Join us to hear from three of the world’s leading caregiver support organizations: the National Alliance for Caregiving, Family Caregiver Alliance and the Alzheimer’s Association. Our speakers will highlight new telehealth resources made available in the face of the pandemic, discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the international caregiver support landscape, emphasize specific needs that are ripe for telehealth innovation, as well as set a vision for how caregiver support will change moving forward. We will also hear firsthand experiences of how telehealth has been a lifeline for family caregivers during the pandemic.
At a time of economic instability, rapidly rising health care costs, an aging population, and increased incidents of long-term chronic care needs, the importance and demands on family caregivers are greater than ever. Around the globe, carers often sacrifice their own physical, financial and psychosocial well-being in order to provide care to loved ones. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges carers commonly face, including financial challenges, demands coordinatingcare, juggling employment, and managing their own health, including high rates of stress, anxiety and depression. Care recipients are among those most vulnerable to COVID-19; and caregivers are facing shrinking support networks due to self-quarantine. Adult day centers have shuttered their doors, and COVID-19 has intensified a shortage of home health workers as well as amplified rates of elder abuse and neglect. One quarter of carers are caring for an individual with dementia, who may struggle with confusion about the pandemic and health and safety precautions such as mask wearing. Long distance caregivers are making difficult decisions about when they can travel to see their loved ones, while others are unable to visit family members and/or spouses who live in care facilities. Sandwich caregivers are simultaneously juggling home-schooling children and caring for aging parents. The challenges seem insurmountable.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven unprecedented innovation and adoption of telehealth. Telehealth increases healthcare access in rural areas and for those with transportation challenges. Long-distance caregivers can now more easily participate in parent’s healthcare visits. Resources and support for caregivers and their loved ones can be made available from the comfort and safety of home and accessible by phone, tablet or other mobile device. Join us to learn about 'Family Caregiving and Telehealth in the Era of COVID-19.
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