Why a Care Circle?

According to a study conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP in 2020, over 41 million people were reported to have provided care for a family member or friend of age 50+ in 2020, which represented a significant increase compared to 2015 (34.2 million). This number is expected to dramatically increase in the coming years and decades.

Most caregiving tasks fall on the family member living with, or near, the senior, resulting in an uneven distribution of the care “work” across the community to which the senior belongs. This is especially true as more people prefer to age in place. Considering that this care is typically unpaid, it often means a considerable sacrifice to the person carrying the bulk of the care responsibilities.

How can a Care Circle help?

First, what is a Care Circle?  A Care Circle is a group/community of family members, friends and sometimes professional caregivers who come together for the care of a senior for whom they care deeply.  Just like “it takes a village to raise a child,” it can take a community to care for a loved one in need of care.  A Care Circle represents that community – including members who are remote – who can share the load, participate in the care and support each other.

Next, how does a Care Circle work?  Typically, either the Senior – himself or herself – or a family member (we will call them the Care Circle Admin) creates a Care Circle.  In situations where the senior is in control of his/her care needs, the senior is also the Care Circle Admin, or the “leader” of the Care Circle. They invite other family members, friends, neighbors, other community members and professional caregivers as appropriate to the Care Circle.  Acknowledging that it takes a village to take care of someone and everyone sometimes needs some extra help, a Care Circle unites together to share the care responsibilities.

The Care Circle Admin (again, the Senior can have this role) lays out the types of needs the Senior has – and we call this the Needs Assessment.  This can include activities like meal preparation, help getting dressed, or general housekeeping tasks.  It might also include more “fun” things like taking a walk, playing games, chatting over tea, or an outing to the farmers market that are important for physical and mental health.  The power of the Care Circle is sourced from its members coming together to share the caregiving responsibilities, and spending time where possible with the senior.

There are also times when a senior can benefit from inviting a professional caregiver to this village – as the senior journeys across the continuum of care – with other family and friend Care Circle members still engaged to ensure the Senior has ample emotional engagement with their community.

In today’s world, there is much talk of a mental and emotional health crisis unfolding for many, especially for Seniors who can be isolated. Let’s ask: How would mental well being and connectedness improve if we approached our senior care with active and fully engaged Care Circles?