In Longevity Hubs: Regional Innovation for Global Aging a collection in 20 chapters of essays edited by Joseph F. Coughlin and Luke Yoquinto, the topic areas featured in part one can be read for their worth individually; yet when all is finally absorbed, I come to see that they are all interconnected. This was further demonstrated in webinar conversations from the UK, Canada and the US that I’ve attended recently drawing the link between two areas for example – health and housing, both also covered in this book.
With that connectivity in mind, I turn now to the book’s discussion on Caregiving, for this too is connected with health and housing in particular when we know that home care has become a central part of the longevity story – allowing people to live longer and healthier where possible in their preferred place.
Caregiving of course does not limit itself to the benefit of an older population, it is applied to all ages across the life course, and sometimes concurrently for a child and parent.
Caregiving in Longevity Hubs features five contributions that illustrate the current state of this social element as it presently stands in the US. It can be said that similar narratives are to be heard in many countries around the world including where I live in Canada. In the brief section written by Nancy LeaMond, Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer at AARP this link between health, home and care is directly pointed:
“…people’s homes have become health care’s new frontier, and family caregivers are increasingly handling tasks once performed only by nurses and other trained professionals.”
It is important to say here, that where access (however limited it might be), is available and affordable, the work of family carers is supplemented by paid care providers. It should also be noted that it’s not only family members, but friends or neighbours who are the unpaid carers. American references and statistics aside, LeaMond points out what is true elsewhere about private sector start-ups and their market investments in elder care and home health services:
“…business remains in the early stages of creating the products and services that caregivers will embrace. They need more solutions tailored to specific needs – solutions that are culturally appropriate and user-friendly….Entrepreneurs should be sure to seek insights from consumers who have provided care.”
LeaMond further describes caregiving as having become part of the infrastructure of the country’s well-being. And in the closing segment on Caregiving, Lisa D’Ambrosio, Research Scientist at MIT AgeLab talks about the reliability of “high touch” and “low touch” technology solutions introduced in the market over the last decade, stating how one caregiver commented that Tech providers often seem to “have a solution, but just to things that aren’t the problem.”
D’Ambrosio closes with a highlight observation that resonates for me when she speaks to an innovation gap and an information gap facing a “caregiving-intensive society”, calling for an innovative future of care where “developers, policymakers, and researchers must first understand the requirements of those who provide and receive it.”
Finishing this Caregiving chapter, reflecting on this information gap, my thoughts returned to the webinar I attended on Jan.29th from Healthcare Excellence Canadawhich is fitting to share again. This webinar featured an initiative out of Alberta, an education program called Caregiver-Centered Care designed to improve the well-being and inclusion of family caregivers. As the organization recognizes, as also described in Longevity Hubs, we are talking about supporting what is often described as a “hidden workforce of caregivers”.
