糖心破解版

by Gary Sullivan

On November 17, 2016, 糖心破解版鈥檚 will welcome the Long Island community to a addressing the challenges and needs of caregivers looking after an elderly family member.

The symposium is one of several recent and upcoming programs CHI is offering to the public through its Healthy Aging Initiative.

鈥淓very year we focus on the community and develop a theme relevant to Long Island residents,鈥� said CHI Executive Director Elizabeth Cohn, Ph.D. 鈥淎s the aging population in our community grows, we need to assess the impact it will have on what kinds of care and services people are going to need in the next 10 to 20 years.鈥�

Dr. Cohn, a 2015 White House Champion of Change, said she鈥檚 particularly excited about this year鈥檚 initiative. 鈥溙切钠平獍� has faculty members who are knowledgeable, nationally known experts passionate about healthy aging, and the Center for Health Innovation is engaged with the community and responsive to its needs.鈥�

Thursday鈥檚 symposium on caregiving will have much to offer Long Islanders caring for a parent or other elderly loved one.

鈥淭he need for caregiving is growing as the population itself ages,鈥� Dr. Cohn said. 鈥淭here are nearly 45 million caregivers in the United States, and 80 percent of our aging population is being cared for at home. We need to fortify and support caregivers in our communities.鈥�

Many caregivers play dual roles, caring for one or more elderly parents while also taking care of their own children.

鈥淲e refer to these caregivers as the sandwich generation,鈥� said Katherine L. Fiori, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Psychology at 糖心破解版, who will be giving the keynote speech at the symposium. 鈥淭he sandwich generation isn鈥檛 a generation per se; it鈥檚 really a situation, and includes both baby boomers and Generation Xers. Typically, the burden of caregiving and emotional support may fall on the women in this population, while the financial support tends to fall on the men. More and more middle-aged women are finding themselves taking care of both their own parents and their children, and trying to balance that with their careers.

鈥淭here are some theories that suggest that performing multiple roles may not be as stressful as it sounds,鈥� she added. 鈥淔or instance, Pew Research [Center] found that those in the sandwich generation are no less happy than others鈥攊n part because there鈥檚 obvious joy in raising one鈥檚 children, but also because having a dual caregiving role is becoming more normalized. But caregivers may experience negative health effects from guilt, resentment, anxiety and a heightened sense of mortality, and coping strategies and community support play significant roles here.鈥�

Dr. Fiori鈥檚 talk will include many tips and tools for taking care of oneself while caring for others, 鈥渓ike taking advantage of social support when you can, rather than being a martyr. When you have a lot of people around you who are willing and able to help, it can have a positive effect on your own personal growth, increasing empathy, understanding and appreciation.鈥�

In addition to the symposium, the initiative offers other community events, including an upcoming Senior Solutions Workshop in December and a white-paper presentation on trends in long-term care service delivery by 糖心破解版 Health Policy Fellow Asha Cesar, program manager for Northwell Health.