New LGBTQ Caregiver Support Group

Health, Uncategorized / LGBTQ Caregiver

We are excited to share that we have teamed up with Duet Partners in Health and Aging to sponsor a new Virtual LGBTQ Family Caregiver Support Group! The support group will take place the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10am to 11:30am.

Introduction

Caring for a loved one can be a challenging experience, but it can be even more difficult when your loved one is part of the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ caregivers face unique challenges and experiences that can be difficult to navigate alone. That’s why a new virtual LGBTQ caregiver support group has been created to provide a safe and inclusive space for caregivers to connect with others who understand their experiences and offer support and guidance.

What is a Virtual LGBTQ Caregiver Support Group?

A virtual LGBTQ caregiver support group is a space where LGBTQ caregivers can come together to share their experiences, ask for advice, and find support from others who understand what they’re going through. The support group is conducted entirely online, through a video conferencing platform, which makes it accessible to caregivers regardless of their location or schedule.

The support group provides a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ caregivers to discuss their experiences and connect with others who are going through similar challenges. Participants are encouraged to share their stories, ask questions, and offer support to others in the group. The support group is facilitated by a trained professional who ensures that the discussions remain respectful and supportive.

Why is a LGBTQ Caregiver Support Group Needed?

Caring for an LGBTQ loved one can be a complex and challenging experience. LGBTQ caregivers often face unique challenges that can be difficult to navigate alone. These challenges can include dealing with societal stigma and discrimination, accessing appropriate healthcare services, and supporting their loved one’s gender and sexual identity.

In addition, LGBTQ caregivers may face challenges related to their own identity and experiences. For example, they may feel isolated or unsupported because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They may also struggle to balance their caregiving responsibilities with their own personal and professional lives.

A virtual LGBTQ caregiver support group is needed to provide a safe and supportive space where caregivers can connect with others who understand their experiences and offer support and guidance. The support group can help caregivers feel less alone, build a sense of community and belonging, and provide valuable resources and information on how to navigate the challenges of caring for an LGBTQ loved one.

Benefits of a Virtual LGBTQ Caregiver Support Group

There are many benefits to participating in a virtual LGBTQ caregiver support group. These benefits include:

A Safe and Supportive Space: The support group provides a safe and inclusive space where caregivers can share their experiences and find support from others who understand what they’re going through.
Connection and Community: The support group helps caregivers connect with others who are going through similar experiences and build a sense of community and belonging.
Information and Resources: The support group provides caregivers with valuable information and resources on how to navigate the challenges of caring for an LGBTQ loved one.
Emotional Support: The support group provides emotional support to caregivers, who may be struggling with feelings of isolation, stress, or burnout.
Professional Facilitation: The support group is facilitated by a trained professional who ensures that the discussions remain respectful and supportive.
Accessibility: The support group is conducted entirely online, which makes it accessible to caregivers regardless of their location or schedule.

How to Join the Virtual LGBTQ Caregiver Support Group

If you’re interested in joining this virtual LGBTQ Caregiver Support group, email us at lgbtqcaregivers@gmail.com and we will provide you with the Zoom information!

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Caregiver Burnout: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

10 Comments / Health, Uncategorized / LGBTQ Caregiver

Featured Image link - Source pexels.com

Caregivers assist a person in need with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and recreation. In addition to that, they also prepare food for the care recipient and do their shopping for them. Here’s a point to note, the level of care a person needs increases with time. The caregiver contributes more of their time and energy with each passing day. There comes a point when they begin to sense fatigue, and feel emotionally numb.

What is caregiver burnout?

This feeling of perpetual tiredness and hopelessness is known as caregiver burnout. A caregiver can go from loving the person they care for to hating them in a matter of days. This is also the phase where a caregiver may act irrationally. Hence, a doctor’s intervention is crucial.

Such a situation often arises when a person is a caregiver for a family member with a neurodegenerative disorder such as Dementia. The care recipient continues to lose their memory and cognitive abilities, and the burden of care falls on their family member, who is acting as a caregiver.

