US Family Caregivers - Providers Asking About Your Health

Dolly Parton spent years caring for the person she loved. But something she later acknowledged about that period caught my attention: while caring for her husband, Carl Dean, she allowed some of her own health needs to go unattended. After decades in healthcare, that sounds very familiar. We are good at asking whether the patient took their medication, made the cardiology appointment, ate today or has someone to drive them to chemotherapy. But there is often another person standing beside that patient whom the healthcare system barely sees. The caregiver. Today, nearly 1 in 4 American adults — about 63 million people — provides family care, and one in five caregivers reports being in poor health themselves. Maybe “remember to take care of yourself” isn't enough. Maybe the caregiver's health needs to become part of the care plan. That's what I explore in this week's edition of Aging, Care & the Fine Print: Dolly Parton Took Care of the Person She Loved. But Who Was Taking Care of Dolly? I'd especially like to hear from caregivers: Has a healthcare professional ever stopped during your loved one's care and asked how you were doing? I explore this more deeply in this week’s edition of Aging, Care & the Fine Print: Dolly Parton Took Care of the Person She Loved. But Who Was Taking Care of Dolly? https://lnkd.in/p/gXbrZcSp