We have discussed how caregivers share in providing capacity to patients with multiple chronic conditions. We have also discussed how blind usual care is to the role (and health) of caregivers. In this excellent interview in the Prepared Patient forum blog, Gail Hunt, president of the National Alliance for Caregiving, speaks of the demands placed on caregivers by the healthcare system, of some efforts to pay attention to this and improve outcomes. In minimally disruptive medicine, we need to match demands to capacity and in considering the capacity, we need to focus our attention on both patient and caregiver. This view from the caregiving community adds face validity to these efforts. Well worth the read.
What is healthcare asking of caregivers? Too much!
More than the medicine it is the caregivers attention towards patients that accelerates their recovery process. So it is the caregivers who are making every bit of effort into healing people.