CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson +1 303-810-1816

Email:   Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com

     December 23, 2021, Denver CO - Caregiving expert Pamela D. Wilson calls attention to family caregivers who work and care for loved ones twenty-four hours a day—seven days a week throughout the year. The holidays can be a lonely time for caregivers and isolated older adults. Happy family gatherings, togetherness, and gift-giving or receiving are not part of everyone's life.

The duty caregivers feel links to daily care responsibilities. When loved ones have ongoing health issues or a diagnosis of memory loss, constant care needs continue to grow. In most families, a single individual—usually a wife or a daughter—is the primary caregiver while other family members go on with their lives.

This dedication and sense of responsibility to care for others can negatively affect health, family relationships, personal relationships, and career. Challenges arise for caregivers who are unaware that support exists to navigate family relationships, healthcare, financial and legal matters related to caring for a spouse or aging parents.  

Refusals to investigate services as a result of caregivers saying they don't have time can result in harm to the caregiver's well-being as well as the quality of care provided to an aging parent or a spouse. While care refusals are commonly attributed to elderly parents refusing care or not following doctors' recommendations, caregivers can unintentionally refuse to take actions that can be beneficial for them.

The Effects of Refusals by Elderly Parents and Caregivers

Because caregivers are usually in a position of taking charge in care situations, they can prioritize their needs over the needs of aging parents. This unintentional refusal to acknowledge the wishes of aging parents results in family conflict.

On the other hand, aging parents can refuse to agree with the recommendations of children with good intentions. On this week's podcast of The Caring Generation, Pamela D Wilson talks about the effects of care refusals and the impact on health and family relationships when decisions are not shared.

To follow on the topic of shared decision-making between aging parents and their caregivers, Guest Dr. Thomas R. Radomski from the University of Pittsburgh shares research about decision-making related to taking or discontinuing medications. Dr. Radomski is an Assistant Professor of Medicine within the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is also a core faculty member of Pitt's Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing.

Family and Group Caregiver Programs

Wilson supports family caregivers, groups, and corporations worldwide by offering education for caregivers about managing, planning, and navigating health and aging issues. More about Wilson's online courses for elderly care, individual elder care consultations, caregiver support, webinars, speaking engagements, and brand collaborations are on her website www.pameladwilson.com. Pamela may also be contacted at +1 303-810-1816 or through the contact Me page on her website.

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