The concept to bring caregiving back into the family home may be a wave of the future and, that future may not be far off. It is clear that we will need to learn how to care for each other again, that which was so common before Medicare and Medicaid came into existence. So, one must ask: How did we stray so far that we have forgotton how to care for our own?

Caregiving is not something that each of us want to do, or feel we can do – for various reasons. Many times caregiving is provided under complex circumstances often balancing the concerns of the caregiver’s immediate family, the caregiver’s career, and the caregiver’s feeling of responsibility towards taking care of their elder or disabled family member. Being creative, working as a team, and being willing to be flexible goes far when looking for answers that seem so difficult to find.

There are a variety of reasons that family members choose not to provide caregiving for their elder. Sometimes reluctance is shown feeling a lack of skills. Sometimes distance is an issue. Sometimes estranged relationships between the adult child and the elder exist and a feeling of providing care to their elder simply is none existent. Whatever the reason may be, it is essential to consider why we are here… our life purpose; to consider our priorities… to consider our values. Perhaps we need to consider how we would like to be treated when we become elderly…. for the sake of our elders – for the sake of us!

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