00:00 - Focus on aging adults is sponsored in part

00:03 - by AARP.

00:06 - Pennsylvania has one of the largest aging populations in the country.

00:10 - Our aging adults are vibrant, active contributors to our society.

00:15 - PCN, in partnership with AARP, present

00:18 - focus on aging adults.

00:21 - Welcome to focus on aging adults I'm Larry Casper.

00:26 - This program is brought to you in partnership

00:28 - between PCM and the Air of Pennsylvania.

00:33 - Today we'll be talking about family caregiving.

00:36 - Our guests are Joanne Grossi, executive Council

00:40 - president emeritus at the AARP of Pennsylvania.

00:44 - Nathan Lampe, NFL special assistant to the state Secretary of Aging.

00:49 - And Jason Coolidge, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Aging.

00:53 - Welcome, everyone.

00:54 - Secretary, let's start with you.

00:56 - What are the basic, responsible qualities of family caregiving?

01:01 - Well, I mean, that's a really broad question when you think about it.

01:04 - You know, a caregiver could be someone in my situation

01:07 - where my father's an older, an older gentleman that lives

01:10 - in the same community as I do, but my siblings don't live near us.

01:14 - And, you know, just the, you know, typical, hey, helping

01:17 - dad out with things like, you help him cut the grass or you help him,

01:20 - you help him with running errands or you help him with any,

01:24 - you know, number of thing

01:24 - could be considered a caregiver role or could be something more complex

01:28 - where you're taking care of someone who's more care dependent.

01:31 - You know, where you're either a spouse or a child

01:33 - and you're taking care of someone and you have to use,

01:35 - you know, more hands on help.

01:37 - You're helping them take baths. You're helping them get dressed.

01:39 - You're helping them do some of the daily living skills that they struggle with.

01:43 - And there could be something also like meal prepping and helping out in that way.

01:47 - So it could be so many different things to so many different people.

01:50 - But the reality is all of us at some point will fill a caregiver role in our lives

01:55 - and making sure that we have resources and supports for caregivers

01:58 - in Pennsylvania is extremely important to the Shapiro administration's.

02:01 - It's one of the top things that we have done at the Department of Aging.

02:05 - To prioritize

02:06 - is making sure that we're supporting individuals,

02:08 - whether they're grandparents, raising grandchildren,

02:10 - you're a spouse caring for your loved one,

02:12 - or if you're a child taking care of your parents.

02:14 - We want to make sure that the resources and supports

02:16 - are there for you and that you know what's there for you.

02:18 - How about you, Joanne?

02:20 - What comes to your mind when the subject turns to family caregiving?

02:23 - Yeah, I think the secretary said it really?

02:25 - Well, you know, I was a caregiver for my father for ten years,

02:28 - and it really ran the gamut.

02:30 - At first he lived at home independently, but I took care of him every week.

02:34 - I cooked all his meals, I cleaned the house.

02:36 - I washed his clothes. So I took care of him at home.

02:39 - But then he, you know, as he got more, he wasn't able to do that anymore.

02:43 - He came and lived with me.

02:44 - And so then I was really a full time caregiver doing everything

02:47 - that the secretary kind of alluded to preparing all his meals, helping him

02:51 - get dressed in the morning, giving him his bass, making his doctor's

02:55 - appointments, taking him to appointments, you know, doing the whole thing.

02:58 - It was almost a 24 hour a day job.

03:00 - And then finally, for the third stage, when I could

03:02 - no longer care for him at my home, I had to put him in assisted living.

03:06 - But even then, your caregiving responsibilities

03:08 - don't end, because I still had to make sure, you know, I visited him every day.

03:12 - I made sure he had all the things he needed.

03:14 - I still had to buy a lot of things like his insurer and his depends

03:17 - and all those kind of things, and make sure he was getting his medication.

03:21 - So, I really got to see it through really kind of three stages of caregiving.

03:25 - Well, Joanne, we look forward to talking to you

03:27 - more about your personal experience for caregiving.

03:30 - For now.

03:30 - Let's include Nathan in the conversation.

03:33 - What kind of personal experience do you have with, family caregiving?

03:36 - Nathan. Yes, I have quite a bit of experience.

03:38 - My mother was the primary caregiver for both of her parents, sort of dealing

03:42 - with different things at different times,

03:43 - which is sort of what I always emphasize, about caregiving

03:46 - is that it's completely different, each sort of scenario you go through.

03:50 - So with her father, she was much more of a hands on

03:53 - bathing supporting, you know, taking care of his wounds, things like that.

03:56 - And then with her mother was much more of this emotional behavioral support

03:59 - where, you know, if she was dealing with onset, early onset dementia associated

04:04 - sort of

04:05 - do this completely different measure of being a caregiver caregiver, which was

04:09 - it was about, you know, making sure she was socialized, happy,

04:12 - not feeling like she was closed in and, and isolated.

04:15 - So it was a different experience.

04:17 - Let's expand on that. Mr.

04:19 - Secretary, as far as emotional support is concerned,

04:21 - obviously there are challenges here between,

04:24 - for example, between a son and a daughter or their father and mother,

04:27 - because the relationship changes, the more they need help, doesn't it?

04:31 - It absolutely does.

04:32 - And that's why you can see with many of our services

04:35 - through our 52 area agencies on aging.

04:37 - One of the things that we do highlight is our caregiver support program

04:41 - and having support groups for those caregiver support programs.

04:44 - Those support groups bring caregivers who are working with their family

04:48 - and taking care of their family together,

04:51 - so they can have some conversation about the common struggles.

04:53 - They can have conversation about the common frustration and understanding.

04:57 - You know that they need a break sometimes and how, you know, it's

05:00 - so challenging in many ways to get the respite that they need.

05:03 - So you know, connecting caregivers with other caregivers is very helpful

05:07 - to know that you're not alone.

05:08 - You're there's thousands upon thousands of other people in this state

05:12 - living the same way.

05:13 - You are taking care of a loved one, feeling stressed, feeling overwhelmed.

05:17 - But there are people, there are resources.

05:19 - There are people to talk to and support you through through this,

05:22 - this time in your life and in this time in your loved one's life.

05:25 - And you should rely on the services that are out there to really help you,

05:28 - because that's what they're there for, really, to help you, support you

05:31 - and work with you and then meet you where you're at.

05:35 - So now that you put it that way, Mr.

05:36 - Secretary, let's talk more about the area agencies on aging and how important they

05:40 - are, how, common they are and how they're distributed around the state.

05:45 - So there's 52

05:46 - area agencies on aging that cover all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.

05:50 - All of them have a caregiver support program

05:52 - that has become more and more popular each and every year.

05:54 - The caregiver support program is both federally and funded

05:58 - through our Pennsylvania Lottery system.

05:59 - We're always grateful

06:00 - for the lottery resources that we receive to support our work.

06:04 - And it's a reimbursement program where individuals, you know,

06:07 - who expense, you know, certain, things for, for their loved one,

06:11 - whether it be some in-home assistance, whether it be respite care, whether it be,

06:15 - you know, depends or other items that they need

06:19 - can submit

06:20 - those receipts to a certain amount based on their approval of their care plan

06:24 - and be reimbursed by the Area Agency on Aging through this program

06:28 - for those expenses.

