December 12, 2025 • 15 mins
Dealing with Caregiver Burnout after providing much needed support for a Family Member, Friend, or Beighbor, who needs help? One in Three Utahns are facing those challenges, juggling both family and work commitments at the same time. That's why iHeartMedia, The Utah Department of Health and Human Services along with KUTV check your health have joined forces to share a number of available resources statewide, in a podcast hosted by iHeartRadio personality Abby Bonell.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi Abbi Bonel here with IHUT Radio in Salt Lake City,
focusing on caregiver burnout and the impacts it's having on
millions of people in America. Thanks for listening to our
Check Your Health podcast. Kate Neda Rostek, caregiver support program
manager with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services,
kindly joining me in the studio today to shed some
(00:21):
light on the challenges, but also let you know about
some key resources available that you just might not be
aware of. Great to see again.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Kate, hither Abby, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Well, really, many people don't even realize that they're actually
a caregiver. It's something they just simply take on helping
out a member of the family, could be a friend
or neighbor. One in three Utah adults is providing care
for someone with a disability or medical condition, and it
can be so challenging.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Kate, absolutely, And I think that's part of the issue
is as family members, as friends, we step up to
help another could be a spouse, could be a sibling,
could be a parent, or our next door neighbor or friend,
and we don't consider ourselves a caregiver. We don't think
of the task that we're doing as caregiving. We're just
helping and being a loving person, so we tend to
(01:12):
miss the caregiving resources that are out there promoted to caregivers.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Also, if you're supporting somebody with cognitive issues, that can
really take its toll. It's hard to handle. And also
watch firsthand that decline. It's draining and it's also upsetting.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Absolutely, dementia. Cognitive issues like dementia are just a different
type of caregiving situation. Nobody innately understands how to navigate dementia.
They absolutely need support and resources, so it's hard to
do on your own, for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, many people don't want to leave the home. My
father was one of them. He said, that's a last
but I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here at home,
which is what he did up until his last days.
It's a way that they thrive. But we need caregivers
to make that work. And fortunately my dad had me
here in America and my sister in England and it
worked and that's a good option. But you do need
(02:04):
a support system.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
You absolutely do. For family. Caregivers are the reason that
folks can live in their homes versus going into a
long term care type of residential situation. Caregivers are the
reason that folks can stay at home and because of
the support that they're providing.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Caregivers are the backbone to making everything possible. Without them,
the current system that we have, well, it would just
be overwhelmed.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Absolutely, the healthcare system relies on family caregivers. They send
folks home with instructions and who's to help manage the
medications for them, or help with wounds or do physical
therapy with them. It's the family caregiver that navigates all
of that and picks that up. If we didn't have
family caregivers, the healthcare system would just collapse.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
They're also providing vital support to friends and family in
assisted care or maybe nursing homes, stopping by spending time engaging,
monitoring changes, you know that, and attention. It's really priceless.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Absolutely. If someone does move into a residential care setting
like an assisted living or a nursing home, family caregivers
now have a new role where they're kind of still
overseeing the care provided to that individual, but they're making
sure that residential community is doing everything they're supposed to
be doing. They're making sure that that person's rights aren't
(03:23):
being infringed upon. They're making sure that their preferences are
being followed, that they're being offered the foods that they
like and the activities that they enjoy, and they're just
making sure that they're kind of overseeing all of that
for that person. So once someone moves into that kind
of a community, the caregiver's role still isn't finished.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
It can also come with a hefty price if the
caregiver starts neglecting their own needs such as a health balance,
all your work commitments to and family commitments. At the
same time, being.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
A caregiver is exhausting, and we all willingly step up
to provide this support to folks that we love. But
it's exhausted and it's overwhelming, and it's tiring, and we
tend to just focus on the other person, the person
we're supporting, and not ourselves.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And think about it. You know, we all complain on
a Friday night, it's such a busy week. Well six
and ten caregivers are employed. Just think of the stress
of doing a full time job and then going home
and taking on another full time job.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Absolutely, many people when they are caregiving, it feels like
a full time job. The stress, the physical exhaustion, so
to do that on top of working brings people over
the top.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
You might not consider yourself a caregiver, but if you're shopping,
prepping meals, taking care of medications, driving a loved one,
a friend and ahbor to an appointment or more, you
are a caregiver.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Like you said, you may not consider yourself a caregiver,
you are. You're stepping into that role and you're providing
those valuable resources and those valuable supports, and we want
you to get support.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
And if you're not a caregiver, well guess what you're
likely to become one as loved ones around you age,
or if you are already one, you may be also
needing one yourself two in the future. It really does
impact everyone, almost everyone, doesn't it cake.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Caregiving touches all of us. It doesn't matter your race,
your gender, your ethnicity, it doesn't matter what you do
for a living. Caregiving touches all of us. Will all
be like you said, at one point or another, will
all either need a caregiver, be a caregiver, or expect
to become a caregiver.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Ninety percent of caregivers in Utah are caring for an adult.
