Does your church have older members who don’t come to church anymore?  Are you aware of the status of your aging members?  Do you know how many of your members are family caregivers?  As our society continues to age the church must learn to better serve its population of aging members and caregivers.

Most churches have software to track their members.  The software includes information such as single or married; age of children; skills and talents; place employment; address and phone number; tithes and offerings.  If we could add a category for family caregiver, we could do a better job of tracking and checking up on our aging members and their caregivers.

The National Family Caregivers Association says:

More than 50 million people, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Informal Caregiving: Compassion in Action. Washington, DC: 1998, and National Family Caregivers Association, Random Sample Survey of Family Caregivers, Summer 2000, Unpublished

The typical family caregiver is a 46-year-old woman caring for her widowed mother who does not live with her. She is married and employed. Approximately 60% of family caregivers are women.
Source: National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, Caregiving in the U.S., 2004.

Depending on their situation, caregivers may face increasing financial challenges due to the needs of their aging family member.  They may suffer depression or burnout.  Many caregivers have lost their jobs because of time missed from work because of caregiving responsibilities.

Family caregivers are often under a lot of stress, especially if they take care of an aging family member with Alzheimer’s disease.  I read an article about a woman who received a Caregiver of the Year Award.  She was recognized for her untiring and unfailing dedication to caring for her mother.  The article said the woman was 57 but looked 70.  Stress had aged her tremendously.

One of the best gifts you can give a caregiver is time.  They would appreciate a just few hours of relief to do something for themselves or to do nothing at all.  For more information about caregiving for aging family members, visit A Caregiver’s Journal.

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