Addressing the Burdens of Family Caregivers

Guest: Alisha Morgan, D.O. (@AAMORGAN_DO) Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. (@ChutkaMD) It’s estimated that there may be over 30 million individuals in the U.S. who provide ongoing care to older adults, half of these to family members with some form of dementia. The majority of these caregivers are female and a significant percentage of these caregivers have their own major health problems. This has become a major social and economic issue in the care of our geriatric patients. Dr. Alisha Morgan, a family medicine and hospice physician at the Mayo Clinic joins us to address the challenges associated with being a caregiver, how healthcare providers should assess caregiver burden, potential financial resources available to assist caregivers, and interventions to reduce the impact of stress on caregivers. Specific topics: Morbidity and mortality of care givers The amount of time caregivers devote to assisting older adults Financial burden of providing chronic care to older adults How primary care providers should acknowledge caregivers How primary care providers should evaluate How caregiver stress should be provided Available financial resources for caregivers Caregiver Resources: https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/entertainment/books/2015-04/Caregivers_Excerpt.pdf Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.