Managing appointments and medications can be a daunting chore for caregivers of someone with a chronic illness. Research cited by the American Psychological Association found that among people age 55 to 75, those who are caregivers show a 23% higher level of stress hormones, which can lead to high blood pressure, and a 15% lower level of immune response, making them more vulnerable to the flu and other infections. Caregivers report higher rates of depression and anxiety than their noncaregiver peers.
But there are tools to help manage. Julie Cook Downing, founder of Caregivers’ Comfort Creations, LLC, created a set of tools with family caregivers in mind—the star of which is her Caregivers’ Comfort calendar. HomeCare sat down to talk with Downing about her company and the resources family caregivers have to practice better self care.
HOMECARE: What is Caregivers Comfort Creations? What is your background in caregiving?
DOWNING: Caregivers Comfort Creations is a mission to empower and support caregivers. I'm also a consultant for a business whose mission is aging well, and in the right place, which means I work with home health care agencies to that, the caregivers to go to family caregivers.
My background began in 1996 as a long-distance caregiver to my mother in Cleveland, Ohio. And I was in Evanston, Illinois, and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So, I became a long distance caregiver as my first caregiving circumstance.
HOMECARE: Why did you found the company? What goal did you want to accomplish?
DOWNING: I actually went to caregiver support groups in Evanston to help me. And I realized that listening to other caregivers and the way they were handling things, that I was different in my caregiving approach. … And I realized that caregivers need support. Later, I conducted some support groups in the Chicago area, making the caregiver the priority and not making the patient the major topic. I’ve conducted support groups in Sarasota, Florida since moving here in 2001.
I want it to support and empower millions of caregivers. … I know they don't receive the same type of direction and guidance that I provide based on my in-depth experience with all family caregiving circumstances.
HOMECARE: How can professional caregivers better work with family caregivers?
DOWNING: How I help families and the caregiver being hired to not butt heads is that I learn who the family caregiver is, what they do and what they accept. And I also learn about the loved one that they are caring for. The professional caregiver should find out if there's someone that would accept flexibility, if they are going to accept someone who doesn't understand at all, how to handle their loved one. And based on all of the intuition and the information I have about both the professional caregiver and the family they'll be serving, I can bring together to work out.
HOMECARE: What resources are available to family caregivers to help in their caregiving journey?
DOWNING: Well, I think one is definitely attending caregiver support groups. That's a major, major resource. And then I believe that my Caregivers Comfort products are a major resource. My exclusive caregivers’ calendars have two pages for one month where you can list what's going on with the patient and what's going on with the family caregiver rather than the one requiring care. I also include a certificate of appreciation in the calendar, which doesn't happen with family caregivers. They are so seldom appreciated by the loved one they're caring for, because of the issues that the patient has.
HOMECARE: Why is a support system important?
DOWNING: It's important because there is comradery, there is confidentiality. You feel better learning how others are experiencing similar circumstances, and you understand that making yourself the priority enables you to continue giving your gift. When you're in a group of others caring for loved ones, that discussion can become inflated. And as a result of that happening, you return back to your caregiving feeling better about circumstance and about all that you were doing on behalf of your loved ones.
