9/20 (Tue.) Long-Term Care Issues and Family Caregivers (Host: Sherry)

[Sherry Liao]

Dear YOYOs,

A few weeks ago, I watched an NHK Documentary about young people in Japan caring for their disabled or chronically ill family members. Of these, the one that impressed me the most was a man who cared for his mother for 30 years, from the time he was in elementary school until she died 5 years ago. His life was completely derailed due to long-term caring for his family.

Due to the increasingly serious problem of low birthrate, Taiwan will also face a heavy burden on young people to support the elderly. So I was thinking maybe we could discuss this serious topic in a yoyo meeting. However, when looking for reference articles, I found there was not much relevant material in English. Is it because of cultural differences in the perception of family roles between Asian and Western countries?

Today we will focus on the issue of long-term care need when a family member is aging and getting disabled. “A family caregiver” is an individual who cares for a loved one with a short-term or long-term physical and/or mental disability or illness.

The following material is for your reference only. Please join the meeting and share your thoughts on this topic!

Young Carers: A Silent Cry for Help (NHK Documentary)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/onde ... o/4001412/

Questions for Discussion
Session I
Q1. If there are elderly members of your family who need to depend on others to take care of their life, would they hire in-home care services or move to an assisted living community / nursing home, or would they rely on family members to take care of them? Why?

Q2. Do you think there are cultural differences between Asian and Western families in their expectations of family members' caring responsibilities? Why are some elders more willing or even insisting on receiving care from their family members and decline nursing care services?

Q3. According to statistics, most of the family caregivers are women and middle-aged people, but there are also many young people who play the role of family caregivers, and the care is often for years.
-3a. What challenges do long-term family caregivers usually face?
-3b. Where can they get the support, resources and information they need?
-3c. Is there such a person around you? As neighbors, friends, relatives and colleagues, what kind of support can we give these people?

Session II
Q4. One study found that the main group of people who leave their jobs to care for a disabled or elderly family member is between the ages of 40 and 50, and only 30% of them successfully return to the workplace.
- 4a. In your opinion, is it fine to resign job for taking care of parents as they are old?
- 4b. If you were asked to quit your job to care for your family, would you do it? Why? If not, how would you solve the problem?
- 4c. If you were an interviewer and the candidate said he or she left the last job because of "care for the family", how would you feel? What employers can do to support employees who have family members in need of long-term care at home?

Q5. As Taiwanese are Getting Older and Living Longer, demand for long-term care services and supports is expected to surge as well. In your opinion, who should be responsible for long-term care, the individual, the family, or the government? Why?

Q6. Many people do not plan accordingly for future needs. How much do you think long-term care services will cost, from the most basic needs to the most complete care? Do you think most people can afford them?

Agenda:
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:45pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
8:45 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Online meeting:
Zoom meeting ID: 848 6108 3035
Password: yoyo2022
Link: https://tinyurl.com/yoyo2022-meeting
#YoyoEnglishClub

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for twice (including on-site and online meetings). After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee.

[stephen185]

For Q2: Why are some elders more willing or even insisting on receiving care from their family members and decline nursing care services?

Some elders may be more willing or even insisting on receiving care from their family members in order to avoid being institutionalized. This is due to a number of reasons, including the belief that nursing home placement will result in reduced independence and decreased quality of life. Some elders also appreciate the familiarity and other familial ties that exist within traditional households vs. institutional settings. They may believe that residing at home would offer them better psychological comfort than living in an unfamiliar setting with others who they do not know well. Additionally, many elder caregivers feel that they are better equipped than professional nurses to provide proper care for their loved ones. finally, some families are unwilling to spend money on long-term care with nursing care service.

However, when these families choose to decline nursing care services, it can often create tension and conflict with the health system. Health officials may view this as an unwillingness or inability on the part of seniors' relatives to appropriately take care of them, which can negatively impact their long-term healthcare status and finances. In some cases, refusing nursing homecare might actually lead to poorer outcomes for seniors because they are not able or unwillingto receive proper medical treatment when needed.

(The above answer is generated using Scalenut, an AI powered writer.)

[miller]

Move to the top.

[Sherry Liao]

For Q2: Why are some elders more willing or even insisting on receiving care from their family members and decline nursing care services?

Some elders may be more willing or even insisting on receiving care from their family members in order to avoid being institutionalized. This is due to a number of reasons, including the belief that nursing home placement will result in reduced independence and decreased quality of life. Some elders also appreciate the familiarity and other familial ties that exist within traditional households vs. institutional settings. They may believe that residing at home would offer them better psychological comfort than living in an unfamiliar setting with others who they do not know well. Additionally, many elder caregivers feel that they are better equipped than professional nurses to provide proper care for their loved ones. finally, some families are unwilling to spend money on long-term care with nursing care service.

However, when these families choose to decline nursing care services, it can often create tension and conflict with the health system. Health officials may view this as an unwillingness or inability on the part of seniors' relatives to appropriately take care of them, which can negatively impact their long-term healthcare status and finances. In some cases, refusing nursing homecare might actually lead to poorer outcomes for seniors because they are not able or unwillingto receive proper medical treatment when needed.

(The above answer is generated using Scalenut, an AI powered writer.)

Thank you for your insightful review on this topic. It's interesting to learn more about the reasons that some elders prefer to receive care from their family members. Also, I believe that nursing home placement would result in decreased independence and decreased quality of life, so it makes sense that some elders may prefer not to go that route. Some elders also appreciate the familiarity and other familial ties that exist within traditional households vs. institutional settings. They may believe that residing at home would offer them better psychologic support than they would receive in an institutional setting.

It's always insightful to hear various perspectives and I am excited to share my thought on this topic with you.

(The above reply was generated by Scalenut)

After reading your reply I spent hours studying this Scalenut and found - I know I'm completely off topic - this one is really interesting

[Iris Wu]

This is probably the first time I feel I can come to the meeting without too much study and preparation since I joined YoYo. It’s not because the topic is easy, rather it’s due to my years of personal involvement in senior care.

The challenges of being a long-term family caregiver are enormous. I honestly don’t know how it could be endured without help. The patients could be bedridden, lose their mobility, require all the basic living assistance, or worse, with Alzheimer’s disease and not communicate at all. The financial, physical, and emotional burden is weighty and inexplicable, regardless it’s on what age, gender, or ethnic group of caregivers.

Cultural differences may play a role in the choice of handling the care, and the pros and cons of each option can be answered by AI writers easily, but the solutions may need and proceed with a more human touch.

My experience taught me that patients’ physical care requires consistency and discipline. Objectively speaking, an assisted living community or in-home service personnel with quality and reputation provides a more consistent environment, schedule, and professional care than most of the care done by family members. But, in the meantime, patients are mentally and emotionally vulnerable, and family members’ presence and support are critical to the overall living quality of the patients. Frequent visiting, accompanying, and supervision from family members are the best mental medicine for the patients.

I think everyone in society should at least spend a week experiencing a caregiver’s role and duties. That’s the only way to be more understanding and empathetic. Then, a hybrid care, physically with in-home care services or assisted living accompanied by soft care from family members, is probably a good model.

The above was generated by “Iris”, so it's not perfect.

[Sherry Liao]

Cultural differences may play a role in the choice of handling the care, and the pros and cons of each option can be answered by AI writers easily, but the solutions may need and proceed with a more human touch.

I can feel the difference between the comments written by AI and by "real person", and the difference might be similar to the difference a care receiver feels between care from a in-home service worker and from a beloved family member?

[Leon]

Good topic and good NHK Documentary.