Caring for your loved ones as they get older or caring for a child with a disability can be difficult. Often, the key to success is a well-supported family caregiver.
On Oct. 4, the North Sanpete Coalition hosted Brock Jackson, director of Aging Services for the Six County Association of Governments, in a meeting at the Mt. Pleasant City Hall. Jackson spoke with the group about the assistance available for caregivers and also the need for an aging support group in Sanpete County.
Maria Ricks of Fairview is working on her master’s degree in interdisciplinary gerontology from the University of Utah and is doing her internship with Aging Services. Her project is to establish a caregiver support group, as well as provide resources and training to support caregivers.
“When I was helping care for my husband Mike’s aging parents, I didn’t know where to look for help,” Ricks said.
Yet Jackson said that there are many programs offering assistance. The problem is that people often don’t know what’s available.
“We can help with everything from bringing food into the senior’s home, to providing a ride to an appointment, to financial relief, to helping keep older adults in their own homes to age in place,” he said.
Gilda Christensen of Manti takes care of her husband, Kirk, who has Alzheimer’s. She has always loved community events and being involved, but being the caretaker was taking its toll on her.
After the coalition meeting, Christensen wanted to get a support group going. She wanted to make sure that if there were people out there like her, they had support. She was also looking for support for herself.
She made contact with Ricks and within two days, they had a very small group ready to support each other.
One of the biggest struggles Christensen faces is the daily changes in her husband. One minute he can be having a perfectly great day, and the next he is angry about something that happened many years ago, she said.
Going through such hassles every day, never knowing if he will remember who he is, or even who she is, has been hard on her.
Having Alzheimer’s has also caused a lot of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms to come out. The trauma relates to things that a family member did to him long ago, Gilda said.
Last week, Gilda prepared the paperwork for a nursing facility for Kirk. She said she just wanted to see his reaction. When they pulled up to the nursing facility, he refused to get out of the car. She said she trusted his feeling and knew now wasn’t the time. When they got to their favorite ice cream shop, there was no hesitation. “He jumped right out.”
A long-time friend of Gilda’s and former nurse who specialized in dementia care, Trish Estes, noticed the toll caretaking was having on her. Estes said she noticed Gilda losing hair, being stressed, and just not being her normal calm and happy self.
In her twenties, Estes experienced a stroke. So she understands how the mind works and has a “heart of gold,” Ricks said.
Estes is one of the members of the newly formed group. She said that the group is small now, but she knows that there are so many others out there who need support and connection, and that is what they want to provide.
The group meets in Gilda’s home once a week in Manti. The group, currently at eight members, has been a great support to each other. And they have had a lot of interest from others seeking help and support.
Ricks said that Rosalynn Carter said it best: “There are only four kinds of people in the world: Those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.”
“Caregiving affects everyone,” said Ricks.
Across Utah, family caregivers take on big responsibilities helping their parents, spouses, and other loved ones stay at home.
AARP recently surveyed 801 registered Utah voters aged 40-plus about caring for their families and found that 48 percent are current or former caregivers, and 65 percent are likely caregivers in the future.
Responsibilities that fall to caregivers include meal preparation, managing finances, managing medications, household chores, transportation, shopping, companionship and simply showing love.
Research has shown that rural areas have a disproportionate population of older adults. Sanpete County’s aging population continues to grow, straining caregivers and increasing the demand for services.
In 1965, when the Older Americans Act was enacted, just 9 percent of the county’s population was over 65. In 2020, older adults represented 17 percent of the population. By 2030, it is projected that one out of every five Americans will be over 65 years of age. “You can get involved!” said Ricks.
Volunteer Services, one of the programs administered by Six County Aging Services, was created to mobilize people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community problems, Jackson said.
The program strives to connect people with service opportunities, promote productive volunteering and to make a difference on high priority community problems. You can get involved by volunteering for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Foster Grandparent Program and more. Contact the Volunteer Connection at (435) 893-0735. Jackson emphasized that Six County Aging Services wants to help people navigate the resources available to them. Visit them at sixcountyaging.com or the @SixCountyAging Facebook page for more information on how to access all available services.
