How Dangerous Is Family Caregiver Burnout?

Money does not buy happiness, but it does enable you to pay others to do tasks that, if you had to do them all by yourself, would be physically and emotionally exhausting.  People who choose to age in place and rely on their family to take care of them have an idealized view of how family caregiving might look.  They imagine a large, close-knit family, where your children and grandchildren cheerfully share the responsibilities of helping you take your place at the dinner table, cutting your food for you, and helping you bathe and change your clothes.  Perhaps you are imagining a daughter-in-law who has never been in the workforce and who, now that her children are in their teens, has no responsibilities in life but to attend to you.  The reality of family caregiving is usually that the caregivers are also overwhelmed with their own work responsibilities and health problems, and the family’s financial stress affects everyone, both those who are healthy enough to work and those who are too young or too burdened by health problems to be in the workforce.  In other words, elder abuse and neglect happen at the hands of overworked family members through much the same mechanisms as they happen at the hands of overworked nursing home staff.  To find out more about elder abuse or for help getting a vulnerable senior out of an abusive family caregiving situation, contact a Dade City elder law attorney.

A Family Caregiver Abuse Nightmare

A Florida man is facing criminal charges for manslaughter after his family caregiving situation with his elderly father went wrong.  Jimmy Cardwell, 71, died in a Palm Beach County hospital after his health gradually worsened while he was under the care of his son Alton.  Jimmy suffered a stroke six years ago; after the stroke, the left side of his body was paralyzed, and Alton moved into his house to act as his caregiver.  News reports about the case did not say whether Alton was in the workforce or whether any other family members lived with the two men.

Jimmy’s medical records indicated that he once told doctors that he feared for his safety while under Alton’s care.  By the end of his life, Jimmy was malnourished, he had infected pressure ulcers on his back and shoulder, and his fingernails and toenails were overgrown.  When police questioned Alton, he first said that he did not realize how serious his father’s condition was and that he made every effort to provide adequate care.  Later on, he changed his story, though.  He admitted that, because his father was uncooperative and would try to kick him, he only gave him a bath every few months, and he had given up trying to cut his nails.

Contact a Florida Estate Planning Attorney About Preventing Caregiver Burnout

An estate planning attorney can help you formulate a sustainable plan for aging in place with family caregivers.  Contact The Law Office of Laurie R. Chane in Dade City, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

lawandcrime.com/crime/son-accused-in-death-of-elderly-father-found-with-infected-ulcers-and-smelling-of-rotting-flesh-sheriff/