Think about that ninety percent, such as a parent or
child with complex medical needs. That's according to AARP, that's
a staggering number.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yes, absolutely, many parents are raising a child with a disability.
Many individuals are supporting an older adult. Many folks are
supporting a spouse with cancer, with diabetes. There are folks
supporting veterans just coming back from serving, or veterans who
are experiencing challenges because of their longtime service from years ago.
(06:00):
Folks dealing with mental health, substance abuse issues, lots of
caregiving issues.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
A third of caregivers a sandwich generation too, meaning the
caring for parents children plus again work commitments.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
It's a lot balancing all of it. So raising your
own children, taking care of another family member, perhaps a parent,
and working. It's again, it's overwhelming. It's exhausting, and when
you don't know where to go for resources or support,
it's enough to take folks over the edge.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Oh, Kate, you've brought me to an important point here.
So I work for iHeartMedia in Salt Lake City. We
have a fabulous staff here. One of the ladies on
our staff I've worked with for many, many years, and
I knew I was doing this interview today and I
just happened to pass her desk and I said to
Shelley Josephson, Shelley, I'm about to do an interview, And
(06:48):
all I could think about when I was prepping for
it was you, Because this is your life, Shelley. You
are caring for elderly parents. You have a husband, you
have kids, and you have grandchildren, and you're running from
appointment to appointment. And I happen to stop and say,
you need to come into this interview. You know there
are resources available which are about to touch upon shortly.
(07:09):
Here Shelly, just explain exactly your daily kind of outlook.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
It's a lot, Yeah, it's a lot.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I think, like Kate mentioned, we are all going to
be a caretaker at some point, and I think you're
just kind of thrown into it. Like when I was younger,
I never thought that I would be in this situation
where you're taking care of your parents. But yeah, my
mom is in her eighties and she's got a numerous ailments,
you know, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, Parkinson's, and then
(07:39):
my dad has now been diagnosed with prostate cancer which
has metastasized, so he's having treatments for that. So there's
a lot of adoctor appointments, you know, sometimes four to
five a week between the two of them, and the
travel and make I do all their medications every week,
every appointment. I do shopping for them, you know, just
(08:00):
their basic needs, whatever they can't do, which is a
lot of stuff they can't do anymore.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
When I caught you yesterday, this is before I mentioned
the interview, you said, I'm exhausted, and that's one of
the signs of burnout. You also have grandchildren now too,
and you have a full time sales job. Sales it's
the worst job you could possibly take on, no pressure
the head.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yes, yeah, no, it's difficult. There's a lot of days
where you feel like you're just being pulled in a
million directions. Sometimes my parents call, I'm like, is this
the call? Like did something bad happen?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Is you know?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
My heart always sinks a lot of the times when
they call me, And then all day I'm getting phone
calls from their doctors to confirm appointments or get lab
information for the previous appointments. So, yeah, it's a lot
of work. But at the same time, it's what you do.
I mean, life really does become full circle and this
is an example of that. But not to say that
(08:55):
it's not easy. It's very difficult.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
What are some of the signs of burn out out?
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Sure, well, we can deal with emotional and mental signs,
So like you said, feeling tired to the point where
no amount of rest seems to revive you. You can
become impatient, argumentative, frustrated. Folks will have this sense of
hopelessness or feeling like nothing they're doing is enough. Like
(09:21):
Shelley said that you're balancing a lot of you're spinning
all these plates and here comes another plate, and here
comes another plate, and when is it going to be enough?
