November was National Family Caregivers Month in the United States. So SCA with its incontinence care brand TENA took the opportunity to support and guide family caregivers whose loved ones suffer from incontinence.
There are an estimated 34 million family caregivers in the United States, with many taking care of “loved ones” with incontinence. This number is expected to increase considerably as more seniors are being taken care of at home and as the baby boomer generation ages.
Understanding caregivers
In order to give the right support and guidance, SCA’s TENA-team had to gain insights into what being a caregiver is like. The team uncovered that caregiving is an emotionally charged area with incontinence as one of its most sensitive areas:
Many are extremely overwhelmed (financially, physically and emotionally) by all of the responsibilities they have between career, family and taking care of their aging loved one;
They are emotionally isolated and don’t feel they have anyone to turn to talk about their issues and connect;
They lack a roadmap or guide particularly in the area of incontinence. They make their decisions out of love, a sense of duty and instinct.
Reaching out
SCA’s TENA-team is using different channels to reach the caregivers:
Social media services Facebook and Twitter are helping create a community of caregivers. At the same time more user-friendly features like audio introductions for each page have been added on the “Looking after loved ones” section on www.tena.us, a comprehensive source of incontinence and caregiving information.
Caregivers were rewarded with a much-deserved night out on the town in return for tips and stories to share on www.tena.us. In addition caregiver expert, Ann Cason, will join the TENA Board of Experts. Cason is an author and the founder and director of Circles of Care, which provides caregiving, consulting, and training services for families and caregivers of elderly people.
Moreover SCA has established a partnership with Caring.com – a leading online caregiver destination. SCA and Caring.com published the results from the survey about caring for elderly loved ones with incontinence.
Text Konstantin C Irina More information Amy Bellcourt (amy.bellcourt@sca.com)