{"id":1319813,"date":"2020-05-07T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=996217"},"modified":"2020-05-07T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T14:00:00","slug":"pandemic-highlights-the-challenges-facing-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/pandemic-highlights-the-challenges-facing-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic highlights the challenges facing caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Renew Senior Communities<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Amelia-Schafer-965x1024.jpeg\" alt class=\"wp-image-996219\" width=\"724\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Amelia-Schafer-965x1024.jpeg 965w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Amelia-Schafer-283x300.jpeg 283w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Amelia-Schafer-768x815.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Amelia-Schafer.jpeg 1206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong><em>Amelia Schafer, executive director of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association of Colorado, is co-moderating the Friday webinar.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to give up on some of life\u2019s simple freedoms, making an experience that caregivers have endured all along a sudden reality for just about everyone.<\/p>\n<p>COVID-19 has sort of leveled the playing field, said Nadine Roberts Cornish, a gerontologist and author \u2014 it has given us an opportunity to experience what our lives might be like if we have to take on the responsibility of caring for a loved one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important that we understand the role of a caregiver, but also our role in supporting the caregivers in our lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row gspi-donation gspi-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s why caregivers and anyone who anticipates caregiving in the future are encouraged to join a special webinar discussion, \u201cThe Hidden Crisis Facing Family Caregivers During COVID-19,\u201d hosted by Renew Senior Communities in partnership with The Aspen Times, on Friday, May 8 (see factbox).<\/p>\n<p>The discussion will feature Cornish and will be moderated by Renew CEO Lee Tuchfarber and Amelia Schafer, executive director of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association of Colorado.<\/p>\n<p><strong>An opportunity to have tough conversations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many caregivers find themselves in the role suddenly, Cornish said&nbsp;\u2014 they\u2019re going about their lives and then the phone rings and it changes everything.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndividuals who have had those conversations in advance understand and know what their loved ones\u2019 wishes are \u2014 and they\u2019re better equipped to handle the responsibility of caregiving,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>With the situation we\u2019re all facing due to COVID-19, many people have found themselves thinking about all the things they should have taken care of, Cornish said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s come to grips with our mortality and have those difficult conversations and put our affairs in order,\u201d she said. \u201cIt makes caregiving so much easier because you don\u2019t have the responsibility of deciding those things for someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cornish cared for her mother for the last 15 years of her life and was uniquely qualified to navigate the waters thanks to a background in public health. She always knew she\u2019d be her mother\u2019s caregiver someday \u2014 they had many conversations about it over the years \u2013 but she didn\u2019t know how long it would last or exactly what to expect.<\/p>\n<p>After her mother died, Cornish realized there were so many caregivers out there who needed guidance; she launched The Caregiver\u2019s Guardian to provide caregiving consulting and education about a year later.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The importance of self-care<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The work Schafer does at the Colorado chapter of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association largely focuses on supporting and educating caregivers. There are an estimated 16.3 million Alzheimer\u2019s caregivers in the United States, roughly 5 percent of the population.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe call them unpaid caregivers, because almost always these are people \u2013 family and friends \u2013 who are not getting compensated,\u201d Schafer said.<\/p>\n<p>Schafer uses the analogy of the safety briefing on an airplane to describe the importance of self-care for caregivers \u2014 the flight attendant tells us to put an oxygen mask on ourselves first before assisting someone else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe try not to lecture people to take care of themselves, we just try to make those resources available to them,\u201d Schafer said.<\/p>\n<p>Cornish calls self-care for caregivers \u201cnon-negotiable.\u201d She said it\u2019s such a necessity that it\u2019s the foundation for all of her work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re claiming to care for someone else and you\u2019re neglecting yourself, then you\u2019re not really taking care of that person,\u201d Cornish said. \u201cYou\u2019re under the illusion you\u2019re taking care of somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cornish said self-care takes on different meanings for different people. She has one client who gets outside every day to pull weeds in her yard, while another client enjoys sitting by the window undisturbed to enjoy the view.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s exercise, reading books, listening to music or something else, \u201cnobody can tell you what your self-care looks like \u2014 you get to define it for yourself,\u201d Cornish said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Impacts of isolation during coronavirus pandemic<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Nadine.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-996220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Nadine.jpg 304w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Nadine-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/Nadine-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 304px) 100vw, 304px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong><em>Nadine Roberts Cornish, gerontologist and author, is the guest speaker in a May 8 free webinar discussion on \u201cThe Hidden Crisis Facing Family Caregivers During COVID-19.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Because of the danger coronavirus presents to elderly or sick people, Cornish said many of the caregivers she works with have reported feeling extremely isolated since the pandemic began.<\/p>\n<p>Caregivers usually have some support throughout the day during normal times. Maybe their loved one is in an adult day care program, or they get a break from caregiving when they head off to work for the day.<\/p>\n<p>Many of those breaks have stopped during the pandemic. Some caregivers are even avoiding trips to the grocery store out of fear they could bring the virus home and put their loved one at risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a heightened sense of protection and a need to isolate more than everyone else,\u201d Cornish said.<\/p>\n<p>And for those caregivers who don\u2019t live with the loved one they are responsible for, not being able to check in on them at the long term care facility or senior care housing where they live can be extremely isolating for both caregiver and patient, said<\/p>\n<p>Jim Herlihy, senior director of marketing and communications for the Colorado Alzheimer\u2019s Association.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can be very disconcerting for the person living with disease \u2014 they don\u2019t understand what it all means and wonder if they\u2019ve been abandoned,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard from some caregivers who are saying the disease seems to be advancing (during this period of isolation).\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Focusing on the positive<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From structuring your caregiving environment to using technology to connect the person being cared for with other loved ones, it\u2019s possible to find peace and even joy during the caregiving journey (see factbox).<\/p>\n<p>Schafer said education about the person\u2019s disease or illness is important, as well as connecting with other caregivers who share similar experiences or circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s power in people not feeling like they\u2019re the only ones going through this,\u201d Schafer said. \u201cIt might not change your circumstances, but it helps change your mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cornish said there\u2019s joy in the caregiving journey, you just have to know where to look for it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaregiving allows us to stop and shift and really make caring for a loved one a priority,\u201d she said. \u201cI think our ultimate purpose on earth is to care for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/pandemic-highlights-the-challenges-facing-caregivers-sponsored\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Renew Senior Communities Amelia Schafer, executive director of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association of Colorado, is co-moderating the Friday webinar. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to give up on some of life\u2019s simple freedoms, making an experience that caregivers have endured all along a sudden reality [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1319813","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-22 16:19:30","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1319813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319813\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1319813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1319813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1319813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}