Patti Pilat Buono

What You're About To Read

I am a facts, statistics, and figures person, even as a caregiver. It’s important for me to have proof to truly believe and internalize information. That’s not to say I don’t see the “gray” in situations—it’s taken me a long, long time, but I absolutely recognize that not everything is black and white. There are exceptions to every rule. There is a non-exemplar to every example. It happens.

For me, though, I’m playing the odds.

Knowledge Is Power

I have given you this piece of information multiple times throughout my blogging. There is absolutely nothing that can help you do this job more than knowledge and understanding of the demon you are battling. There is a wealth of information on the internet that can help you become well-versed in whatever diseases or battles your loved one is fighting. In my experience, the information might be somewhat boring and over your head (we aren’t doctors, remember), but that’s exactly how you found this blog! Information written at a level you can understand with a healthy dose of humor and humanity mixed in.

Doing The Job is not only full-time, there is a tremendous amount of unpaid overtime that you need to put in to do The Job effectively. It is, quite literally, a 24/7 365-day endeavor with no time off for good or bad behavior. Even while I am asleep in bed, I am on guard for an emergency. Every vacation has me giving emergency contact information to the facility. Just in case.

In case of what? That’s just it—you never know.

But you can play the odds. Just like me.

The Importance Of Caregiver Statistics

The doctors that you encounter will be all about statistics, not just the caregiver. They might not share them with you, but believe me they know the mortality rate of any disease or problem your loved one is having, and it is uncanny how accurate they will be about how long your loved one has left. They aren’t just guessing—they are relying on decades—centuries even—of facts and statistics about other people with similar problems.

As soon as my parents receive any diagnosis, I am immediately on the internet researching everything I can understand about what they are going through. With Pop’s never-ending cancers, I was constantly researching mortality rates, to determine just how much danger we were in. The dementia statistics are far less specific, and have been frustrating for me to research—but still important enough for me to do.

After being thrust into the Mayor job full-time, I realized just how difficult and taxing this position really is, and I started to research information about caregiver situations and health. It didn’t take me too long to realize my health was just as important—if not more important—than my “patient’s” health.

So, for the number-crunchers in the audience, let’s look at some very relevant caregiver statistics, so you can see areas you need to focus on.

In other words: What are the odds?

Caregiver Statistics: Health (Resource #1)

Every statistic I have found points towards the Mayor not taking care of herself. It is alarming and unfortunate that those of us doing The Job aren’t starting with ourselves. For example:

22% of adults in America report providing care or assistance to a family member, however,
Only 79% report having a routine checkup in the past year.
Self-reporting indicates that 15% of caregivers report experiencing 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the last month. Fourteen or more days!!!
18% report experiencing 14 or more physically unhealthy days in the last month. Get out there and walk, people!
Finally, 37% report getting insufficient sleep on a regular basis! How can you care for anyone else if you aren’t rested yourself!!! This is horrific.

Caregiver Statistics: Relationships (Resources #2 & 3)

So we, The Mayors, have made a conscious decision to take on the care of someone that we love. This is admirable. Unfortunately, this commitment seems to have a very negative impact on our personal relationships. Let’s look at the numbers we are battling:

38% of caregivers (65% of which are Baby Boomers) are caring for parents or in-laws.
59% of caregivers are employed outside of the home, despite the 53% of caregivers who are devoting more than 40 hours per week to their caregiving responsibilities.
Isolation and burnout are the two most common factors leading to strained relationships for caregivers. A lack of understanding support follows those factors. All of these symptoms can be alleviated by maintaining strong personal relationships in addition to your caregiving duties.

Caregiver Statistics: Finances (Resource #4)

Perhaps the scariest and most unfortunate statistic we have in this week’s blog is the tremendous strain that caregiving places on your family. I have stated repeatedly that Pop left Mom (and me!) in a great position to accommodate her care for several years. This is NOT the norm for Mayors, and I count myself extremely fortunate that I am not facing the problems so many millions of other caregivers have to navigate every day. Let’s look at the numbers:

92% of caregivers receive NO financial assistance
Average out-of-pocket amount per year for the caregiver is $7,200. I couldn’t come up with that “extra” every year, either!
Even with insurance, co-pays and out-of-pocket bills are shared between the caregiver and the patient.
Average cost for inpatient care is $4200 a month nationally. I can tell you Mom’s memory care in Nevada is $6500 per month. Per month, people. A friend is paying $2800 for assisted living—a bit better but still staggering.

Long-Term And Chronic Disease Statistics (Resources #5 & 6)

Mom has nothing wrong with her. I mean nothing. So, it is almost impossible for any doctor to quantify how long she will live. The most important thing with Mom is the quality of life issue, since as the dementia continues to worsen, she is having far less enjoyment out of her time on earth. I’m not sure if people would think her situation is better or worse than someone with a chronic, debilitating disease, but here are some statistics about the more “normal” geriatric patients as they age:

Life expectancy

Current actuarial figures for the elderly state that life expectancy for men is 82 years old, while women are slated at 84.8 years. Both of my parents blew those numbers out of the water, but I know several friends whose parents were lost long before they reached those ages. Supporting that statistic is the fact that approximately 23% of those 65 or older identify in “fair or poor health”.

Heart disease

Hypertension is truly epidemic in the elderly, with well over 80% of seniors over age 75 being on medication to control blood pressure. Putting such stress on the heart, naturally, will lead to other, potentially fatal, problems.

Cancer patients

While cancer deaths increase exponentially with advanced age, the current treatments and diagnosis of cancer at an earlier stage is leading to this actually decreasing as a cause of death among the elderly. Another plug for early detection and treatment for caregivers, as well!

Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Ten years. Statistically, that’s how long you get after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia. However, the bell curve for mortality widens anywhere from two to twenty-six years. How long your loved one will last is strictly a guess, especially if, like my mom, your loved one has no medical issues other than the cognitive decline. According to current research, Mom has a life expectancy of four more years at the severe cognitive decline stage. We’ll see…

Natural Causes

Obesity, a national crisis, does play a huge factor in the health of the elderly, with well over 40% of both men and women over 65 being classified as obese, which leads to other health issues.

The Most Important Statistic

You 100% got this.

It doesn’t matter what depressing numbers I quote you. It doesn’t matter what diagnosis you get or diseases that form within your loved one. You aren’t going to give up. You aren’t going to give in.

Use the statistics you find to strengthen your resolve, use them to help you form a game plan and explain things to your family and relatives, use them to support your decisions, use them your own way.

Use them.

You are better than the odds.

My money is on you.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Wow! You made it! Thank you for reading about caregiver statistics!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out part 1 of my Mother-In-Law story, here, or if you’ve read that, check out part 2, here! Or maybe you want to hear more about Pop, here. Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment with YOUR story! Any dementia stories? Let me know!

Please, feel free to contact me or leave a COMMENT with anything you would like to hear more about! Or reach out with any unrelated questions, comments, concerns, or random outbursts of excitement by clicking here.

Oh! And don’t forget to check out my video series by CLICKING HERE!!!

Caregiver Statistics - The Stats Are Against Us