Lack of Understanding on How to Navigate Health Care System a Common Issue for Caregivers
Detroit Public Television will hold a forum on caregiving at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 9.
Aging comes with many obstacles. Mobility problems become an issue early on and financial struggles occur with the myriad costs of care. There’s also the factor of navigating the complex caregiving system, and the toll that takes on caregivers.
“Many adult children didn’t have a clue about the caregiving health care system: Medicare, Medicaid, Home Health, none of that.” –Patricia Rencher, Urban Aging News
Listen: Patricia Rencher discusses issues in caregiving for the elderly.
Guest
Patricia Rencher is the publisher of Urban Aging News and a member of the Michigan State Advisory Council on Aging. She says one of the most common issues she finds is that many people lack an understanding of how to navigate government health programs. “Many adult children didn’t have a clue about the caregiving health care system: Medicare, Medicaid, Home Health, none of that,” she says.
Another common issue, according to Rencher, is that many families do not have all children helping with care for elderly parents. “Families would assume the entire family pitches in to help with mom or dad, and that does not happen. There are a lot of folks out here with four, five, six, seven [children] and just one sibling is doing all the work,” Rencher says.
Web post written by Dan Netter
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