Main causes of caregiver burnout

Newbie caregivers are often overly motivated to help their loved ones, and as a result, fail to take care of themselves in the process. If this sounds like you, take a deep breath, and pause to think about what you can do to make a positive change in your life.

Below, I share some factors that may cause burnout in caregivers:

1. Unrealistic expectations

Caregivers can have unrealistic expectations of themselves and the person they are caring for. For instance, they may decide to juggle between their day job and caregiving without taking into account the challenges involved in it.

Also, the person they are caring for may not get better with time. Caregivers often blame themselves when their loved one’s health continues to decline despite their efforts to nurse them back to health.

2. Financial burden

The economic impact of providing unpaid care to an older adult in the family can be immense. State health insurance assistance programs such as Medicare and Mediclaim can indeed lower the financial burden on caregivers, but they still have to endure out-of-pocket expenses. As a consequence, they often feel uneasy and unsettled.

3. Loneliness and isolation

Caregivers of chronically ill and physically isolated older adults are more likely to be at risk of social isolation, says a study by Weill Cornell Medicine. As the care recipient is homebound, their caregiver— who is busy taking care of them— also spends most of their time indoors.

4. Role confusion

Role confusion can occur when an adult child of an older person is offering them unpaid care. Earlier, the parent used to care for the child, now the same parent looks to the adult child to fulfill their emotional and physiological needs. This kind of role reversal can pose a significant challenge for the caregiver.

5. Spending no time alone

Spending all the time caring for a loved one can be satisfying in the short term, but its long-term effects can be damaging to a caregiver’s mental health. A caregiver needs to explore their interests while they offer unpaid care. Caregivers who spend all the time with the care recipient lack creativity and thoughtfulness.

Signs and symptoms

Caregiver burnout is a severe mental health illness and should not be taken lightly. Most caregivers are too busy taking care of their loved one, and as a result, do not catch the early signs of caregiver burnout. For a quick recovery, it is important to diagnose this condition early.

The following are signs and symptoms of caregiver burnout:

Feeling tired all the time
Lacking creativity
Sudden weight loss or gain
Change in sleep patterns
Feeling uncertain about the future
Getting sick frequently
Avoiding social interactions with neighbors
Getting irritated over small things
Losing interest in everything

Treatment options

1. Join a support group in your area

Every caregiver support group has a leader whose responsibility is to initiate a conversation with new joiners. The leader makes you feel welcome right away. You just have to take a couple of hours a month from your busy schedule. A good support group has a relaxed and laid-back setting where members feel comfortable sharing what they feel.

2. Get some exercise

Regular exercise can boost the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins. You will begin to feel better about yourself. You can also consider exercising with the care recipient (with the doctor’s consent). Exercising will help you recover from caregiver burnout by decreasing your overall stress levels.

3. Practice Kirtan Kriya meditation

Practicing Kirtan Kriya, 12 minutes per day, can lower levels of depressive symptoms, says a study by UCLA geriatric psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky, Ph.D. Kirtan Kriya is a form of meditation involving singing sounds (such as Saa Taa Naa Maa) with finger movements called Mudras. This YouTube video explains it very well.

4. Start eating healthy

Busy caregivers need to eat on time and stay hydrated throughout the day. You can prepare your meals ahead of time if you are too tired to cook when you get back home from work.

The morning time can be hectic for caregivers. Care recipients rely on their caregivers for bathroom and toileting assistance in the morning. Due to time constraints, caregivers tend to skip breakfast, which should be a key part of their morning routine.

Have a healthy breakfast every day to stay energetic and focused throughout the day. Also, have healthy snacks available to you so you don’t go hungry in between meals.

5. Get restful sleep

A good night’s sleep keeps you rested, focused, and alert the next day. Create a good sleep environment in your room. Make the sleeping area as dark as possible. Also, keep the temperature cool— the ideal temperature for sleeping is between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. If you tend to worry too much at night, set aside time in the evening to think.