06:29 - It really goes a long way in

06:31 - supporting people in the community and helps people stay in their homes.

06:34 - It gives them the supports and services that they need and deserve,

06:37 - and it also really gives the caregivers a break, you know, to

06:41 - think about a caregiver getting meals on Wheels for their loved one, you know?

06:44 - Oh, okay. Well, what does that really mean?

06:47 - Well, that's a break.

06:47 - That's one less meal that caregiver has to give or do or prepare.

06:52 - It's a little bit of a break.

06:54 - You know, when we don't think about it that it that's a big deal.

06:57 - But when you're neck deep and you can talk more about that

07:00 - than anyone, when you're really in the process of caregiving,

07:04 - that one meal just might be what you need that day to give you that.

07:07 - That little bit of sanity, that little bit of break.

07:09 - So we work with our agencies on aging.

07:12 - We work with our partners, like AARP and other community partners,

07:16 - to really make sure that we're supporting our caregivers with the resources.

07:19 - We're supporting them with support groups and any way we possibly can.

07:22 - And if you don't mind

07:23 - if I add on something, I mean, our AARP data shows that the average caregiver

07:28 - spend $7,200 out of pocket every year, you know, being a caregiver.

07:32 - So getting some reimbursements, that really is a financial lifeline, too,

07:36 - because not only as a caregiver do you a lot of times suffer financially

07:40 - if you had to leave the workforce early, which is something I had to do.

07:43 - But then on top of that, you're having to pay out of pocket for expenses.

07:46 - Like depends like insure, you know, things you don't think about.

07:49 - So that program really, you know, helps people.

07:52 - And you brought up a really another very good point.

07:54 - And that point is that some people who are still working,

07:57 - you know, and caregiving are working,

08:00 - are basically a part time job on top of their job.

08:02 - So 18 to 24 hours a week in caregiving, in addition to their 40 hours

08:06 - a week, that or more that they're spending at their full time job.

08:09 - So have you elected to stay in the workforce, Joanne,

08:12 - were there, programs that you possibly could have taken advantage of?

08:17 - Oh, yeah, there were.

08:18 - But, you know, for me, the right choice was to retire early.

08:20 - My dad was at a point where he just couldn't live independently anymore.

08:24 - And so the best thing to do for me, you know,

08:27 - kind of morally and emotionally was to have him come live with me.

08:31 - But that meant because, as the secretary said, it just takes up too much your time.

08:34 - It couldn't work any more full time.

08:35 - And so I had to retire early.

08:38 - But that was the choice for me.

08:39 - But I know there were other services available.

08:41 - So you brought your dad into your home?

08:43 - Yes, I brought my dad. Who else was in the house?

08:45 - What was the family situation? No, I live alone. Okay.

08:48 - So it was me and taking care of him, you know, 24/7.

08:51 - So it was me?

08:53 - Yes. Yeah.

08:54 - Well, were, any physical or cognitive challenges party your dad situation?

09:00 - Oh, yeah. Completely.

09:01 - I mean, one of the reasons he came to live was me.

09:02 - Because I lived in one floor, home.

09:05 - He couldn't manage stairs anymore.

09:06 - That's why he had to,

09:08 - you know, move out of his house because he had a three story house.

09:10 - Oh, how old a man was your dad when he moved in with me?

09:13 - He was 88.

09:14 - Yeah.

09:14 - So he couldn't manage stairs anymore.

09:16 - He had to use a walker.

09:17 - I also had a shower.

09:20 - That was a level shower. He could just walk right into the shower.

09:22 - Didn't have to step over a tub or anything like that.

09:25 - So I actually already had a few in step over.

09:27 - That can be a serious challenge. Yeah, absolutely.

09:30 - So in a way, my house was already kind of set up for somebody to come live with me.

09:34 - But yeah, he had all of those issues. He was starting to get dementia.

09:36 - Incredibly hard of hearing even with hearing aids.

09:39 - Incontinent.

09:41 - So yeah, actually a lot of challenges, I see it, yeah.

09:45 - Even, the obstacle of being hard, of hearing it

09:48 - just occurred to me, boy, that must have really complicated for you.

09:51 - It complicated?

09:52 - How did it how did you communicate?

09:54 - I mean, did you have to raise your voice? Yes.

09:56 - I mean, I used to say if somebody was walking by, they, you know, they hear you.

10:00 - I guess you or something.

10:01 - Yeah.

10:01 - They would hear me out on the street,

10:03 - because even with hearing aids, I had to speak very loudly.

10:06 - And I had to repeat things every single time.

10:09 - You know, I couldn't say anything to him once, and he heard it.

10:11 - I had to repeat everything every single time.

10:14 - Well, Nathan, let me ask you, how well do you think society is adapting

10:19 - to the increasing needs for the kind of caregiving we're talking about today?

10:23 - I think as it

10:24 - caregiving is becoming more common as we have more older adults

10:27 - that are living longer,

10:28 - more diverse lives and more caregivers to support that population.

10:31 - People are becoming more aware of the type of situation that caregiving is.

10:36 - They may not always call themselves caregivers, but they know that they need

10:39 - help.

10:39 - They're providing, for their parents or other loved ones.

10:43 - And they're realizing, you know, there's a lot of people

10:46 - in my position too that also need help or if not need more help.

10:49 - They might not have that traditional family support system.

10:52 - And more like a solo caregiver.

10:54 - They may be providing

10:55 - care from far more of a long distance caregiver where we have,

10:58 - there's more and more young adults, people

11:00 - in their 20s, teens or younger that are providing care

11:02 - and really helping their parents as the caregiver as well.

11:04 - So we have these more emerging populations that I think are

11:08 - raising awareness of what caregiving is and the needs of caregivers are there.

11:11 - Sometimes kids involved in care, great caregiver caregiving

11:14 - activity, the reality, but it's not an ideal situation, is it?

11:18 - Yet in the world it can be.

11:19 - You know, sometimes, parents find it more supportive

11:21 - with this intergenerational sort of support system.

11:24 - So my, you know, for example, when I, my mother was a caregiver,

11:27 - we were helping her with her, you know, errands and things like that.

11:30 - So she could be supervising our grandparents.

11:32 - And, you know, we would in other times, we would be the ones that were taking

11:36 - care.

11:37 - But, you know, oftentimes families can bond over this type of thing.

11:40 - Sometimes it can cause a lot more emotional and, interpersonal

11:43 - stress as well.

11:44 - So, you know, again, every care situation is different.

11:47 - It all depends on the people and timing and in situations.

11:50 - Well, now you mentioned interpersonal stress.

11:53 - Nathan, I mean, life does have different stages, obviously.

11:56 - So when is it time to start thinking about caregiving?

12:00 - Because plenty of our viewers out there are wondering right now,

12:03 - when should I start thinking about this and taking care of mom or dad?

12:08 - Well I'll try.

12:09 - I knew would guide you is actually Joanne, but go ahead right now.

12:12 - Well, you know, it's funny

12:12 - because we actually when my parents were in their 60s, which is what

12:16 - I and myself now, we actually started having this conversation.

12:19 - So it's interesting that, you know, we were always kind of prepared as to

12:23 - what would happen.

