Caregivers Rise To The Challenge

(CBS)  When we first met Maryann Winchell, she was struggling to care for her aging parents, shuttling daily between her home and theirs, reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes.

Nine months later, the situation is deteriorating. Her mother's rheumatoid arthritis is worse and so is her father's dementia. Caretaking costs have gone up $500 a month.

"Because of our finances, we are moving them with us, because it is a hardship having them live somewhere else," said Winchell.

Maryann's husband, Stacy, has taken on even more work as a nurse practitioner, going six days a week to help pay the bills.

Winchell's family may be America's new norm. An estimated 34 million Americans care for loved ones age 50 and over.

A just-released healthcare study of a thousand caregivers finds half of them are spending more than 10 percent of their income on it. One in three used some of their savings to cover costs.

Just like the Winchells.

When asked if they had any savings put away for their own retirement, Stacy Winchell said, "No and I don't foresee that at this point in time that there will be any retirement."

People in the study said they cut back spending on leisure activities and saved less or not at all for their children's future.

Last winter Danny was only dreaming of going to college. The family took out a huge loan to send him.

Probably most significant for caregivers is the squeeze on their time. One person in the study said: "Time is the most expensive commodity I provide but it has no price tag."

Caretakers in the study spent on average 35 hours a week caring for their loved ones. And more than half of them said they did not work. A third said they had quit their jobs or reduced their work hours.

"Thirty-seven percent are actually saying they're more depressed over the situation," said Sherri Snelling of Evercare. "Sixty-five percent are saying they have a lot more stress and anxiety."

Still, most caregivers do it willingly.

"I have to be there for them," Winchell said. "I feel like I have to be there for them."

But without her own financial cushion, it might be her own children who have to be there for her, when the time comes.

[dave02130]

"Caregivers Rise To The Challenge"
Thank you for reporting this. At least I don''t feel as alone with this dilemma, but something is broken in America and elders that fall in the cracks have no where to turn but their families--too fragile to live on their own, but not fragile enough to need a nursing home which Medicaid would cover. It also becomes a problem when not all siblings are able to help with the finances. It only makes me wonder what will happen to me since I don''t have kids. It looks like retirement will become a thing of the past or only for the wealthy.

[newmar3]

I will be 61 in January,2008. I took care of my parents and their place in their last 5 years of life. Both my brothers refused to come back to Indiana to help me. My dad was on dialyias 3 days per week. When he died, my mother just gave up. My baby brother commited suicide, and my wife and I took care of his body and burial. I settled my parents estate. My middle brother was taken out of the will, but I gave him 50% of the estate anyway just to be fair. I ended up getting sued by my brother and the judge ignored my parents will, and the changes that they had made. He found in favor of my brother and he received almost $100,000.00 settlement over our parents estate. I had been assured by my parents bank, financial planner, and the attorney that made the changes, that everything was legal. I should have just told my parents to go to H---, and take care of yourself the best way that you can. I had considered it an honor to take care of my parents and their estate. All it did was ruin my health(mini-strokes and Myastnis Gravis set in). I lost my job and the way that I wanted to retire. I am about to lose my home and everything else because of my brothers greed and a judge that ignored my parents will. EVERYBODY OUT THERE, THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR PARENTS, IT MIGHT NOT BE WORTH IT. When I am about to die, my children will not know or find me.The American dream of a fair justice system does not exist.

[dnorth30-2009]

I can realte tot eh story of being a care giver as I am for my mother and I travel everyday to her home and take her supper, take her to various doctors appointments while maintaining a full time job. I would like CBS to cover other stories relating to more more type of care giver as while I take care of my mother, I also am raising my grandchildren and I have a disabled husband who can only work part time. Retirement? What is it?

[likeablunchs]

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[lastdance4]

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[bb19631]

And to all of you who are commenting on things that don''t pertain to the subject matter- STOP IT. It is getting very annoying.

[bb19631]

It is very difficult and time consuming taking care of elderly parents..I am in that generation and I am taking care of my mother. I have no help, My sister leaves everything up to me and my family. We all work- she does not. I take mom to numerous dr. appts.,Do all her meds, do her grocery shopping, all her errands. I have to schedule mom''s appts. around my work schedule. The drs. office''s are accommedating to us, my work is not. I work in the healthcare field. Mom has healthcare that does pay for some of her homecare needs. But, time will come in the near future where mother will have to live with me. I will not under any circumstances put her in a nursing home. My adult kids are watching me, to see what they will have do for me, when I get old. I want to give my kids a plan of action when it is my turn, to be cared for.

[grammawhamma]

It is a sad state of affairs when our parents outlive their savings and their children that take care of them don''t even have any savings. I know this sounds cruel but this is the end result of having medical technology trying to keep us alive forever. I read somewhere years ago (I think maybe it was Sweden) that they set a certain age limit, for example 80 years old. Once you reached that age limit you were automaticaly a DNR or No Code. No heroic life saving measures after that age...comfort measures only. I know I don''t want to live out my last days in a nursing home...and I don''t want to be a burden on my kids either.

[grammawhamma]

alpha10: The reason the Ron Paul spammers are changing their names so often is that CBS does kick them off if you report them as abuse for breaking the rules of engagement. They then have to go thru the trouble of getting a new sign on name and a new email address. I must say they are persistent! I hope they give up soon.

[likeablunchs]

'' .. 60,000 years of elitists investing more than the world combined into baby raping warfare is not an accident .. there''s two kinds of folk: 2 year olds & those afraid to hold hands with 2 year olds for fear of what most folk do to 2 year olds & those that hold hands with them .. ''

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