I read with great interest the guest opinion by Laurie Overbay-Barker in the April 24 Wrangell Sentinel. She brought up important issues related to the challenging and invaluable work of paid caregiving. My thoughts are running in a related direction.
Our town’s aging population has a growing number of folks who could benefit from support to maintain an enjoyable and safe quality of life. We currently have a patchwork system of family, community and paid supports that doesn’t cover everyone. Current caregivers, paid and unpaid, often feel overburdened and burned out.
The hospital’s long-term care unit provides great care for those who navigate the financial and medical hurdles for admission. However, a large majority of people would prefer to remain in their own homes as they become frail.
In years past, Hospice of Wrangell trained volunteers to provide respite care, help with errands or other services. This was curtailed by the arrival of COVID. We now hope to resume recruitment of people willing and able to go through an orientation training and then volunteer a couple of hours each week to support others.
Many people shy away from the idea of being a volunteer caregiver. We hope that providing sensible guidelines for the benefit of the client and the volunteer, plus basic training and ongoing supervision, will fill some of the holes in Wrangell’s ragged patchwork of support services.
Alice Rooney, president
Hospice of Wrangell
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