12:24 - And we would even talk about specifically about if mom died first,

12:27 - if dad die first.

12:28 - The conversations go, I'm very curious.

12:30 - I mean, we were constructive, stress free, you know?

12:33 - Yeah, pretty stress free.

12:34 - You know, my parents are immigrants from Italy,

12:36 - and I think it's cultural in a way, you know, that it was pretty accepting

12:39 - that you're going to age, you're going to die.

12:40 - And so we would have very kind of, you know, rational,

12:44 - casual conversations about what was going to happen

12:47 - because we were very cognizant, we weren't in denial about

12:49 - people are going to get older, people are eventually going to die.

12:52 - And so we actually had started having those conversations

12:55 - when my parents were in their 60s about what would happen.

12:57 - And it's funny, now that I'm in my 60s, my siblings and I, we have conversations

13:01 - with, you know, their children or for me, my nieces about what would we like

13:05 - as we get older.

13:06 - So my bottom line is

13:08 - I actually think it's important to have those conversations 5061.

13:11 - You're still cognizant,

13:12 - healthy and and, you know, really able to make some real sick plans.

13:17 - What do you think, Mrs. Secretary?

13:19 - You know, I know we'll go to unit trusts.

13:20 - Well, there's a couple of things, but I really wanted to just highlight

13:24 - one thing, you know, as the three of us are sitting here and conversation,

13:28 - all of our examples are personal examples.

13:30 - So I could

13:31 - talk about my great grandparents, how that I was a caregiver with my dad,

13:35 - we didn't think I was a caregiver, but I spent every day after school

13:38 - until my grandfather and grandmother came home from work.

13:40 - I sat with my great grandfather because he couldn't be alone.

13:42 - You were a caregiver before it had happened, right?

13:45 - But so, I mean, we and we can talk about my grandparents.

13:48 - We could talk about my my mom.

13:49 - We can talk about a number of personal examples.

13:51 - Nathan has personal examples.

13:52 - Do you have obviously the biggest personal example here.

13:55 - But it's all it all comes back to all of us again,

13:57 - will have this role to play in our lives, whether we call it caregiving or not.

14:02 - It's a part of all of us.

14:03 - And to the point that Nathan made earlier, the awareness of the caregiver,

14:07 - the awareness of what people are going through is becoming more prevalent.

14:11 - And that's what we're here for today to talk about.

14:13 - You're not alone.

14:14 - This is all of us.

14:15 - Every single one of us will face this challenge.

14:17 - Every single one of us need support.

14:19 - And you need to know that there's people will be there to help you and talk you

14:23 - through what you're going through, because it's

14:26 - going to impact all of our lives, whether we plan for it or not.

14:29 - I don't think people to have those good conversations

14:32 - like you and your parents had.

14:33 - And I can say from my own, you know, have been one of four siblings,

14:37 - and, you know, having a dad who's seven day

14:39 - who is still relatively young and very healthy,

14:41 - we never talk about anything like that as a personal example.

14:44 - We don't we we never have had that conversation.

14:47 - Even though I'm the secretary of Aging, I have not initiated

14:51 - that conversation with myself.

14:52 - It is somewhat ironic, and I totally understand.

14:55 - So, and I don't think a lot of families are having these conversations.

14:59 - And therefore when they get to crisis, they come looking for service

15:03 - and out to that exact point.

15:04 - So I think there's the,

15:06 - people that accept the conversation and pursue it full time.

15:09 - And then there's the avoiders,

15:10 - and then there's also the conflict situation

15:12 - where there's a fight over Thanksgiving about

15:14 - who's not doing enough care or, you know, there's that type of thing, too.

15:18 - And then I think to the Secretary's point as well, and Joanne's point as well,

15:22 - having that conversation

15:23 - as early as possible so that it's about how can we support you after retirement

15:27 - and so you can enjoy, you know, your older adulthood

15:29 - rather than a crisis situation, rather than it being a conversation

15:33 - about death and end of life.

15:34 - So, you know, thinking about aging as something more broad

15:37 - than just this illness, ailment and, end of life situation.

15:41 - And there's definitely some consolation in knowing

15:43 - that there are people out there

15:44 - that have gone through the exact same thing that you have.

15:47 - So why not join forces from them and find out what they learn?

15:50 - No, that's right.

15:51 - And right now there's 60 million of us, right?

15:53 - So AARP again had some data that shows right now in this country

15:57 - there are 60 million caregivers.

15:58 - So that's a lot of people, you know.

16:00 - So if you're a caregiver, you're not alone by far.

16:03 - You know, that's a

16:04 - that's a great amount of the population are caregivers right now.

16:08 - Well, Joanne, you brought some data to our show here, which I appreciate.

16:11 - So that makes me want to explore this report that was put together

16:14 - with the assistance of AARP, a report about caregiving, done this year in 2025.

16:20 - So what were the questions

16:23 - that you wanted answers to, in this report?

16:27 - Well, I mean, things

16:28 - like and I'll certainly let others chime in,

16:30 - but things like how many people are caregivers, you know, what is it

16:34 - costing you?

16:34 - You know, for example, one of the data points we also found out

16:37 - is it's costing $22 billion of unpaid care, you know, so

16:41 - you said 7200 out of pocket every year, 72 right out of pocket every year.

16:46 - And that ends up being, you know, but also from people like me

16:49 - who left the workforce and other things like that,

16:51 - that equals to $22 billion of unpaid care every year.

16:55 - You know, that's a tremendous amount of money.

16:56 - I think if we weren't caregivers

16:58 - and all these people had to go into the system,

17:00 - what that would be costing the health care system, if someone like

17:03 - my dad didn't live with me and instead went into a facility

17:06 - or a nursing home, think of what that would have cost the system.

17:09 - But again, you know, because people like me provided

17:11 - unpaid care, we're saving the health care system from a great strain.

17:17 - So what

17:17 - were some of the important findings from this report.

17:20 - What jumped out as especially interesting you talked about the costs out of pocket.

17:25 - How many caregivers are out there.

17:27 - What else emerged.

17:29 - I found the value of, other unpaid care.

17:33 - So that's 32 billion I believe is the number of informal caregivers

17:37 - providing, you know, that's the value of care, which has jumped up from 2023

17:41 - because we're seeing more and more people providing care,

17:44 - more intense care, more sophisticated care in that informal setting.

17:47 - I always find that to be the most interesting.

17:49 - And again, it I think helps us emphasize our point of trying to,

17:52 - you know, build products and supports like the pet care kit

17:56 - that support this informal, unpaid caregiving population.

17:59 - Also, now that you brought up the,

18:02 - caregiving care, just tell us what exactly is that?

18:04 - Sure.

18:05 - It's a collection of tools, information and resources that we have

18:09 - on the website Pygmy care Kit that's meant to support this,

18:13 - unpaid, informal caregiving, workforce, in quotes.

18:18 - But it has all sorts of tools and worksheets, resource guides and booklets

18:22 - and then just information.

18:24 - And it's all meant to be this one stop shop.

18:26 - We even have this quiz.

18:27 - You can take to understand your needs and get a direction to how to navigate the

18:32 - all that different.

18:32 - Otherwise, it sounds like it could be a lot of information.