Feeling worried and sad and experiencing lots of mood swings
can happen as well, or not experiencing joy in tasks
and activities that you usually enjoy now you're not able
(09:42):
to enjoy those. So those are a couple of the
mental and emotional signs that you'll experience. But there's also
some physical signs, so difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Maybe you find you're sleeping too much. But again, you're
really not getting enough rest. Unintentional weight loss or weight
gain because of stress, or maybe we're changing or eating habits,
we're not eating at all because we don't have time
to eat, and so we're dealing with some weight loss.
(10:03):
There ailments like frequent headaches or muscle aches or stomach problems.
Stress really manifests itself in how our body is feeling,
and will feel stressed throughout our body depending on what's
going on. Maybe you're a person who's always been very,
very healthy, and now you find yourself that you're getting
sick all the time. You can't seem to shake that.
So those are some of the physical signs, but there's
(10:25):
also some behavioral signs as well. Many caregivers put their
own health needs last. I've always thought that the definition
of a caregiver. We talk about a caregiver being somebody
who's supporting another person. I've always felt the true definition
of a caregiver is somebody who thinks of every single
person besides themselves. And so you are skipping meals, you're
missing appointments for yourself, You're not checking in on your
(10:48):
own health. That's not good for family. Caregivers. Folks can
also have trouble concentrating or feeling unmotivated. Maybe they start
to isolate themselves, and so they'll pull away from family
and friends. Many family and friends if they've never been
a caregiver, they don't understand how difficult it is. They
might get frustrated with you because you're not reaching out anymore.
You're not being that good friend that checks in on them,
(11:11):
or you don't attend activities together because you can't there's
no time in the day for things like that, so
you'll tend to pull away from those items as well.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Kate, you're thrown into this environment with no training. Only
five percent of people are actually trained in caregiving. Imagine
taking on that responsibility with no advice the.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Vast majority of family caregivers because number one, they don't
see themselves as a caregiver. They don't use that term.
But because they don't, they aren't told by healthcare providers
or other professionals that they interact with that there are
resources out there. So the vast majority have no clue
that there are supports and resources available to them.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Let's take a look at the many many resources available.
Support can lighten that load.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Absolutely, there's lots of resources that we offer throughout the state.
So first and foremost like to talk about care consultations. Again,
folks don't know what that is, but that is where
you're meeting with a professional, could be one a few
professionals where they're listening to your story. When I sit
down with folks, I ask them what are their pain points,
what's their day look like, what are the things that
(12:15):
they're balancing and struggling with. I identify some resources to
help them with that. But that care consultation, that person
is listening and helping you identify needs and develop a plan.
Many times, when you have that meeting, you're pointed in
a direction. Now you're often running and you've been connected
to resources, and so it makes a world of difference
because now you feel like there's a plan and there's
(12:36):
a direction to go in. So that's why I love
to talk about care consultations. Other resources that we offer
throughout the state. We have education classes. So there might
be education classes on managing stress as a caregiver a
specific disease process, so let's say like dementia and unders
better understanding dementia so that you can better support your
loved one. There might be education classes on how do
(12:58):
you help someone with bathing and dressing when you've never
had to do that for an adult before or an
older child before, and we offer these in person virtual.
We have caregiver conferences happening throughout the state, so those
are great places to learn that education.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
You also have some products as well to make life easier.
As mobility, I'm sure is a big, big issue, and
you give some good support and advice in that department.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
There are all kinds of mobility aids, products like incontinence supplies,
things that you can set around the house that you
can navigate the home a little bit easier. If you're
worried about someone wandering because of dementia, there are cameras
or kind of those types of things where you can
kind of monitor the room. There's all kinds of products
and services out there that people just don't realize. And again,
(13:49):
having a care consultation or going to an education program
or even a support group, you tend to learn about
those products and those resources because other folks.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Have experienced Themized care because every caregiver is really caring
for somebody with a different need.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Absolutely, we're here to help. Folks can reach out and
ask these questions. We're happy to get them connected to
specific resources. That's what we're here for.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
If you know a caregiver, just offer them a little help.
You know, something as simple as clearing their drive with snow.
I can give you Shelley's address by the way, checking
in on them, dropping off a meal. Just a kind
word goes a long way. Show some support. Just even
little things really mean a lot. You can also visit
dhahs dot Utah dot gov for more information. A huge
(14:37):
thank you to our incredible caregivers doing all of this
awesome work in Utah. You are the unsung heroes. Also
a big thanks to Kate Neda Rostek too, Caregiver Support
Program manager with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services,
for sharing her expertise and this critical field of care.
