015 – Interview: Practical Advice for Family Caregivers & Next Step In Care

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with caregiving expert Carol Levine, Director of the Families and Health Care Project at the United Hospital Fund of New York and author of “Planning for Long-Term Care for Dummies.” They discuss:

• Carol’s experience managing care for her husband for 17 years, after he was badly injured in a car accident
• Top challenges that family caregivers face, based on Carol’s work doing surveys and focus groups with family caregivers
• Tips on finding, hiring, and working with a paid caregiver in the home
• The problem of doctors underestimating the work that family caregivers do
• How families can manage the cost of hiring caregivers, and how to manage family conflicts that may arise
• Why dealing with the healthcare system is a common source of frustration for families, and how NextStepInCare.org helps families
• What society can do to better support family caregivers

Related episode: 

008 – Interview: Helping Families with Memory Loss: The Care to Plan Online Tool

Related Resources:

• NextStepInCare.org
  • NSIC Guide: Working with Home Health Aides
  • NSIC Guide: HIPAA: Questions and Answers for Family Caregivers

• AARP Report: Home Alone, Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care
• National Family Caregiver Support Program, Administration on Aging
• National Respite Locator
• What Japan Can Teach Us About Long-Term Care
• AARP Public Policy Institute: Valuing the Invaluable