NPT’s New Installment of the ‘Aging Matters’ Series Explores the Roles of Family Members and the Community in the Care of Elders
Hosted by Kathy Mattea, ‘NPT Reports: Aging Matters: Caregiving’ premieres July 17 on-air and online; advance screening and discussion to be held July 14 at FiftyForward Knowles Patricia Hart Building.
At least 70% of people over 65 will need long-term care services and support, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. But fewer than 10% of Americans are saving and planning specifically for long-term care, resulting in almost 44 million adults in the U.S. that provide unpaid care to someone over age 50. Seven out of 10 are women. Despite being married, having children, and having careers, they are putting in about 20 hours a week of elder-care.
In Caregiving, the latest installment of NPT Reports: Aging Matters series, hosted by Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Kathy Mattea and premiering on-air and online on Thursday, July 17, Nashville Public Television (NPT) discusses the existence and impact of informal caregiving in relation to the increase of life expectancy and aging of the Baby Boomers. This documentary draws on the knowledge of caregivers, family members, adult daycare runners, healthcare and social service professionals, and more to express the problems that families are experiencing when they are unprepared to provide care for an elderly family member.
Produced by LaTonya Turner (Translating the Dream, Looking Over Jordan: African Americans and the War), NPT Reports: Aging Matters: Caregiving will premiere online on Thursday, July 17 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) at wnpt.org via the OVEE online engagement web viewer. It will have its broadcast premiere at 8:00 p.m. that same evening on-air at NPT-Channel 8. Those wishing to attend the online screening should visit wnpt.org or go to the direct link: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/ohl9q.
“Caregiving for an older adult will almost certainly touch all of us at some point, especially as people live longer and Baby Boomers age,” says Turner. “It’s a topic that affects me personally as primary caregiver for my 91-year-old mother and it’s surprising how many people I encounter are dealing with issue. Some call it a ‘silver tsunami’ that will create a strain on the friends and family that care for the aging, the communities that serve them, and the long-term and general healthcare system. For the documentary, we talked with a variety of informal caregivers, care professionals, policy makers and community members to get as many perspectives as possible on how best to navigate the issues caregiving presents. We hope it starts a larger conversation in the community.”
The documentary will be previewed on Monday, July 14, 2014 with a lunchtime screening and discussion at FiftyForward Knowles Patricia Hart Building from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. After the screening, Gretchen Funk, MSW, FiftyForward Care Team Director, will lead a discussion with a Care Team client about her family’s caregiving journey, including the development and implementation of a care plan to address the family’s needs. Other service providers will be on hand to join in the discussion, and caregiving resources and supportive materials will be available.Lunch will be provided. FiftyForward Knowles Patricia Hart Building is located at 174 Rains Avenue Nashville, Tenn., 37203.
Member of the community wishing to attend should RSVP at events@fiftyforward.org.
Download the FiftyForward Event flyer here.
“NPT Reports: Aging Matters: Caregiving” is made possible by the generous support of Cigna-Healthspring, the West End Home Foundation and the Jeanette Travis Foundation.
2 Comments
excellent presentation of current problems in caring for older adults in TN. You even have the recent problems Tennesseans face in getting a disabled adult qualified for nursing home long term care. This major change having occurred 7/1/12 but still many doctors and caregivers are not aware of that. What will be the next installment titles of this series be and when are they likely to be aired?
I saw part of the presentation last night on TV. I’m glad that caregiving is being addressed. It is a new world for me, one that I had never seen before.
I was wondering if a TV program could be produced on a weekly basis where caregivers could get valuable support and see that they are not alone.
Some of the features could be:
Training–How do you change a bed with a person on it? What is the best way to transfer a person? Etc., etc., etc.
Personal Advice–People could call in while on air and get advice. Other people could call in and offer advice and share their experiences.
Comedy–A comedian could do a few “caregiving” jokes, etc.
Resources–Give resources where caregivers can get help. How do people pay for caregiving? Explain Medicare, and what it can do.
Medical Equipment–Establish a way for people to either give away, or sell unneeded medical equipment. Maybe by using PayPal, they could purchase some of these items.
Advertising could be purchased by caregiving businesses, online or physical medical supply houses, assisted living facilities or rest homes and the like.
These are just some of the thoughts that I’ve had, and wanted to pass them along to you. You may be doing some of this already, and I just need to catch up.
Thank you,
Bessie Wiles