Page 10 - Athens New Comers Guide 2023

Caregiving Impacts
on Working Adults
by Abbie Vogt, owner of a•bridge:
Aging Life Care™ Management & Chamber Member
One in six Americans care for an older adult friend or
relative. Many family caregivers feel invisible, so here
is some perspective on the scope of family caregiving
across the nation:
• Only 4 percent of our nation’s seniors live in
nursing homes. Another 4 percent live in assisted
living, plus 5 percent in retirement communities.
• Most (46 percent) live in their own home or
in the home of a family member (37 percent) or
someone else (4 percent). They are assisted by an
unpaid network of family and friends who drive them
to healthcare appointments, prepare meals, and
eventually assist with dressing, bathing, and toileting.
• The largest group of family caregivers provides • September 2022 - SAUCEHOUSE
10 hours of assistance per week, but 30 percent Celebrating 10 Years!
provide 20 hours a week, and another 20 percent “The Chamber was the first organization I reached out to when
provide 40 hours or more. I moved to Athens in 2013. Now we are coming up on 10 years
in business. The Chamber was pivotal in getting my business
Many family caregivers don’t consider they are connected and involved in the local Athens community.”
essentially adding a part-time or even full-time job – CHRISTOPHER W. BELK, founder/owner of Saucehouse BBQ and The
to their lives.
Venue on Broad
Caregiving as a Team
Millennials and Gen Xers are using strategies that
may benefit family caregivers of all ages. Nearly half
(47 percent) of adults in their 40s and 50s now find
themselves “in the sandwich.” They serve as primary
support people for an aging parent, plus they have
children who are still at home or at least financially
dependent. Recent reports show millennial and Gen X
family members use technology to support their elder
caregiving. They also embrace more of a team approach.
To better share your load, consider these ideas:
• Weekly or monthly team check-ins. Use phone,
text, email, or video conferencing. Report about
doctor visits. Share observations and concerns.
Create a joint caregiving calendar on Google or use
an online platform such as LotsaHelpingHands.com
or CaringBridge.org.
• Whole-picture support. Ease the primary caregiver’s
total load. Someone may mow the primary caregiver’s
lawn, or take on a child-related need.
• Trade off duties. Life happens! • October 2022 - LIVE WIRE ATHENS
• Provide breaks. Other family members may invite “I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Athens Chamber
Mom or Dad for a visit, or could chip in to treat the since I moved here. I’ve seen the Chamber staff as well as local
primary caregiver to an evening out. business leaders model the importance of loving and caring for the
community. It’s really been amazing to see people be invested in
• Help takes many forms. It can be financial, supporting not just the business community, but individual people
physical, or emotional. One person may have less as well. The Athens community feels like a family. I’ve learned that
time but more money. For another, it may be natural caring for people is the most important step in building relationships
to call Mom or Dad regularly to provide social and and growing a business. Thanks to all of you who have set that
emotional support. standard here in Athens!”
– ERIN ROBERTSON MULLIS, co-owner of Live Wire Athens, a modern
industrial event venue in downtown Athens

6 The Chamber Athens Area Chamber of Commerce • www.athensga.com • (706) 549-6800