Service recognizes that caregiving is one of the most important roles a person will ever hold and that we are not trained for the role.   We collaborated with AARP’s Prepare to Care: A Resource Guide for Families, to help make caregiving more manageable for the 27 individuals who attended.  The average age of the participants was 66 with ages ranging from 35 to 82.  On average, among the nine participants who completed pre-lesson evaluations, they reported spending 2.3 hours of care per week. These same caregivers reported spending, $5,700 on average, per year, on caregiving. 

Prior to attending the program, participants were asked to report on their preparation for caregiving. When it comes to feeling prepared to take care of a family member’s physical needs, five reported that they felt “somewhat” to “very well” prepared.  In regards to taking care of emotional needs, five reported feeling “somewhat” to “very well” prepared. Six participants felt “somewhat” to “very well” prepared regarding setting up services; three felt “somewhat” to “very well” prepared to deal with caregiver stress; and eight felt “somewhat” to “very well” prepared to respond to and handle emergencies. Overall, five participants felt “somewhat” to “very well” prepared to make caregiving a pleasant experience. 

In regards to at least three of the major caregiving issues, which include types of care, impact of care, housing, finances, powers of attorney, and assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, seven participants report NOT having talked much or at all about these issues with their loved one.  In sum, prior to the lesson, five participants reported their willingness to discuss care arrangements and four reported feeling “somewhat” to “extremely” prepared to have such discussion.  Prior to the program, four participants did not feel prepared to discuss care arrangements.   

After attending the program, six participants reported feeling “somewhat” to “very well” prepared to care for a family member but three still reported feeling not at all or not too well prepared.  Following the program, eight felt “somewhat” to “extremely” prepared to initiate a caregiving discussion with their family member or friend (one person did not answer).

Participants felt the program was very helpful and made the following comments:

• This class has given me the perfect opportunity to open the discussion with my husband again! This was supposed to be the year we got our affairs in order and he is stalling again.  So here is my chance to open up the lines of communication again!  
• My husband has Parkinson Disease and this has been a very emotional workshop for me as I realize all that is ahead of us-but it has made me aware of what I need to do. 
• My wife is going to need some care soon. I am going to need all of this information to get us prepared. 
• My husband and I have not discussed any of this-this program is a real eye opener.  We need to get busy!