18:34 - Yes, it's vast and that's by design because we have so many different

18:38 - caregivers providing different types of care

18:39 - that need all sorts of information to be able

18:41 - to feel empowered and confident and, to be able to do their, their hard job.

18:46 - And what about the, family caregiver support program?

18:50 - Sounds very similar to the care kit.

18:52 - So tell me what the difference is. Sure.

18:53 - So as the secretary mentioned, the, caregiver support

18:57 - program is operated through our 52 area agencies on aging.

19:00 - It's much more focused on financial reimbursement.

19:03 - Also, getting people connected

19:04 - to, care management and to those caregiver support programs.

19:08 - But that's much more of a support program, whereas the toolkit is a is

19:12 - an early prevention intervention to get people connected to resources

19:16 - to the aging network before these crisis, more intense caregiving situations.

19:21 - So as far as reimbursement is concerned, I'm sure that that's

19:24 - getting the attention of our viewers.

19:26 - Just what kind of things are they being reimbursed for?

19:28 - What kind of receipts are covered?

19:31 - Give me some examples.

19:32 - Well, the good example is, you know, if you're I'll abuse my grandfather.

19:35 - My grandfather was a part of the Pennsylvania caregiver, caregiver

19:39 - support program.

19:40 - He was reimbursed a certain amount for the hours of care

19:43 - he brought in from my grandmother, from a private provider.

19:45 - And so he was he was reimbursed for that expense.

19:48 - And the company came in, gave him a few hours

19:51 - a week, and he needed it as a respite and a break.

19:54 - And it was a huge relief to him.

19:55 - And he thought that it was

19:57 - one of the greatest services that he has ever received as an American.

20:00 - He thought he could never say enough good things about it.

20:03 - It was, you know, that was before my time in aging.

20:05 - Ironically, so, I mean, for me to tell that story, it's

20:09 - actually a little bit more special to me because he really appreciated the services

20:13 - we have in Pennsylvania, even before I was working in the aging space.

20:17 - But but you can cover that.

20:19 - You can cover. Depends.

20:19 - You can cover your nutrition supplements.

20:22 - There's a variety of things.

20:24 - If you're a grandparent raising grandchildren,

20:25 - you can cover respite supports, like even a care, like a camp

20:29 - or clothes for the for the grandchildren that you're raising.

20:32 - Sometimes unexpectedly with limited resources.

20:35 - Again.

20:35 - So it's a broad program.

20:37 - We cover as much as we possibly can.

20:39 - We and we work with the, the, the, the older adults to see you, you know, or,

20:44 - or the caregiver to, to make sure that we cover

20:46 - as much of the care recipients expenses

20:48 - as that we can under, under the guidelines that we have to operate.

20:52 - But I think going back to the care kit to,

20:55 - you know, one, how personalized our resources.

20:58 - When you reach out on our website, you look at it,

21:01 - most people are reaching out in crisis, or they're reaching out because there's

21:05 - an event happening in their life that they they need support for.

21:08 - It's it's thanks to support from people like our partners at AARP

21:12 - and the Alzheimer's Association that Nathan, who has very humbly

21:16 - not mentioned that he turn this around in nine months, as part of aging our way,

21:20 - pay as our our first big push to get a tactic across the finish line here.

21:25 - Him and his partners turn this around in nine months

21:29 - with intense stakeholder engagement to really make sure this was a product

21:32 - that served the person that was on the other end of the computer,

21:35 - to make sure that you can access it at a public library,

21:38 - you don't have to necessarily go to an area agency on aging.

21:40 - You can use it from your phone if you're sitting in a coffee shop.

21:44 - We want to make sure people can get it that it's easy for them to use.

21:47 - It's responsive to their individual needs and it gets them

21:51 - pointed in the direction for the help that that can solve their problem

21:54 - at that moment.

21:55 - Which is something different than other toolkits that are out there

21:58 - that really give people a list of resources,

22:01 - but it doesn't give you that individual approach.

22:03 - And I think that's one of the

22:04 - most important things to highlight about how we worked with everyone,

22:08 - to make sure that this care kit was so responsive, and that if you did

22:12 - need to be part of the caregiver support program or there was something,

22:15 - you should be you to refer

22:16 - to the caregiver support program, the care kit could help you find your your

22:20 - your area agency on aging and start that process

22:24 - now. The Secretary has indicated how important it is

22:27 - to reach out to the agencies on aging.

22:31 - And as far as you're concerned, Joanne, since you were caring for your dad

22:36 - for ten years, in retrospect, are there some things

22:40 - or rather, what programs did you take advantage of since,

22:43 - the secretary pointed out the value of following personal examples here.

22:47 - What did you take advantage of from Pennsylvania government

22:50 - that really helped the chore of looking after your dad for ten whole years?

22:55 - We I know I have to be honest and say I didn't use

22:57 - any resources from the Pennsylvania, and I'm sure that's true.

23:00 - A lot of our viewers, they just don't know they're there.

23:02 - Well, I actually did know there there I did actually trying to help you out.

23:06 - Josh, I know I did meet with our Area Agency on Aging to discuss some services

23:10 - for my dad, his income level.

23:12 - Fortunately, was high enough that he didn't qualify

23:15 - for a lot of the services.

23:16 - So that's important thing to know that these are income based.

23:19 - And so he actually was fortunate

23:21 - enough to have enough of an income that he didn't qualify for the services.

23:24 - But I certainly look to things like, how do I get him to adult daycare,

23:28 - you know, to give myself a break or,

23:31 - and he wasn't willing to go to a senior center.

23:33 - I could we could have done that. But he didn't want to do it.

23:36 - So, you know,

23:36 - there were things that he didn't qualify for or he didn't want to use.

23:39 - So you were looking for opportunities for what they call respite care.

23:43 - Yes, but it sounds like your dad wouldn't go for it.

23:45 - Yes. That's correct. I was looking for a break.

23:48 - Well, and I think I'm really glad that you said adult Day, too,

23:52 - because it's a resource we've talked about here before,

23:54 - and it's a respite resource that is completely underutilized.

23:57 - Yeah. In Pennsylvania.

24:00 - Yeah.

24:00 - But somebody who was still cognizant enough

24:02 - that he was able to make choices and he didn't want to go.

24:04 - So I didn't use some of the services because it either didn't qualify

24:08 - or he didn't want to use them.

24:09 - But I actually did reach out to the triple A in Montgomery County

24:12 - and talked to a caseworker to get some help.

24:15 - And I love that point, too, because we're still dealing

24:18 - with an older adult that has the right to make decisions for themselves.

24:21 - Yeah, that's a good point, right.

24:23 - Joanne, were there aspects of your dad's care that again, in retrospect,

24:27 - maybe you'd been better off getting some kind of formal training for?

24:30 - What do you think?

24:31 - Oh, yeah.

24:32 - And you must have run the gamut again. You cared for him for ten years.

24:35 - Well, and the good news was, at a certain point I did.

24:37 - We actually had an occupational therapist come into my home.

24:40 - And then help me, you know, design the home differently.

24:43 - Things like putting baths in the shower, getting rid of this rug,

24:47 - moving the furniture this way. It's amazing.

24:49 - All the things you don't think about to make a home safer.

24:52 - So I did actually have an occupational therapist come in

24:55 - and then also a physical therapist come into the home.

