Are You Caring for a Parent Who Lives Miles Away?

If your parents live far away and yet you are involved in their care, you are one of 7 millio
Americans who are long-distance caregivers, according to the National Institute on Aging estimates.

According to a recent article written for the Associated Press by Matt Sedensky, the share of people 65 and older is expected to rapidly expand over the next four decades, while the number of people under 20 will roughly hold steady. Which means there will be a much smaller share of people between 20 and 64, the age group that most often is faced with caregiving.

In 2000, there were 65,000 people living to 100 years of age or longer. That number is expected to grow to 381,000 by 2030 ... less than twenty years from now!*

Caregiving is not without stress and when you add hundreds or thousands of miles to the mix, the stress can rise exponentially.

As our parents age, we all wonder if they are going to fall and break a hip, have an accident while driving to the store, forget to take their meds, stop eating the way they should and a myriad of other worries.

With the current economic conditions, many adult children have taken jobs wherever they can find them, which often takes them many miles away from their folks. But it doesn't stop the worry and the conce
about them.

There are many tools that people are turning to help them stay on top of their folks' well-being. These include:
• Daily phone calls
• Daily Skype video chats – to talk to and see how one's parent looks and sounds
• Mymedschedule.com - Provides reminders to take your medicine, schedule refills, and renew prescriptions. This organization offers schedules of medications and dosage amounts for yourself and family members. This eliminates the need to take your pill bottles to medical appointments.
• Lotsahelpinghands.com - One of a growing group of websites, this site functions as a virtual community with the purpose of helping families, friends and others share in caring for a person of any age with any disability.
• Safetymomsolutions.com - This organization provides comprehensive consultations for in-home safety that meets your needs and your budget. Consultations range from child proofing your home to making it easier for seniors to live independently.
• Caretogether.com – Offers easy task management, jou
aling and photo sharing, 24/7 access to live professionals in your loved one's community
• Vitallink.net – Connects families and friends to older adults, providing an easy link to Skype, email, twitter, Facebook, news, brain games and more for those with no computer experience.
• eCarediary.com - provides comprehensive information, tools and resources to caregivers. The website features online tools that make sharing information with family and other caregivers easier.
• Meals on Wheels – nutritious meals delivered daily to seniors at home as well as Senior Center Congregate meal programs.
These are just a few of the many resources people are turning to to reassure them that their parents are doing okay, whether they live down the block or across the nation.

Of course, there are many more useful products being used: video cameras set up in parents' homes, scooters and lifts for mobility and much more.

As the aging population continues to grow and people live longer and longer, we will continue to see more and more products and services that will help us assess and determine whether our folks are still safe and well in their homes or if it's time for some adjustments.

Most communities offer Home Health Aide services and Elder Services organizations that can offer you options and solutions to help you stay on top of your parents' well-being, even when you are many miles away.

Despite the added stress that many adult children feel when trying to stay on top of their parents' growing needs, most wouldn't have it any other way. We so appreciate all our parents did for us as we grew up, we'll do whatever it takes to know they are well, safe and cared-for.

*(Mahan & Escott-Stump, 2004, p. 319)