Watching the health of a loved one decline can be a traumatic experience. And watching the decline alone can be even worse.
That is why Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation has created Willing Hearts, Helpful Hands, a volunteer program serving Queens and Western Nassau, aimed at providing care for both patients and their caregivers.
“Volunteers will be caring for people who may be at the most difficult moment in their lives,” said program coordinator Rachael Kaighin-Shields.”
These Caregiver Circles are groups of well-trained individuals who allow families the time to care for themselves.
“When we ask about a patient, we rarely ask how the caregiver is doing,” said Michael Rosenblut, president and chief executive officer of the institute. “The loved one may be getting great care, but we also need to worry about the caregiver.”
The stress that comes with tending to a serious illness can damage the health of the patient’s loved ones. It also puts a strain on the family as a whole, causing arguments and a general uneasiness within the household. This tension can cause bitterness towards the patient.
“Care at home can be difficult, impossible, challenging and exhausting to the household,” said Lorraine Breuer, vice president of research and grants at Parker Jewish. “Volunteers can help to improve the lives of primary caregivers as well as the patient.”
Breuer believes that family caregivers are essential to the well-being of the nation’s health care system. Home health care helps delay and prevent costly medical care and it allows the patient to be surrounded by loved ones within their own community.
“They [home caregivers] are the backbone of the health care system,” she said. “We all know that there’s no place like home, and most want to remain in their homes and communities.”
One such person who wanted his loved one to remain in his home is Hal Gross. He dedicated his time to caring for his wife Ida while she was suffering from dementia.
Gross realized he needed help after an accident left him needing hip replacement surgery. With his children in different areas and responsibilities of their own, Gross had to reach out for a helping hand.
“We have to realize that as experienced as we are, there are things we just can’t do by ourselves,” he said. “As much as we take care of them, we need to take care of ourselves, too.”
Willing Hearts requires their members receive nine hours of training in order to make them feel confident working with aged adults. A portion of the training is with the American Red Cross, but the majority is meant for members to learn how to build relationships with both patient and family.
“The people being cared for sometimes feel invaded and ignored as a human being,” said training specialist Teepa Snow. “A volunteer must be more than a giver; they must also be a connector.”
Applicants should contact Rachael Kaighin-Shields at (718) 289-2100, ext. 4980.
