Pressure on our healthcare infrastructure anticipated in the late twentieth century has now arrived at our doorstep. The shortage of primary care doctors for all age groups is rising and the public-private divide in the delivery of care is widening. The kindly image of hometown Marcus Welby, MD (IMDb1969-1976) who takes the time to know his patients is supplanted by a mind-numbing system of tight scheduling blocks and AI generated recordkeeping. Today your first contact is likely a triaging AI system.
Now shock and fear are the response of an aging population who came of age on a system of accessible care. They are haunted by the image of being thrust out on their own in the final years of their lives and never imagined being cared for by family members. Raising their own children to be independent achievers, and embracing that definition for themselves, they fear the need for family caregiving.
Shattered illusions of a medical system litter the experience of family caregivers today. They struggle to address their loved one’s needs and find the solutions to balance care with employment. Families are facing the unwanted diagnosis, the sudden onset of a medical crisis, and the creeping dread of mental lapses and physical diminishment in an overworked system. These conditions are present in an environment already fraught with doubt, lack of trust, and escalating costs.
When family members step up to the task with loving intentions, they are on a steep learning curve to rally in a crisis and see their loved one through to a recovery. Others coping with more daunting diagnoses juggle the impact on their own families. Caregivers are often unprepared for the great need opening in front of them. Today long-term care placement may not be an option for families threatened by their own rising costs of daily living, employee retention issues, and high healthcare premiums.
Home care is the affordable and humane option for long term care. The dementia family care community is growing a model for all care communities. Progress in new dementia treatment coupled with data on longevity also point to home care. Family and community partnerships are a sustainable model for aging care. Forums for informed family care provide an opportunity for family caregivers to find supportive connections along with guidance and resources at the regional community level. Events such as Living with Dementia CNY 2025, where Diane Simoni and I recently presented from our work and our book was distributed to the caregiver participants, offer a critical lifeline to caregivers at all stages of the care continuum.
When regional groups partner with the Alzheimer’s Association, one of the most powerful agents for change caregiver advocates currently have at our disposal, the dementia community is stronger. Supporting all types of dementia in the wake of greater awareness across the family caregiver spectrum, the not-for-profit association is today focusing on dementia research, risk reduction, and quality care and support. (alz.org)
Attention on these factors influence healthcare costs by maximizing the caregiver effort through resources to minimize the impact of the disease. Treatment alone won’t alleviate the burden of care. Additionally, longevity and health are tied to living in one’s home. (UCHealth, 2025) The need for home care is greater than ever when the shortage of healthcare workers in long term care is rising.
Combining the experience of our client work over many years, in For Grief’s Sake: The Resilient Caregiver Caring and Coping Well we address caregiver support for caregivers facing a changing landscape of care. Reviewing losses, identifying family supports, making plans, and establishing connections, these encompass our thoughtful approach to the work of caregiving. Caregivers take on all ups and downs of care. Community caregiver support guidance can help them navigate the changes.
As they move through phases of care, their interpretation of gains and losses shift. “Here is when you may realize, “Oh, when something is lost, something is also gained,” and you start to pay attention to what is gained.” (Chapter 4 The Looking Ahead Phase, For Grief’s Sake: The Resilient Caregiver Caring and Coping Well). We now offer virtual group leader support for assisting your clients with their caregiving issues.
Today’s allied healthcare specialists, mental health professionals, and senior center/community outreach and support group leaders can use our resources to help caregivers prepare themselves for the caregiver role and the continuing changes. Preparation can be addressed repeatedly at multiple steps in all phases of caregiving. Plugging into the appropriate systems of care, anticipating the hidden contingencies with education and coaching from support groups, expanding personal skills of care, and creating connections that reinforce your values of care, these are skill areas where group support professionals can have a huge impact. Family caregivers are rising to the challenge and community services need to be ready to step into the primary care breach with assistance.
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Coretta Scott King.
©October 2025 https://clairemauro.com
References
Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org
IMDb Marcus Welby, MD https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063927/
Mauro, C. and Simoni, D. For Grief’s Sake: The Resilient Caregiver Caring and Coping Well. Amazon. 2024.
University of Colorado Health October 13, 2025, https://www.uchealth.org/today/advice-for-aging-in-place-safely-stay-in-your-home-as-long-as-possible/