Summary

Caring for a loved one is rewarding but a demanding role. Relentless caregiving can take a toll on your body and mind. It can leave you tired, frustrated, and full of guilt. Hence, you must give yourself a break every once in a while.

You can ask other families to fill in for you whenever you feel like taking a break. You can also delegate the caregiving duties to a professional caregiver.

Lastly, use the US government’s eldercare locator to find local support resources in your area. This is a free-of-cost service for family caregivers who need home-cooked meals, transportation services, training, and resources related to eldercare.

Author bio:

I am Ryan Wilson (He/Him/His), a family caregiver and the author of alzheimerslab.com. I can help you overcome the challenges involved in informal caregiving.

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Parkinson’s Research with Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity

21 Comments / Health, Research / LGBTQ Caregiver

Research Title: Parkinson’s Research with Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity

Organization: University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

Study Purpose: This study is focused on understanding the health and health care needs of the LGBTQIA+ population living with Parkinson’s and their caregivers. The study consists of a 45min phone survey with people with Parkinson’s and a 45min survey for their caregivers. All surveys/interviews will be conducted over the phone.

Website to participate in the study: N/A

Target Population: This is a national study available to the following individuals, 18 years or older living in the United States:

LGBTQIA+ participants living with Parkinson’s
Caregivers of LGBTQIA+ participants living with Parkinson’s

Research incentives/Benefits: All participants who complete the survey will receive a $25 Visa gift card.

If selected, twenty-five caregivers of people living with Parkinson’s disease who complete a one-on-one interview will receive an additional $25 Visa gift card.

Estimated Time Commitment: Minimum of ~45-60min for the phone survey; an additional 1 hour for caregivers selected for an interview

Primary Contact: Jason Flatt

To participate, email: jason.flatt@unlv.edu

Recruitment begins: 08/01/2022

Recruitment Ends: 01/01/2024

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Department of Veterans Affairs Approves Gender Affirming Surgeries

67 Comments / Health / LGBTQ Caregiver

From Department of Veterans Affairs

VA currently provides all medically necessary gender-affirming care to transgender Veterans with the exception of gender-affirming surgical interventions, due to an exclusion in the VA medical benefits package. The LGBTQ+ Health Program is pleased to share that in the summer 2021, VA will be initiating the rulemaking process to modify the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to expand VA’s care to transgender Veterans to include gender-affirming surgery.

VA currently provides all medically necessary gender-affirming care to transgender Veterans with the exception of gender-affirming surgical interventions, due to an exclusion in the VA medical benefits package.
Gender-affirming procedures have been proven effective at mitigating serious health conditions, including , substance abuse, and dysphoria.
Removing this exclusion would allow VA to provide transgender and gender diverse Veterans with coordinated, medically necessary, transition-related surgical procedures. In addition, revising the medical benefits package would enable a safe, coordinated continuum of care that is Veteran-centric and consistent with VA’s values of equity and respect for all Veterans.
The entire rulemaking process can take approximately two years and includes a period of public comment. This will allow VA to develop the framework to provide the full continuum of care in a way that is consistent with VA’s rigorous standards for quality health care.
During the rulemaking process, VA will continue to provide or pay for the services it currently offers, including corrective procedures after gender affirming surgeries a Veteran obtains outside VA, hormone therapy, and other gender affirming care.

For more information visit www.patientcare.va.gov/lgbt/

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Mental Health Services Needed to Treat Emotional Distress During the Pandemic

12 Comments / Health / LGBTQ Caregiver

By Dr. Marcy Adelman–

Jan is a 71-year-old lesbian and a diabetic. She lives alone and prides herself on her independence. She is quick to tell you she is a happily retired jack of all trades and now an aspiring photographer. Pre-pandemic she enjoyed doing portraits but COVID-19 and shelter in place (CSIP) put the portraits on hold. She is concerned that diabetes and her compromised immune system put her at greater risk for COVID-19.

From March to May, Jan rarely left her apartment. By mid-May she found herself feeling stressed and out of sorts. She told me for the San Francisco Bay Times, “It was like I was anxious all the time but I didn’t know about what. I was tired no matter how much I slept. I just didn’t feel right.”

