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Did you know that today, we have more parents to care
for than children?
Eldercare has replaced childcare as a leading healthcare issue. Many, if not most of us will be both in our lifetimes -- caregiver and the cared-for. We may slip into these roles so gradually that we scarcely realize it. Or, as the social scientists say, we may not self-identify. While the huge increase in the number of caregivers in our society can be said to be a result of the success of medical technology, it also represents a breakthrough in our growth as an extended family. The statisticians tell us the "typical" caregiver is a woman in her mid-40s who is caring for one or more parents for about 15 hours per week. She has a job and she is also caring for one or more children. But there's much more to the story than statistics. During the second half of the 20th Century, advances in medical technology made it possible for individuals to survive for years with diseases and chronic conditions that would have made a rapid death just a few years before. Though laudable, this created a new population of persons in need of caregiving ... and, therefore, a new population of caregivers. To raise awareness and support of this monumental issue that affects all of us in our lifetime, on May 8, 2008, WEDU aired a national documentary called And Thou Shalt Honor, examining the various aspects of caregiving. Utilizing the airing of the award-winning national documentary, WEDU introduced a new, live, 2-hour-televised, interactive special called A Caregiving Town Hall Meeting that aired on May 15, 2008. During this event, individuals and community members came together to change the way we care for our elders.
Presented by: |
 A Caregiving Town Hall Meeting DVD 
 And Thou Shalt Honor DVD
 And Thou Shalt Honor Paperback |