24:57 - So I and then I had a nurse come in to the home to.

25:00 - So I really did get kind of enough training and help to, you know,

25:03 - help me figure out how's the safest way to have my home set up.

25:06 - How do I take care of them? The safest way.

25:08 - So I did go through that training.

25:11 - Now, while you were caring for your dad,

25:13 - did you have any relationship with the AARP at that point?

25:15 - I'm just curious about it. Yeah.

25:17 - So they present useful.

25:19 - Thank you.

25:20 - I was chief resident for Pennsylvania.

25:22 - So, again, that was actually really helpful for me

25:24 - because I knew and I know we've been talking about

25:27 - the care kit and the Triple A's that AARP has a lot of resources to.

25:31 - In fact, our website is aarp.org/caregiving.

25:35 - Believe it or not, I used our own website a lot.

25:37 - You know,

25:37 - because one of the things we haven't talked about yet

25:39 - is it's not just kind of some of the stuff we've already talked about,

25:42 - but there's medical issues, there's financial issues, there are legal issues,

25:46 - and you really have to get yourself up to speed on all of this for example,

25:49 - legal issues. Give me an example.

25:50 - Well, I became my father's health care power of attorney.

25:53 - And so you actually have to get an official document prepared,

25:56 - you know, giving me that authority because it was hospitalized a couple of times.

25:59 - I had to make those kind of, legal, decisions for him.

26:04 - I had to make his health care decisions. For example,

26:06 - one time he was in the hospital and I refused an operation.

26:09 - You know, I knew I used to be the secretary of health.

26:12 - I have a public health background.

26:13 - And so I felt like this operation

26:15 - wasn't in his best care, at least at this moment in time.

26:18 - So I got to refuse the operation.

26:20 - Those are the kind of things

26:21 - I was allowed to do legally because I had the health care power of attorney.

26:25 - And so that's one of the times that sounds like a lot of responsibility here.

26:28 - Well, there's but, you know, it is.

26:31 - And then there's the financial.

26:32 - My sister became his financial up power of attorney.

26:35 - Oh, good.

26:36 - So she was in the picture.

26:37 - So there was a point

26:38 - when he couldn't make financial decisions anymore, he couldn't manage his money.

26:42 - So these are all things like it's really important

26:44 - you think about, you know, the care.

26:45 - It gives us advice.

26:47 - So does the AARP, a website.

26:49 - But these are things you really have to think about.

26:51 - And a lot of times, like Nathan was saying, you unfortunately

26:54 - start thinking about these when you're right in the middle of it

26:57 - instead of in advance.

26:58 - And that's too bad, because you have to get,

27:00 - you know, you're really figuring that when you're in crisis mode, in a way

27:03 - crisis mode, you got to go from 0 to 100 miles an hour.

27:05 - Yeah.

27:06 - And really, to highlight what you said earlier about having those conversations

27:10 - early helps.

27:12 - Also, when you have a large sibling group relieve some of the stress.

27:16 - And what we have seen down on the we know from a boots on the ground

27:19 - perspective is

27:21 - you see calls coming into area agencies on aging all the time about families

27:25 - that are fighting about the decision making power and financial decision

27:28 - making power.

27:29 - And, you know, where should mom or dad be?

27:32 - Because conversations have not had or were not facilitated.

27:35 - And I love what you said.

27:37 - Like you have to get involved.

27:39 - You have to start getting these conversations out there

27:41 - and having them so that when it turns into the crisis that Nathan described,

27:45 - you are a little bit more prepared

27:46 - and a little ready for it, because it is it's coming.

27:48 - It's going to come eventually.

27:51 - I also

27:51 - think with so with the medical and legal things, those are very daunting

27:55 - sort of big tasks that people forget about the day to day

27:57 - logistics that can be so important and that also you need assistance

28:00 - in doing the, you know, things like, you know, where

28:04 - all the important documents in the past,

28:06 - where it's now that people are really using technology,

28:08 - how do I, you know, prepare for a funeral,

28:11 - make sure that

28:11 - the obituary that I'm writing is, is what the person wants to be remembered for.

28:15 - So all of those things that you're trying to think of,

28:17 - but it's not so elevated as much as who's, you know, going to take care of the will

28:21 - and who's going to make the final, you know, medical decisions, things like that.

28:26 - A which aspect of caregiving,

28:28 - needs more financial support from a state government?

28:33 - How about you, Secretary?

28:35 - Well, I think

28:38 - every really because it's an individual need, you know, so you can't just say

28:41 - one priority takes precedence over there's no one silo versus another.

28:45 - No. I you know, because it's really about the,

28:47 - the you're the caregiver and you have a care recipient.

28:51 - What is your need.

28:52 - And we can't answer that for everybody.

28:53 - It has to you know, it has to be that individual's,

28:56 - you know, and what that you know, you might have been fortunate

28:59 - enough that you were able to provide the in-home care for your father.

29:02 - Someone might not be able to do that, but you would have benefited more

29:05 - from from legal assistance to help you prepare all the paperwork that you needed.

29:09 - You know, to be the power of attorney

29:11 - for health decisions and to have your sister set up to be.

29:13 - So that's difference, right?

29:15 - There is in every household as we walk, you know, as we go through

29:19 - any neighborhood in Pennsylvania, everybody will have a different need.

29:22 - So it's hard to say which the priority should be

29:25 - the understanding that the need is out there, that there's, you know, 3.4

29:29 - million older Pennsylvanians, that we're the fifth oldest state in the country.

29:33 - And that this challenge is in every single one of our communities

29:37 - is is really what I think is, is the greatest, message.

29:40 - And and then to highlight that there's, there's needs there's

29:43 - countless needs that we need to be able to support this population

29:46 - as they age and communities.

29:48 - Because you're right, we would overwhelm our system completely

29:52 - if the unpaid caregiver workforce went away and we had to look

29:56 - for formal paid services or facility services for individuals.

30:00 - Unfortunately, all across Pennsylvania.

30:03 - Can Medicare take care of any of the expenses

30:06 - as far as family caregiving is concerned?

30:10 - Well, I think most of those expenses fall to the family, unfortunately.

30:14 - And you see limited support for Medicare in this space.

30:17 - Not not nearly enough, compared to what we had some support, but

30:21 - not much for what we do with our resources from the Pennsylvania Lottery.

30:27 - I mean, for example, Medicare paid for my dad's physical therapy

30:30 - and the occupational therapist, and even with his, you know, advantage

30:34 - plan, he got, things like $60

30:37 - every quarter for insured dependents at $60 every three months.

30:41 - But they were small.

30:43 - But I mean, things like the and the occupational therapist, that was helpful.

30:47 - But I agree with the secretary.

30:48 - It's certainly not as much as as people need.

30:50 - And we'd like to have.

30:52 - And how about Medicaid then as far as, paying for any long term care?

30:58 - And of course, everyone's talking about the recent cuts to Medicaid.

31:01 - Well, I think Medicaid do then, you know, you see, we've crossed

31:05 - a different threshold

31:05 - because of the individual, their need, and their qualifications for Medicaid.

31:10 - So the home and community is based.

31:11 - Services that you receive from Medicaid are a lot different than what we from the

31:15 - from the Department of Aging offer.