(14:57):
I'mabibonel with iHeartRadio. Thanks for listening.
Hi Abbi Bonel here with IHUT Radio in Salt Lake City,
focusing on caregiver burnout and the impacts it's having on
millions of people in America. Thanks for listening to our
Check Your Health podcast. Kate Neda Rostek, caregiver support program
manager with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services,
kindly joining me in the studio today to shed some
(00:21):
light on the challenges, but also let you know about
some key resources available that you just might not be
aware of. Great to see again.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Kate, hither Abby, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Well, really, many people don't even realize that they're actually
a caregiver. It's something they just simply take on helping
out a member of the family, could be a friend
or neighbor. One in three Utah adults is providing care
for someone with a disability or medical condition, and it
can be so challenging.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Kate, absolutely, And I think that's part of the issue
is as family members, as friends, we step up to
help another could be a spouse, could be a sibling,
could be a parent, or our next door neighbor or friend,
and we don't consider ourselves a caregiver. We don't think
of the task that we're doing as caregiving. We're just
helping and being a loving person, so we tend to
(01:12):
miss the caregiving resources that are out there promoted to caregivers.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Also, if you're supporting somebody with cognitive issues, that can
really take its toll. It's hard to handle. And also
watch firsthand that decline. It's draining and it's also upsetting.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Absolutely, dementia. Cognitive issues like dementia are just a different
type of caregiving situation. Nobody innately understands how to navigate dementia.
They absolutely need support and resources, so it's hard to
do on your own, for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, many people don't want to leave the home. My
father was one of them. He said, that's a last
but I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here at home,
which is what he did up until his last days.
It's a way that they thrive. But we need caregivers
to make that work. And fortunately my dad had me
here in America and my sister in England and it
worked and that's a good option. But you do need
(02:04):
a support system.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
You absolutely do. For family. Caregivers are the reason that
folks can live in their homes versus going into a
long term care type of residential situation. Caregivers are the
reason that folks can stay at home and because of
the support that they're providing.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Caregivers are the backbone to making everything possible. Without them,
the current system that we have, well, it would just
be overwhelmed.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Absolutely, the healthcare system relies on family caregivers. They send
folks home with instructions and who's to help manage the
medications for them, or help with wounds or do physical
therapy with them. It's the family caregiver that navigates all
of that and picks that up. If we didn't have
family caregivers, the healthcare system would just collapse.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
They're also providing vital support to friends and family in
assisted care or maybe nursing homes, stopping by spending time engaging,
monitoring changes, you know that, and attention. It's really priceless.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Absolutely. If someone does move into a residential care setting
like an assisted living or a nursing home, family caregivers
now have a new role where they're kind of still
overseeing the care provided to that individual, but they're making
sure that residential community is doing everything they're supposed to
be doing. They're making sure that that person's rights aren't
(03:23):
being infringed upon. They're making sure that their preferences are
being followed, that they're being offered the foods that they
like and the activities that they enjoy, and they're just
making sure that they're kind of overseeing all of that
for that person. So once someone moves into that kind
of a community, the caregiver's role still isn't finished.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
It can also come with a hefty price if the
caregiver starts neglecting their own needs such as a health balance,
all your work commitments to and family commitments. At the
same time, being.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
A caregiver is exhausting, and we all willingly step up
to provide this support to folks that we love. But
it's exhausted and it's overwhelming, and it's tiring, and we
tend to just focus on the other person, the person
we're supporting, and not ourselves.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And think about it. You know, we all complain on
a Friday night, it's such a busy week. Well six
and ten caregivers are employed. Just think of the stress
of doing a full time job and then going home
and taking on another full time job.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Absolutely, many people when they are caregiving, it feels like
a full time job. The stress, the physical exhaustion, so
to do that on top of working brings people over
the top.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
You might not consider yourself a caregiver, but if you're shopping,
prepping meals, taking care of medications, driving a loved one,
a friend and ahbor to an appointment or more, you
are a caregiver.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Like you said, you may not consider yourself a caregiver,
you are. You're stepping into that role and you're providing
those valuable resources and those valuable supports, and we want
you to get support.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
And if you're not a caregiver, well guess what you're
likely to become one as loved ones around you age,
or if you are already one, you may be also
needing one yourself two in the future. It really does
impact everyone, almost everyone, doesn't it cake.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Caregiving touches all of us. It doesn't matter your race,
your gender, your ethnicity, it doesn't matter what you do
for a living. Caregiving touches all of us. Will all
be like you said, at one point or another, will
all either need a caregiver, be a caregiver, or expect
to become a caregiver.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Ninety percent of caregivers in Utah are caring for an adult.