In early June she decided she needed to do something new. “I thought, if I don’t get the hell out of this apartment, I am going to go crazy,” she explained. Now, most days Jan can be found on long solitary hikes in the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area countryside taking photographs of birds, redwoods, reservoirs and flowers. I asked Jan how that was working out for her and she replied, “For the most part, that tiredness and anxiety and feeling out of sorts has gone. I can get that way from time to time, but it isn’t an everyday thing anymore.”

Jan isn’t alone in feeling stressed and anxious. The impact on the mental health of older adults living in the time of COVID-19 and shelter in place has been well documented. In a recent Kaiser study, one in four adults age 65+ reported anxiety or depression during the early months of the pandemic compared to one in 10 older adults in a pre-COVID study. Sometimes a simple intervention can help people feel better and less stressed, such as in Jan’s situation, but for many others who are experiencing more severe emotional distress, telehealth counseling with a licensed therapist may be the treatment of choice.

These are stressful times, what with the social and physical limitations imposed on our daily lives, the isolation of sheltering in place, the threat of ourselves or our loved ones being infected and killed by the deadly virus, the loss of jobs or fear of losing our jobs or our homes, and, finally, the heartbreaking loss of family and friends to the virus. Pandemic mental health research tells us that CSIP stress is a common experience regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or gender. But studies also have reported elevated levels of emotional distress in certain populations and communities, especially those communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic, such as older adult women; people with a previous history of anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and Black, Indigenous, Latinx and people of color (BILPOC).

There are currently no studies on the impact of CSIP on the mental health of LGBTQ+ older adults. But in a previous “Aging in Community” column
(https://tinyurl.com/9vdj493a), San Francisco LGBTQ+ senior service providers vividly described the initial distressing impact of the pandemic on the communities they serve—communities that lived through decades of oppression and trauma and now lack the mental health services to assist them through this difficult time.

During CSIP, women have reported higher rates of depression then men. Older adult women are more likely than older adult men to have poor health and to live in poverty. These two factors, poor health and economic insecurity, are related to increased levels of emotional distress. The pandemic has further exacerbated these gender differences.

Studies have reported that people with previous histories of psychological distress, in particular low- and moderate-income older adults, were vulnerable to being triggered during the initial stage of the pandemic. At first little was known about the virus—how long the emergency would last, how long we would be asked to socially isolate ourselves and wear a mask, and which experts to listen to. Our lives were disrupted and delayed through no fault of our own, and every day, more and more people were dying. It is a measure of resiliency that given the chaos, uncertainty, and danger, more people weren’t pushed beyond their limits. Older adults with economic, housing, and/or food insecurities and a previous history of anxiety, depression, or PTSD are more vulnerable to CSIP stress.

CDC data reports that BILPOC communities have been disproportionately affected by CSIP. Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities have experienced the highest rates of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. These communities are at greater risk for severity of illness than white communities due to longstanding health disparities. BILPOC communities have higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses than white communities. Historically, these communities have been underserved and underfunded due to systemic racism and economic injustice.

The loss of beloved family members and friends and the increased risk of infection has weighed heavily on the BILPOC communities. Understandably, surveys have reported significantly elevated rates of emotional distress, such as grief, loss, anxiety, depression, and trauma.

We can do something about this mental health crisis. We need to see more accessible, affordable, and culturally informed mental health services for all older adults, but especially women, low to moderate income older adults, and underserved communities, such as the BILPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. State and local governments and philanthropic organizations need to fund senior-centric, coordinated mental health programs and services to those most impacted by CSIP: low- and moderate-income women, and BILPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.

Dr. Marcy Adelman, a psychologist and LGBTQ+ longevity advocate and policy adviser, oversees the Aging in Community column. She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Governor’s Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California, and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee. She is the Co-Founder of Openhouse, the only San Francisco nonprofit exclusively focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ older adults.

http://sfbaytimes.com/mental-health-services-needed-to-treat-emotional-distress-during-the-pandemic/

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