31:17 - And, you know, it's different than the services

31:20 - we can, you know, support with AARP and the community.

31:23 - So you cross into a different realm when you're dealing with Medicaid,

31:26 - because of the person's income, because of where that person is,

31:30 - you know, and in terms of what resources they have to work with.

31:34 - So basically they don't have any assets or resources.

31:37 - And that they, they really cross into that threshold that they,

31:40 - they have to rely totally on, on our, our Medicaid system for support.

31:44 - And, possibly, you know, at some point, maybe a nursing home placement.

31:50 - So it's nice when a family

31:51 - has several members and they can delegate certain responsibilities.

31:55 - And Joanne, I see well, you had your sister

31:57 - at least to some degree, helping with the care of your dad.

32:00 - And, it can be stressful, of course, to provide that kind of support.

32:05 - And did you?

32:05 - Everybody has the limit is what I'm trying to say.

32:07 - Joanne, did you ever feel that you were reaching your limit?

32:10 - And when you did, if you did, how did you cope with it?

32:13 - I felt like I reached my limit.

32:14 - Every day when you visit me, I'm going to be really honest about that.

32:17 - I mean, it was really stressful.

32:20 - How was your health? Did you sleep?

32:22 - I didn't sleep well because he was a false risk.

32:26 - And so I even had kind of, like, one of those baby monitors

32:29 - because especially as she got older and more dementia,

32:32 - he would get up in the middle of the night,

32:34 - you know, to go to the bathroom or something

32:36 - to try to go by himself, which he couldn't and he could fall.

32:39 - And so you're never getting a good night's sleep

32:41 - because you were kind of always half listening,

32:43 - you know, in case he was going to fall or something, you know?

32:45 - So things like that.

32:46 - So, and I did have, you know, a sister who helped me probably

32:50 - about 20% of the time, and a niece that helped me a little bit, too.

32:53 - But I'd say, you know, 75% of the time it was on me.

32:56 - And I would be lying if I said when he lived with me,

32:59 - I probably didn't get angry at some point every single day.

33:01 - This just true,

33:03 - but I didn't.

33:04 - I mean, but that's when I get my go away.

33:06 - For a couple of days.

33:07 - My brother lived in Arizona, lives in Arizona.

33:09 - I'd make him come out for like 2 or 3 days.

33:11 - Oh, is that so?

33:12 - Every health alliance. And then I just go away for two days.

33:15 - And I mean, if you don't take care of yourself, you can't.

33:18 - It was your own personal respite. That was my rest.

33:20 - I had to get away. Yeah.

33:21 - And he knew, like, every 6 to 12 weeks he had to come out for a couple days

33:24 - and I'd go away. And he had to take care of dad and.

33:27 - And that's how we managed it.

33:28 - But, it was a lot.

33:30 - It was a lot.

33:31 - I'm not going to lie to you. I took a toll on me

33:33 - financially, emotionally, physically, in every way possible.

33:36 - And so, yeah, and financially too, it was a hit.

33:39 - How uniform are the resources we have for caregivers

33:43 - as far as the area agencies on aging are concerned?

33:47 - Are the resources the same statewide?

33:50 - Do you have access to the same resources?

33:51 - I think is what I'm trying to ask.

33:53 - Yeah.

33:53 - Do you have access to the same services at that area, agencies on aging?

33:58 - Like the caregiver support program, some communities,

34:02 - you know, they they have a support group for caregivers.

34:05 - Some, some have not built that, that group yet.

34:08 - So you will find nuances as you move through our system.

34:12 - But based on what, you know,

34:13 - our system is focused on the community and the community.

34:16 - That area Agency on Aging serves.

34:17 - So not every community in Pennsylvania is the same.

34:20 - So some of this will look a little bit different as you move from an agency

34:24 - to an agency to, to, to,

34:27 - to, to what programs they, they offer.

34:30 - But the basics, the, the family

34:34 - and the caregiver support program, the options programs,

34:37 - the programs that we have for senior centers are home delivered meals.

34:41 - They are consistent through all of our, all of our 52.

34:46 - Nathan, you haven't been in our program before finding out.

34:48 - I want to know more about you and your, association with the Department of Aging.

34:53 - Sure.

34:54 - I started two years ago as a William and Hanna pen fellow,

34:57 - which is basically a program with the governor's policy office.

34:59 - And then I was placed with, the Department of Aging.

35:02 - Really?

35:02 - I, pursued the fellowship because the project outlined

35:06 - was to develop a multi-sector plan for aging, or MPX,

35:10 - which was something I focused on in, my master's study was I was sort of

35:14 - my career dream was to help Pennsylvania write their multi-sector plan for aging.

35:18 - And this sort of the stars aligned on a project.

35:20 - So I applied and was fortunate enough to be selected as the fellow.

35:23 - And then I helped, the secretary and the rest of our team work

35:28 - on the Aging Our Way PA,

35:29 - which is now our multi-sector plan for aging,

35:31 - which basically just means a strategic plan to improve aging services

35:35 - and infrastructure over the next ten years

35:36 - so that we're meeting this older, raising older adult population.

35:40 - So what inspired you to get into this line of work anyway?

35:43 - That would be my experience with caregiving, essentially,

35:45 - and with my grandparents and, you know, providing that level of care,

35:49 - seeing firsthand what you were caring for, both grandparents.

35:52 - You said my mother was the caregiver. I want I want to make that very clear.

35:55 - I was, you know, supporting in as many ways as I could,

35:58 - but she, you know, was doing the day to day, 24 hours sort of supervising,

36:02 - you know, like to Joanne's point, doing the bathing, doing the taking people

36:07 - to the,

36:07 - my grandmother, the beauty parlor taking, you know, making the meals every day

36:11 - and which is now, you know, they would never eat a home

36:13 - delivered meal, only my mother's cooking. But,

36:16 - yeah, again, each situation is very different.

36:18 - But, yeah, it's seen firsthand sort of how that can affect someone's longevity

36:22 - as an older adult and their experience and quality of life

36:25 - and what that family caregiver can do to, to change their change their life,

36:28 - but also how that affects the caregiver and their families and how supports

36:33 - need to be sort of, you know, delivered to them, in a very tailored way.

36:37 - I like what you said about the beauty parlor because

36:40 - because the people like to be passed over, don't they?

36:42 - That's nice. And it's nice to feel good and look good.

36:44 - So you can keep enjoying yourself, you know?

36:47 - And that's the thing.

36:47 - You forget.

36:48 - It's all those appointments you have to take someone to.

36:50 - It's not just the doctor.

36:52 - It's to get his hair cut.

36:53 - You know, it's to go to party.

36:55 - It's like it's just, you know, it's a full time job

36:57 - taking people to these appointments.

36:59 - But you're right,

37:00 - the other things too, that are important, like taking him to church

37:03 - and getting the hair done, I mean, all those things are really,

37:05 - oh, going to church and saying socialize that.

37:08 - That makes the whole experience more pleasant for everybody.

37:10 - You included.

37:11 - Oh yeah.

37:12 - No, that was important to him and to me that he stay socialize.

37:14 - He he's very involved with his church.

37:16 - And so I would take him to,

37:17 - you know, church every week or a service during the middle of the week. And.

