Fact: Seventy-five percent of TCU employees are over the age of 40. To be even more specific, the current average age of the campus workforce is 49.3, according to Pat Jolley, TCU's department of human resources. “We are an older community here,” she notes, as opposed to an employer who hires a majority of workers just out of college.

That means that most TCU faculty and staff are at the stage in life when we may be dealing with aging parents and family members, possibly while still rearing children. The issues can be difficult on both sides since they tie into personal finances, physical problems, time constraints, and ongoing emotional rollercoaster rides.

“I know how helpless people can feel,” Jolley says, noting that she’s “been there” too, as a caregiver for her mother. You, too, are a caregiver if:

• You worry about the safety or welfare of an aging relative.

• You help an older person with grocery shopping, paying bills, house cleaning.

• You provide personal care (bathing, feeding, grooming) to a person who needs assistance in these areas.

The campus statistics prompted Jolley to create an “Elder Care Resources Handbook” for the TCU community, soon to be posted on the Human Resources web site. “I’ve pulled together a lot of information from a lot of different places,” she notes.

Indeed, the topics range from nursing homes, senior centers, adult daycare, home healthcare and hospice care to legal considerations, managing finances, Medicare/Medicaid and telephone assistance centers.

Pat hopes the handbook will provide practical tips and solutions for TCU’s current and future employees as they come up against these complicated caregiving issues.

Harris School of Nursing professors Charles Walker, Linda Curry and Mildred Hogstel were already researching care of the elderly a few years back when they came up with a series of sessions also aimed at the campus community. Through some fine-tuning of the project, they now offer two opportunities for TCU faculty and staff who find themselves in a care giving situation. There is no charge.

TCU and these members of the nursing faculty have contracted with the Area Agency on Aging to provide resources on their behalf and, in return, receive some funding from AAA with which to continue their research.

Six educational programs are planned throughout the year. They are one-hour sessions, starting at 5:30 p.m., and cover a range of topics faced by those tending to an older person. Guest experts are often used to cover specific subjects, such as an attorney to speak on documents that might be required and potential legal issues.

Then, there are monthly support group meetings for caregivers, scheduled on a separate day. This is a more intimate setting where TCU employees can come together to discuss their feelings and compare notes about the common issues they face. Dr. Walker uses targeted questions to get the conversational ball rolling, and may ask participants to complete surveys that assess their emotional reactions to the stresses and guilt associated with the role of caregiver.

Regular participants sign an informed consent agreement that outlines what they can expect:

• A focus on the needs and experiences of family caregivers for elders who are 60 or older. They are urged to describe their experiences honestly and openly, although there is no pressure to share information. (Research data is transcribed without any personal identification, and only aggregate findings will be reported.

• Participation is strictly voluntary and attendees may withdraw without penalty.

• It is possible that participants will experience psychological discomfort when sharing experiences among peers, although facilitators strive to create an atmosphere of trust and openness.

• Benefits can include reduction of stress by the sharing of experiences and the knowledge that others may be helped by this mutual exchange of information.

For more information, contact Charles Walker at 817-257-7520 or e-mail c.walker@tcu.edu

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