Labor of Love: The Program for the Study and Support of Caregivers
Excerpt from IMPACT Magazine:
The need for caregivers, and their contribution to health care in the United States, is immense and will only grow as the population ages. “Tens of millions of Americans are taking care of adult family members or friends without pay or fanfare. The reward for their devotion: social isolation, the loss of income, depression and stress-related medical illnesses. They have valuable insights into the life and health of their loved ones, but are seldom acknowledged or even identified as a caregiver,” says Dr. Lachs, who is also the Irene F. and I. Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine. “That has to change, and we are starting to understand how we can impactfully innovate in this space to benefit both patients and their caregivers.”
“Caregivers often neglect their own health, their own well-being and their own needs,” says Dr. Catherine Riffin, an associate professor of psychology in medicine and a member of the new caregiving program. Because problems with their own health may fall under the radar, caregivers are referred to as “invisible patients.”
Dr. Lachs and other members of Weill Cornell’s new Program for the Study and Support of Caregivers want to see both family and professional caregivers receive the assistance and attention that reflects their importance to patients’ health. Drawing on funding from the Hearst Foundation, the program will focus on training caregivers and meeting their needs, while also seeking to better integrate them into the practice of medicine.
- Read more in IMPACT Magazine
- Learn more about the Program for the Study and Support of Caregivers