_ Caregiving Fact: Informal caregivers (unpaid family or friends of seriously ill loved ones) provide more care in the home than the federal government provides in all settings combined.
Are You a Caregiver? Caregivers for people with liver disease give help when it is needed. Most people who assist a family member or friend with liver disease do not think of themselves as caregivers. If you often do any of the following for a person with liver disease, you are a caregiver:
Help with household activities such as grocery shopping, preparing meals, cleaning, lawn care, or bill paying
Assist in personal care activities such as bathing, eating, or toileting
Provide transportation to doctor’s appointments
Offer advice on medical decisions
Many caregivers feel unprepared to help with the needs of people with liver disease and, at the same time, answer their own needs in their own lives. Conversely, many liver disease patients don’t realize what it takes to be a caregiver. Personal experience has shown that most patients DO really appreciate the care they are provided, even if they are not able to, or just don’t, express their feelings!
If you are a caregiver, this section is to help you manage these often-conflicting demands. If you are a family member, this entire site is to help you understand what care your loved one needs and how you can help with their day-to-day care. If you are a patient, this section should help you understand what you are asking your caregiver to do for you.
Evidence shows that most caregivers are ill-prepared for their role and provide care with little or no support, yet more than one-third of caregivers continue to provide intense care to others while suffering from poor health themselves. Studies have shown that an influential factor in a caregiver’s decision to place an impaired relative in a long-term care facility is the family caregiver’s own physical health.
A substantial body of research shows that family members who provide care to individuals with chronic or disabling conditions are themselves at risk. Emotional, mental and physical health problems arise from complex caregiving situations and the strains of caring for frail or disabled relatives.
Today, medical advances, shorter hospital stays, limited discharge planning and expansion of home care technology have placed increased costs as well as increased care responsibilities on families, who are being asked to shoulder greater care burdens for longer periods of time.