About 23% of American households are caring for someone over the age of 50 (1). The number of employed caregivers in the country is expected to increase over the next 10 years to between 11 and 15.6 million (2). About one-fifth of caregivers give up work temporarily or permanently (3). More and more companies are going to be providing eldercare services and help for working caregivers because if they don’t they are at risk of losing them. (See link to NASW article). I am on the advisory board of a new magazine for caregivers called Caring Today Magazine and write articles in support of caregivers. (www.caringtoday.com)
I offer caregiver support groups for companies as well as counseling and referral services to caregivers.

My Caregiver Story

My mother, Mary Malott, developed Alzhiemer’s disease in her early 60’s. Because she was relatively young to show the symptoms, my family and I were confused at first. Some thought she was experiencing confusion and memory problems because of depression. Eventually her doctor did tests and said she had Alzheimer’s disease. I took mom to the NYU Silverstein Aging and Dementia Research Center. After their lengthy and thorough testing they also concluded that she had Alzheimer’s. At the early stage I used the Alzheimer’s Association for information and support. We also contacted an eldercare attorney, Peter Strauss Esq., who was very helpful.

Mary Malott was an artist all her life. Over the years, she had her works in many group and some individual art shows. She continued to paint in the early stage of the disease but after a while, she would stretch a canvas, get her paints ready but never start the painting. This went on for about a year. Then, one day I was at her loft in SoHo and my daughters were using crayons to draw pictures. My mother sat down with them and did a drawing of one of my daughters. It was different from her other work; she used blue for the hair and shaped the eyes differently. We were very excited by this and encouraged her to continue to do more. Mary did a number of portraits for the next several months until she could no longer do any. Here is a slide show of Mary's paintings from before she developed Alzheimer's disease until she could no longer produce art.

On January 21, 2008 Mary Myart Malott died after an 18 year long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Her life story is a colorful story of challenge and change in efforts to live the authentic artist life. Click here to read her obituary.

Another Caregiver Story

In January of 2010, I embarked on another caregiver experience with my father. My dad, Francis McIntyre, M.D., had a back operation in January, and then many complications afterwards. He was in the hospital until he died on April 3 of multiple organ failure. Caring for my father was very different than caring for my mother. I lived close to my mother and could see her easily and the caregiving lasted for almost 18 years. My father lived in Austin, Texas where I grew up and I was involved from January until he passed in April. In all, I took 8 trips over about ten weeks to Austin to see him in the hospital and help provide care for him. Along with my sisters, Barbara and Sylvia, and husband Michael, we helped in ways the hospital couldn’t such as giving massages and oral care. Most importantly, we shared memories, sang his favorite songs, read him articles, and let him know how much we appreciated his kindness, his sense of adventure, optimism, and gratitude. With help from my sisters, Barbara, and Sylvia, I wrote an obituary to show his amazing life from growing up in Marshall, Indiana to becoming a navigator in WWII as well as a beloved father and family doctor for 48 years. More pictures and articles can be found on Barbara’s website.

(1) 1997 study by National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP
(2) 1999 The MetLife Juggling Act Study
(3) 1997 study by National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP