Press Article

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Original Date of Publication: October 7, 2007

EXPO OFFERS CAREGIVERS A HAND
Tomorrow's free county event in Trevose will have seminars, products, and even a chance to relax.

By Kristin E. Holmes
Inquirer Staff Writer

Cathy Dippolito starts her morning as other parents do, getting up before her sons and preparing for the day ahead.

But much of the rest is different. Two of Dippolito's three sons have a form of autism. For them, tasks such as buttoning a shirt and twisting the tie off a loaf of bread are never elementary.

Dippolito's role as their caregiver is one shared by millions of people who have an aging, ill or special-needs loved one. In addition to the rewards, there are extreme challenges.

"Part of being a family caregiver is not just doing for them. It's trying to teach them to do for themselves," said Dippolito, of Newtown. "My biggest fear is the day I'm not here for them anymore."

These issues will be addressed tomorrow at the first Bucks County Family Caregiver Expo at the Radisson Hotel in Trevose. The free expo will include seminars, health screenings and product demonstrations, and offer free spa services to caregivers who often don't get much of a respite.

The National Alliance for Caregiving reported in 2004 that about 44 million people, or about 21 percent of the U.S. adult population, were providing unpaid care for someone 18 or older. That included 22.9 million households. Data suggested that about 16 percent of U.S. children, 11.7 million youngsters, had special health needs.

The caregivers can face bouts with stress, lack of sleep, financial strain, depression and declining health, said Donna Wagner, an adviser to the 2004 caregiver study and a professor of gerontology at Towson University in Maryland. Caring for a loved one can affect jobs and relationships within the family.

"Being a caregiver is an extremely demanding, overwhelming task in many cases," said Patricia Rich, senior clinician at Counseling for Caregivers, a program of the Abramson Center for Jewish Life in North Wales.

"In order to perform that function, they need to have community supports in place, and take care of their health and psychological needs so that they have the stamina to stay in there as a caregiver."

Dippolito works in information technology and marketing for a real estate development company. She facilitates a support group for Sharing and Caring of Bucks County, a nonprofit organization that helps families who have loved ones with autism. Her husband, Kevin, is the fire marshal and emergency management director for Bristol Township.

Their boys range in age from 9 to 14. Cathy and Kevin Dippolito, who is their stepfather, share parenting duties with the boys' father, Michael Saraullo, and it is the joint responsibility that gives the Dippolitos time to catch up with their lives. "Everything that most people might get done on a typical evening, like grocery shopping, household repairs," has to wait, Kevin Dippolito said.

The family gets services for the boys at school and has a full-time babysitter, but there is no promise of help once the two sons become adults, and for one son there is little hope of independence.

"The realization that your child won't be going off to college or getting married - even though some achieve that - I think the families of children with disabilities really grieve for what could have been," said Jacqueline Moskowitz, executive director of the Family Support Center of New Jersey.

In some ways, more services are available for caregivers now than at any other time, but the demand is rising, said Tom Krupp, a certified senior adviser and president of Home Helpers in Bucks County.

Life expectancy is increasing as baby boomers enter their senior years, and boomers have had fewer children, said Krupp, who hosts a caregivers support group. Also, relatives often don't live near one another. All of this means a bigger burden on fewer people. Arlene Adam of West Chester has been an only child since her sister died. Her mother, Helen, 80, of Doylestown, had a stroke in 2004. Since then, Helen Adam has had to adjust to a less independent life. That isn't easy for a former businesswoman who taught classes and wrote a book called Joyability: Journeying From Loss to Love.

For Arlene Adam, caring for her mother while holding a full-time job means having to use professional home-care help. It also means shopping, running errands, cooking, and experiencing a parent-child role reversal.

"It's a lot more responsibility and effort, but there is also a lot of love there," Arlene Adam said. "So it's almost like I've gotten to know my mother all over again, because I spend so much time with her now."

For family caregivers such as Adam, experts offer advice. Plan ahead, and don't deny or avoid the issue. Family members should be honest about what they are and are not willing to do, and be open to changes. Consider long-term health insurance. Investigate home health-care professionals when considering their services, and caregivers must be sure to take care of themselves.

If You Go
The first Bucks County Family Caregiver Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Radisson Hotel, 2400 Old Lincoln Highway, Trevose. The expo is free, and preregistration is not required. For more information, visit www.lifetimeexpos.com and click on "Schedule of Upcoming Events."

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