37:20 - Yeah, I think it was really important for him to get out

37:22 - and still be with other people as much as he could.

37:25 - I miss his secretary.

37:26 - Are you aware of any new legislation out there

37:28 - that, is addressing caregivers and what they might need,

37:33 - that there is talk of some support for grandparents raising grandchildren

37:37 - right now, but it it's it's really early on in that conversation.

37:40 - So nothing that we can make an initial form of announcement.

37:43 - But there's discussions about doing some more in that space,

37:48 - because it's becoming again, a, it's a growing population in Pennsylvania

37:52 - of caregivers that, you know, we, we, we're talking about more and more now.

37:57 - And at the federal level, AARP is really pushing for a caregiving tax credit.

38:02 - You know, it's kind of starting to make its way through.

38:05 - But again, it would give people a tax break,

38:08 - you know, when they file every year for a caregiver.

38:11 - Now, I gave Nathan a chance to talk about himself. Mrs.

38:14 - Secretary, in the event our viewers haven't seen him before in this program,

38:17 - why not give him a thumbnail bio on your being, secretary of Aging?

38:20 - Okay.

38:21 - Jason Cavalier, secretary of aging for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

38:25 - I come from Scranton and Lackawanna County, where I worked

38:28 - in the Lackawanna County Human Services Department for well over 20 years.

38:32 - Doing, you know, starting in child welfare, but,

38:35 - you know, moving

38:36 - into aging in my latter years as the director of the agency on Aging

38:40 - and really falling completely in love with that work and the work that I did

38:43 - with the department, and transforming our community.

38:46 - And, you know, Reinserting the area agency on Aging as one of the most important,

38:51 - if not the most important human services agency that we had in the community

38:55 - because we we had such a large population of older adults living in our community,

39:00 - over 60,000,

39:02 - you know, for a small class three county that that was quite a significant number.

39:06 - But also really highlighting,

39:07 - again, the importance of working together as systems and bringing in, you know,

39:11 - bringing that conversation to the table about, you know, older adults are impacted

39:15 - by behavioral health, older adults are impacted by child

39:18 - welfare issues, grandparents raising grandchildren.

39:20 - Older adults are our are impacted by drug and alcohol issues as well.

39:24 - So bringing all of the human services together to focus on

39:28 - what we do for older adults, was was something I was very passionate about.

39:32 - Now, every year you have to

39:33 - appear in front of our legislature and talk about the budget,

39:37 - your budget concerns and priorities for your department.

39:40 - What do these lawmakers tend to, zero in on

39:44 - that you can, readily anticipate and address?

39:47 - Well, I can say this, that, you know, from the General Assembly,

39:50 - everyone is supportive of older adults living in their community.

39:53 - And regardless of what, what side of the aisle they sit on,

39:56 - they care about the older adults in their community.

39:58 - They support the work for the older adults in their community.

40:01 - It's never an easy decision on how to to distribute, distribute resources.

40:06 - I don't envy anyone.

40:07 - And and in the circumstances

40:09 - where we have to at the department, distribute resources.

40:12 - What, like our senior center grants.

40:14 - It's painstaking because, you know, there is such need and,

40:17 - you know, the demand is constant.

40:19 - But, I said one thing that they are always concerned about

40:23 - is making sure that people have the resources

40:25 - to live in the community the way they choose to live.

40:28 - People are focused in on that.

40:30 - Do they have the prescription support?

40:31 - Did they have they do they have the in-home support that they need?

40:34 - Is there a program that helps with home modifications

40:37 - that don't puts in the bath bars and helps get ramps installed?

40:40 - They're all important conversations that the legislature wants to have.

40:44 - Are we doing enough

40:45 - to protect older adults in the communities from scams and being victimized?

40:48 - You know, are we doing enough to to make sure

40:50 - that our caregivers have become stressed and have the resources that they need?

40:55 - So that they don't cross the threshold and their, their,

40:58 - their, their stress and their anger gets the better of them someday.

41:01 - So they're focused correctly and making sure that we have what we need

41:05 - to keep older adults in the community support it the way they they

41:08 - the older adult is choosing that they want to be supported

41:12 - and making sure that they can live in the community of their choice.

41:16 - How about you, Joanne?

41:17 - Tell us more about your relationship with AARP.

41:20 - So I was I'm president emeritus now.

41:22 - I work for six years state president.

41:24 - And then before that, I was the, regional director of the United States

41:29 - Department of Health and Human Services, appointed by President Obama.

41:32 - And then before that, deputy secretary of health for the Commonwealth

41:35 - of Pennsylvania under Governor Rendell.

41:37 - So, before that also worked in public health at our foreign aid agency.

41:41 - So more than 30 years as a public health official.

41:44 - And and that's really been

41:45 - my focus of my career is public health and keeping people healthy.

41:49 - So while you were president of AARP for six years,

41:52 - what were some of the bigger issues that came up?

41:55 - Well, this is one of them, you know, caregiving.

41:57 - You know, it's not just for me.

41:58 - When did you step down as president?

42:00 - Oh, two years ago.

42:02 - Relatively recently?

42:03 - Yeah. Relatively recently. Yeah.

42:05 - This is one of the issues the secretary mentioned.

42:07 - Another one.

42:07 - Fraud. You know, we really care about that issue.

42:10 - There's so much elder fraud out there.

42:12 - It's really heartbreaking.

42:13 - The billions of dollars that are lost every year.

42:15 - And of course,

42:16 - keeping solvent and strengthening Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid,

42:20 - I mean, those are really kind of the five top priorities for us at AARP.

42:25 - And as far

42:27 - as your personal experience is concerned, Joanne,

42:30 - there's no doubt there are people out there

42:32 - listening to your story with with much interest.

42:35 - What kind of advice, could you give them again, given

42:38 - the benefit of your experience, what do you want them to know right now?

42:41 - Well, I think one of the things I mentioned before, I really do think

42:44 - it's important to have these conversations with your parents when they're younger.

42:48 - Again, I've told you,

42:49 - we've been having this conversations now with our family members in our 60s.

42:53 - People really wait too long, I think, to have these conversations,

42:56 - have the conversation when everybody's healthy,

42:57 - when everybody's healthy, and with everybody in the room, you know,

43:00 - one of the things we didn't talk about in my situation, there was no kind of

43:03 - sibling tension because we all had honest conversations beforehand.

43:07 - My siblings were clear that they would not take in my parents,

43:11 - and that wasn't within any animosity, was just kind of factual.

43:15 - That that wasn't something they were going to be willing to do.

43:18 - And so we all got to have that, you know, decision in a common and or

43:21 - and educated manner, in a thoughtful manner.

43:24 - So I can't express enough how important I think it is to do these early,

43:28 - because then you do avoid some of those tensions

43:30 - and animosity and arguments and resentments that come up later.

43:35 - So that's my number one.

43:36 - And to educate yourself, I mean, really this care kit, you know,

43:40 - and even the AARP resources,

43:42 - it's so important to look at this stuff ahead of time, because, again,

43:45 - between managing people's medical appointments and medical conditions

43:48 - and the financial implications and the legal implications

43:52 - and the medical implications and even home alterations and whatever it is, so much,

43:57 - and you just can't take it in if you're waiting till the last minute

44:00 - when you're in crisis mode.