Think about that ninety percent, such as a parent or
child with complex medical needs. That's according to AARP, that's
a staggering number.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yes, absolutely, many parents are raising a child with a disability.
Many individuals are supporting an older adult. Many folks are
supporting a spouse with cancer, with diabetes. There are folks
supporting veterans just coming back from serving, or veterans who
are experiencing challenges because of their longtime service from years ago.
(06:00):
Folks dealing with mental health, substance abuse issues, lots of
caregiving issues.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
A third of caregivers a sandwich generation too, meaning the
caring for parents children plus again work commitments.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
It's a lot balancing all of it. So raising your
own children, taking care of another family member, perhaps a parent,
and working. It's again, it's overwhelming. It's exhausting, and when
you don't know where to go for resources or support,
it's enough to take folks over the edge.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Oh, Kate, you've brought me to an important point here.
So I work for iHeartMedia in Salt Lake City. We
have a fabulous staff here. One of the ladies on
our staff I've worked with for many, many years, and
I knew I was doing this interview today and I
just happened to pass her desk and I said to
Shelley Josephson, Shelley, I'm about to do an interview, And
(06:48):
all I could think about when I was prepping for
it was you, Because this is your life, Shelley. You
are caring for elderly parents. You have a husband, you
have kids, and you have grandchildren, and you're running from
appointment to appointment. And I happen to stop and say,
you need to come into this interview. You know there
are resources available which are about to touch upon shortly.
(07:09):
Here Shelly, just explain exactly your daily kind of outlook.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
It's a lot, Yeah, it's a lot.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I think, like Kate mentioned, we are all going to
be a caretaker at some point, and I think you're
just kind of thrown into it. Like when I was younger,
I never thought that I would be in this situation
where you're taking care of your parents. But yeah, my
mom is in her eighties and she's got a numerous ailments,
you know, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, Parkinson's, and then
(07:39):
my dad has now been diagnosed with prostate cancer which
has metastasized, so he's having treatments for that. So there's
a lot of adoctor appointments, you know, sometimes four to
five a week between the two of them, and the
travel and make I do all their medications every week,
every appointment. I do shopping for them, you know, just
(08:00):
their basic needs, whatever they can't do, which is a
lot of stuff they can't do anymore.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
When I caught you yesterday, this is before I mentioned
the interview, you said, I'm exhausted, and that's one of
the signs of burnout. You also have grandchildren now too,
and you have a full time sales job. Sales it's
the worst job you could possibly take on, no pressure
the head.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yes, yeah, no, it's difficult. There's a lot of days
where you feel like you're just being pulled in a
million directions. Sometimes my parents call, I'm like, is this
the call? Like did something bad happen?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Is you know?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
My heart always sinks a lot of the times when
they call me, And then all day I'm getting phone
calls from their doctors to confirm appointments or get lab
information for the previous appointments. So, yeah, it's a lot
of work. But at the same time, it's what you do.
I mean, life really does become full circle and this
is an example of that. But not to say that
(08:55):
it's not easy. It's very difficult.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
What are some of the signs of burn out out?
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Sure, well, we can deal with emotional and mental signs,
So like you said, feeling tired to the point where
no amount of rest seems to revive you. You can
become impatient, argumentative, frustrated. Folks will have this sense of
hopelessness or feeling like nothing they're doing is enough. Like
(09:21):
Shelley said that you're balancing a lot of you're spinning
all these plates and here comes another plate, and here
comes another plate, and when is it going to be enough?
Feeling worried and sad and experiencing lots of mood swings
can happen as well, or not experiencing joy in tasks
and activities that you usually enjoy now you're not able
(09:42):
to enjoy those. So those are a couple of the
mental and emotional signs that you'll experience. But there's also
some physical signs, so difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Maybe you find you're sleeping too much. But again, you're
really not getting enough rest. Unintentional weight loss or weight
gain because of stress, or maybe we're changing or eating habits,
we're not eating at all because we don't have time
to eat, and so we're dealing with some weight loss.
