New Rush hospital program offers lifeline to stressed-out caregivers

CHICAGO - The holidays can be pretty hectic – especially when you're caring for a loved one.

In a Fox 32 special report, Nate Rodgers takes a look at a new program that offers care for the caregiver.

When Kimberly moved back to Chicago about four years ago to care for her mother, who has dementia, she knew it would be hard.

"It’s harder," Kimberly said. "Harder than I ever thought it would be for a variety of reasons. I had to re-establish myself. Re-establish friends, re-establish contacts because I have not lived here in several years. That was part of it."

She said the other hard part was just dealing with her mother's illness and watching her gradual decline.

"Stressed, very stressed. My health is okay. The challenge that I have is just trying to be positive and not worry about the small things, because in the grand scheme of things, as long as my mom is not in the hospital, it’s a small thing," Kimberly said.

Imagine how she felt when a friend from church told her about a new program from Rush's Center for Excellence in Aging, called Caring for Caregivers.

"Hooray! You know, I didn’t even know this resource existed and so it was wonderful to know that something like this was just for caregivers. Can you imagine something just for caregivers," she said.

Yes, a program just for the person who does it all for their loved one – 24/7/365.

"Basically, we started off a session every week with Kim," said Nece Pinkney, a licensed social worker. "And just found out just by listening to a caregiver is another huge area because they do not have someone else that they can speak to about their issues or about their caregiver burden - what we call it."

Pinkney is the social worker with the Caring for Caregivers program who worked one-on-one with Kimberly. Rush began piloting the program a few years ago and is now ready to make it available nationwide.

"It’s growing. It’s amazing. We’re getting caregivers through referrals from different physicians, especially throughout our rush system as well as from outside of Rush. We are getting those referrals in for caregivers," Pinkney said.

In addition to several one-on-one counseling sessions with Pinkney, Kimberly also participated in monthly group sessions over the phone with other caregivers.

"You have to make yourself a priority. You know, the caregiving journey can sometimes be a very lonely one, so you have to make a choice to put yourself first sometimes to get the things and resources you need in order to keep yourself safe," Pinkney said.

The program also helps caregivers figure out what other tools are available to help them and their loved one with all of their needs. While there is no charge for resource information, counseling sessions are billed to the caregiver's health insurance. The program is available to caregivers whether or not they are a patient at Rush.

"Many times, they feel there is no way to get a break," said Stephanie Bailey, the program coordinator with Caring for Caregivers. "And the biggest mistake is not caring for themselves. We’ve situations where the caregiver becomes so ill that they may be hospitalized or even die before the person they are caring for because they put such a strain on their own health."

"We know that the need for caregivers to get this kind of direct ‘one-on-one’ support is huge. And it’s only growing. So, there are millions of people in this situation nationwide who are caring for a friend or family member who are in an unpaid capacity. They’re very stressed."

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, there are 53 million caregivers in the United States – about 21% of the population.

So far, Rush says this program has shown some positive results for caregivers like reducing depression and anxiety symptoms. If the caregiver's loved one is a patient at Rush, doctors say the patient has had fewer hospital stays and trips to the emergency room.

"I would recommend it to any caregiver who needed assistance so they can realize the resources are available for them. That they are not alone. They have support and that they can make it," Kimberly said.

For more information on Rush's Caring for Caregivers program, click here.