44:01 - So, you really should be looking at this stuff, you know,

44:04 - early, you know, when in a way, when it's not needed.

44:07 - I think that's really my best advice that I can give people now.

44:10 - A few minutes ago, we were talking about, lawmakers, not

44:13 - I mean, elected officials.

44:15 - These are people who come and go, of course.

44:17 - And what can Pennsylvanians do to help these lawmakers

44:21 - make better policy that would benefit caregivers?

44:25 - How about you, Nathan?

44:26 - I think, making your voice heard is always very important.

44:29 - You know, we have our Pennsylvania Council on Aging.

44:31 - That includes people with lived experience as older adults, as caregivers, etc..

44:35 - You know, always participating.

44:37 - There's always room for participation, I think, at the state or, regional level.

44:41 - Defer to the secretary.

44:43 - I think making sure your voice is heard is the most important thing.

44:46 - You know, I saw recently, one of our state representatives said,

44:50 - you know, it's so much more important to me to hear from

44:54 - an individual about their experience, to have a conversation with them,

44:57 - than to receive a form letter in the mail that everybody signed up for.

45:00 - And, you know, there's value to both. Yes.

45:02 - But he is highlighting for us all that that individual conversation,

45:07 - the stories that the three of us can share with that person would have

45:10 - a greater impact than all of us sending the very same letter to that person.

45:13 - You might have three letters,

45:15 - but that one conversation without way of because of the the personal experience,

45:20 - because of the the way you can relate that conversation back to the individual.

45:24 - So advocating making sure you speak to your, your,

45:27 - your legislator and making sure that they know your opinion,

45:30 - maybe making sure that they hear your voice is incredibly important.

45:33 - Getting out to vote and exercising

45:34 - your vote is another important thing that people have to take advantage of.

45:37 - Where we're fortunate to live in a system that we do, and making sure

45:41 - that we exercise our ability to get out there and do our civic duty is,

45:45 - I think, is something that everyone should take seriously.

45:47 - Everyone should make sure that they're they're in a position of knowledge

45:50 - and make the informed choice that they want at the polls.

45:53 - Now, this next question, I think any of you,

45:55 - any of you, can comment on people like it

45:58 - when, they have, a purpose.

46:02 - So what's the feeling you can get when you've had this satisfying

46:05 - relationship, caring for another person?

46:09 - I think I can, sorry.

46:10 - I think that

46:12 - when you get to see the sort of the force, the trees of the day to day mayhem of,

46:16 - I have to do this and then this, and I'm exhausted.

46:17 - I haven't slept and I need to make dinner.

46:19 - And then you actually get to the point where you're seeing that you've improved

46:22 - the quality of life of the person you really care for,

46:25 - or that you've stepped up and you've done this duty, is really the reward.

46:30 - You know, in some cases, people might have stronger bonds

46:33 - with their family members, with their siblings,

46:35 - with their spouses, with their children.

46:37 - I think that was experience I had.

46:39 - But, you know, I think everyone's situation is a little different of how

46:42 - that reward comes and the relationship can take on a new dimension.

46:46 - Can it?

46:47 - Oh, well, yeah.

46:48 - I mean, in some ways you become the parent then.

46:50 - Right? Exactly.

46:51 - To to your parent. Right.

46:53 - And so the the relationship kind of flips in a way.

46:56 - But yet

46:57 - and yet at the same time, you know, for me it was still my father, you know.

47:01 - So I still kind of defer to him on some things.

47:03 - So it became this kind of, you know, weird to give and take.

47:06 - Yeah. Yeah.

47:07 - He still has to have some agency over what happens to him.

47:10 - Right. Not to the secretary was getting at.

47:12 - Yeah. No. Right.

47:13 - Absolutely agree.

47:14 - But it was a weird dynamic in a way,

47:16 - because in some ways you become the parent now.

47:17 - And yet on the other hand he is still your father.

47:20 - And so. Right.

47:21 - You wanted to defer to him at times.

47:22 - So it was a weird dynamic. But we managed it.

47:25 - And how about you, Mr. Secretary?

47:26 - I know early in your career you had a lot of face to face contact.

47:30 - Well, you know, I think about as hearing your talk

47:32 - about all the conversations that I had sitting at the in the chair

47:36 - as a triple A director and people calling and saying,

47:40 - you know, I want this for my parents, but my parents are saying no.

47:45 - And, you know, the frustration in their voice

47:47 - because they were trying to do right by their parents. Right.

47:50 - And but that their parents weren't,

47:51 - weren't there, they weren't in agreement and thinking about siblings

47:54 - and in the conversations calling, well, my sister wants to do it this way.

47:58 - And, you know, all of those struggles that people are having out there,

48:02 - what could you possibly do to resolve this struggle?

48:04 - Did you even try?

48:05 - Oh, well, you again,

48:07 - you talk to people, you then that's you know, that's the beauty of what we do.

48:11 - But, you know, Nathan talked about the reward of what we do.

48:13 - You know, I subscribe to this school of servant leadership,

48:16 - the reward that we get for the work that we do.

48:19 - When you help someone work through that, or you help a family

48:22 - who is struggling with the family dynamic, that is why we we do what we do

48:26 - to make sure that we're supporting our older adults,

48:28 - our older adult population, our older adult communities to to make sure

48:32 - that people can live how they want with independence and dignity and respect,

48:36 - but also that we can help families work through some really challenging times.

48:40 - That's there instead of, you know,

48:42 - having your bond with your siblings broken forever, that we can help.

48:45 - We make sure we talk you through, that we work with you

48:48 - to make sure that at the end of the day, while stressful decisions have been made,

48:52 - while your parents may not agree with what what you what you see as a plan

48:55 - and they're going to do their own thing, that we don't see the family completely

48:59 - break apart, that we see that families stay together, communicate together,

49:02 - and see those older adults still live and thrive in their community.

49:06 - We only have two minutes left in our show, so let's consider, some very important,

49:11 - tips for our viewers as far as programs and getting in contact.

49:15 - If there's a caregiver out there and they feel they don't know what to do,

49:18 - they just don't know what the first step is to take.

49:20 - Mrs. Secretary, tell them briefly what they should do.

49:23 - What I think they should do is they should go online

49:25 - and take a look at our care kit, and that will help you

49:29 - start to to wrap your mind about what you need to do next.

49:33 - And that may take you to the AARP website, that may take you to our Area

49:37 - Agency on Aging.

49:38 - That may take you down a whole different path, but it'll take you somewhere

49:41 - to get the support that you need to to to take that next step.

49:45 - As a caregiver.

49:47 - Our guests have

49:48 - been Joanne Grossi, executive director, executive council,

49:52 - president emeritus at the AARP of Pennsylvania.

49:56 - Nathan Lampe Feld, special assistant to the state Secretary of Aging

50:00 - and the Secretary of Aging himself, Jason Krulwich.

50:04 - Thanks, everyone. Thank you for being here. Thank you.

50:06 - Thank you.

50:07 - That's it for focus on aging adults.

50:09 - I'm Larry Casper.

50:11 - Thanks for watching.

50:33 - And. Focus on aging

50:41 - adults is sponsored in part by AARP.