This edition of caregiver article excerpts covers a range of topics including the U.S. Presidential election and aging brains, road safety and fatigue, caregivers needing support while juggling work and caregiving, Actor Bradley Cooper producing documentary on caregiving, and a new service: Uber Caregiver.
A new AARP study finds that family caregivers need more support from their employers as they try to balance caregiving responsibilities with work. “… of the more than 48 million family caregivers nationwide, 61% are working while juggling caregiving….” These responsibilities, include “assisting with daily living activities, medical or nursing tasks, coordinating services, transportation, shopping and advocating for their loved ones.” The reality is caregivers lose income and retirement benefits because they must reduce their hours to care for loved ones at home. “The Credit for Caring Act, if passed, would provide financial support for individual caregivers.”
President Biden and former President Trump will be almost 82 and 78, respectively later this year. Should we be concerned that Biden had brain surgery or Trump’s father had dementia? The experts view the positives. “The… important thing to keep in mind is that the older brain [is] a wiser brain,” said Earl Miller, a professor of neuroscience at MIT.” “Medical researchers say [verbal slips] are just the workings of a normally aging brain….” While these experts have not clinically evaluated the presidential candidates, they say that what are sometimes called ‘senior moments’ “are not signs of dementia or predictive of cognitive decline.”
Whether it’s driving with dementia or driving while tired, the results can be disastrous. This guide from the UK helps us better grasp driver fatigue. It covers the common causes, impact on brain function, tips for staying awake, and the legal implications of falling asleep while driving. This UK-based study found that tiredness is one of the biggest killers in driving accidents. Surprisingly, young drivers are at the greatest risk. Driving after being awake for 24 hours has the same impact on the brain as someone with a blood alcohol content of 0.1%, above the 0.08% legal limit in the U.K. and the U.S.
Starting this summer, “Uber Caregiver is a new feature in the Uber and Uber Eats apps. Uber Caregiver will allow caregivers to use health insurance benefits to arrange and pay for eligible rides to doctor’s appointments for their care recipient.” Plus, they can track the ride.
Thanks to ASA’s Generations SmartBrief for this and the “Aging Brain” articles.
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