Long-Distance Care for Your Loved Ones

Guest: Sara L. Douglas, PhD, Professor of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University As the Baby Boomers age, their children increasingly find themselves in a caregiver role. At least five million Americans are long-distance caregivers, meaning they live at least an hour’s drive from the sick loved one, but often much farther away, according to the National Council on Aging. This particular group of caregivers hasn’t received much attention from researchers, but if you’ve been one, you know how difficult and draining it can be. You can’t help with the day-to-day needs of your loved one, but you try to be helpful where you can, which means a lot of time on the phone with doctors, nurses and family members and expensive trips to visit when possible. Resources Specific to Distance Care Givers: Caregiver Action Network, Aging Life Care Organization, Caring From a Distance, AARP, National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s Association (national and local)