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With caregiver shortage, retirees are filling those roles
Florida needs good caregivers and younger retirees are stepping in to help and finding a rewarding career in their second chapter.
Caregiver Kim Snyder helps prepare meals for her client, 92-year-old Charlotte Goldberg.
"Anything I need, I think she would do," said Goldberg.
"It was like walking into somebody's family home and becoming part of the family right away. It was amazing," said Snyder.
She helps Goldberg with tasks when her family can't be there.
"Someone to drive her to some places safely. Someone who would watch out for her the same way we would watch out for her," said Goldberg's daughter, Susan Kagan.
Snyder is also filling a shortage in the caregiver industry.
"I'm hearing it's a lot. It's very severe. Through this whole COVID thing, being in lockdown for so long a lot of caregivers, their loved ones have declined, and now they need more help than ever and in being home with their loved ones they've realized that they need more help, and it's tough to get," said caregiver advocate, Linda Burhans.
Goldberg's family found Kim through the organization, Seniors Helping Seniors.
"Hiring active seniors to take care of less active seniors, so think 50-70-year-olds helping out 80-100-year-olds. The supply and demand are completely out of whack. People are calling us every day because they can't find caregivers or referral sources, and they're having a hard time finding caregivers. So, it's a real crisis that's only going to get worse over the next 10 years," said Andy Malivuk of Seniors Helping Seniors.
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"You help the people stay in their homes and keep them out of the nursing homes and I thought what a cool concept. I recently retired after 30 years with UPS, and I was in corporate America at that point and when I walked away, I was too young to not do anything and I like to stay active. I'm a very active person, but I wanted to do something that was rewarding," said Snyder.
The home care industry is looking for more people like Snyder to step in to assist.
"We've been trying to target retired teachers, retired police officers, retired first responders maybe even retired nurses that are looking to do something with heart but is not as strenuous or stressful as their prior careers were and caregiving can definitely be that," said Becky Moultrie of Assisting Hands Home Care.
And there's flexibility.
"We can work around schedules and build something that works for them and works for the family we're serving," said Moultrie.
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Snyder said the biggest benefit has been working with clients like Goldberg.
"It's made me realize the value of life. The value of being kind. The value of being there and the value of just saying wow...what can I do for you today? How can I make your life easier today?" said Snyder.
For information about Seniors Helping Seniors, head to their website: https://seniorshelpingseniors.com
For information about Assisting Hands Home Care, click here: https://assistinghands.com/41/florida/stpete/
For additional caregiving resources, you can check out: https://lindaburhans.com/