(10:03):
There ailments like frequent headaches or muscle aches or stomach problems.
Stress really manifests itself in how our body is feeling,
and will feel stressed throughout our body depending on what's
going on. Maybe you're a person who's always been very,
very healthy, and now you find yourself that you're getting
sick all the time. You can't seem to shake that.
So those are some of the physical signs, but there's
(10:25):
also some behavioral signs as well. Many caregivers put their
own health needs last. I've always thought that the definition
of a caregiver. We talk about a caregiver being somebody
who's supporting another person. I've always felt the true definition
of a caregiver is somebody who thinks of every single
person besides themselves. And so you are skipping meals, you're
missing appointments for yourself, You're not checking in on your
(10:48):
own health. That's not good for family. Caregivers. Folks can
also have trouble concentrating or feeling unmotivated. Maybe they start
to isolate themselves, and so they'll pull away from family
and friends. Many family and friends if they've never been
a caregiver, they don't understand how difficult it is. They
might get frustrated with you because you're not reaching out anymore.
You're not being that good friend that checks in on them,
(11:11):
or you don't attend activities together because you can't there's
no time in the day for things like that, so
you'll tend to pull away from those items as well.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Kate, you're thrown into this environment with no training. Only
five percent of people are actually trained in caregiving. Imagine
taking on that responsibility with no advice the.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Vast majority of family caregivers because number one, they don't
see themselves as a caregiver. They don't use that term.
But because they don't, they aren't told by healthcare providers
or other professionals that they interact with that there are
resources out there. So the vast majority have no clue
that there are supports and resources available to them.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Let's take a look at the many many resources available.
Support can lighten that load.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Absolutely, there's lots of resources that we offer throughout the state.
So first and foremost like to talk about care consultations. Again,
folks don't know what that is, but that is where
you're meeting with a professional, could be one a few
professionals where they're listening to your story. When I sit
down with folks, I ask them what are their pain points,
what's their day look like, what are the things that
(12:15):
they're balancing and struggling with. I identify some resources to
help them with that. But that care consultation, that person
is listening and helping you identify needs and develop a plan.
Many times, when you have that meeting, you're pointed in
a direction. Now you're often running and you've been connected
to resources, and so it makes a world of difference
because now you feel like there's a plan and there's
(12:36):
a direction to go in. So that's why I love
to talk about care consultations. Other resources that we offer
throughout the state. We have education classes. So there might
be education classes on managing stress as a caregiver a
specific disease process, so let's say like dementia and unders
better understanding dementia so that you can better support your
loved one. There might be education classes on how do
(12:58):
you help someone with bathing and dressing when you've never
had to do that for an adult before or an
older child before, and we offer these in person virtual.
We have caregiver conferences happening throughout the state, so those
are great places to learn that education.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
You also have some products as well to make life easier.
As mobility, I'm sure is a big, big issue, and
you give some good support and advice in that department.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
There are all kinds of mobility aids, products like incontinence supplies,
things that you can set around the house that you
can navigate the home a little bit easier. If you're
worried about someone wandering because of dementia, there are cameras
or kind of those types of things where you can
kind of monitor the room. There's all kinds of products
and services out there that people just don't realize. And again,
(13:49):
having a care consultation or going to an education program
or even a support group, you tend to learn about
those products and those resources because other folks.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Have experienced Themized care because every caregiver is really caring
for somebody with a different need.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Absolutely, we're here to help. Folks can reach out and
ask these questions. We're happy to get them connected to
specific resources. That's what we're here for.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
If you know a caregiver, just offer them a little help.
You know, something as simple as clearing their drive with snow.
I can give you Shelley's address by the way, checking
in on them, dropping off a meal. Just a kind
word goes a long way. Show some support. Just even
little things really mean a lot. You can also visit
dhahs dot Utah dot gov for more information. A huge
(14:37):
thank you to our incredible caregivers doing all of this
awesome work in Utah. You are the unsung heroes. Also
a big thanks to Kate Neda Rostek too, Caregiver Support
Program manager with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services,
for sharing her expertise and this critical field of care.
(14:57):
I'mabibonel with iHeartRadio. Thanks for listening.
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