CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson +1 303-810-1816

Email:   Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com  

December 8, 2021, Denver, CO- Caregiver subject matter expert Pamela D. Wilson hosts Episode 115 of The Caring Generation® podcast show for caregivers and aging adults. Wilson talks about caregiving and the ethical dilemmas related to good care, living a good life, and managing health declines. Guest Dr. Robert Lefever contrasts, caregiving, caretaking, and addictive behaviors. 

Caregiving vs. Caretaking?

Caregiving is often viewed as a one-sided relationship with one person caring or assisting another person who needs help. But what about the bigger picture of how poor health eventually results in the need for a caregiver.

One aspect not usually considered is the obligations and responsibilities that caregivers and care receivers have to their own lives that impact federal healthcare spending. While consumers express concern about rising healthcare costs, few realize that 56% of the United State's federal budget is attributed to Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Chip, social security, and safety net programs.

How many caregivers place their health and well-being at risk and become a person who needs care, forcing children or other family members to become caretakers? Isolation, loneliness, being a burden, or relying on family members to be caregivers transfers from generation to generation.

How Do Caregivers Know What They Don't Know?

How does the idea of "honor one's parents" compete with the concept of marriage and  the vow, "in sickness and until death do us part." Unfortunately, due to a lack of life experience, most caregivers begin helping and find themselves in over their heads buried in a list of overwhelming responsibilities.

Caregivers who are thrown into navigating care from all aspects—medical, financial, legal, and family—make mistakes because of not realizing the situation's complexity or long-term consequences of decisions. In addition, components of the healthcare system like hospitals, health insurance companies, nursing homes, and others have priorities that compete or conflict with individual well-being. Wilson shares these and other ethical components of caregiving relationships during this episode.

Dr. Robert Lefever – International Expert on Caretaking, Addictive and Compulsive Behaviors from the UK

Dr. Lefever created the first rehabilitation center in the world to treat all addictions. In the UK, he was also the first to treat patients with eating disorders alongside those with drug and alcohol problems, compulsive gambling, internet addiction, workaholism, and identify and treat compulsive helping.

He is regarded as the pioneer of modern addiction treatment methods in rehab centers in the UK. Dr. Lefever has worked with over 8,000 addicts suffering from various forms of addictive and compulsive behavior as well as stress and depression and their families in the previous thirty years and ran a busy private medical practice in South Kensington (PROMIS Recovery Centre).

He identified the Lefever Clusters of Addictive Behaviors (Hedonistic, Nurturing of Self, Relationships), as well as 4 of the 12 specific characteristics of addiction. Additionally, he treats "compulsive helping" as an addictive behavior when people do too much for others and too little for themselves and has pioneered its treatment.

He now uses his considerable experience to provide intensive private one-to-one care for individuals and their families, including an intensive 2-week intervention, in complete confidentiality – instead of the group programs offered elsewhere. Lefever is a regular contributor to the BBC.

Family and Group Caregiver Programs

Wilson supports family caregivers, groups, and corporations worldwide by offering education for caregivers about managing, planning, and navigating health and aging issues. More about Wilson's online courses for elderly care, individual elder care consultations, caregiver support, webinars, speaking engagements, and brand collaborations are on her website www.pameladwilson.com. Pamela may also be contacted at +1 303-810-1816 or through the contact Me page on her website.

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