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Dr. Dan Kiehart was thankful to find the support he needed to help him arrange for care of his elderly father, an accomplished painter. Dr. Kiehart displays one of his father's paintings on his bookshelf. |
Elder Care Support Helps Professor in Time of Need
Dr. Dan Kiehart, a biology professor at Duke
University, knows firsthand what kind of struggles and
hardships can be involved in caring for an elderly family
member.
Retired and living an active life with his wife in
Connecticut, Dr. Kiehart's father, Paul P. Kiehart, was
diagnosed at age 86 with dementia. While it became
increasingly difficult for his father to take care of himself, he
and his wife did not want to move from their Connecticut
home of 20 years, even if it meant being in North Carolina
where Dr. Kiehart could better assist them.
Despite his parents' desire to stay in Connecticut, Dr.
Kiehart was concerned that their needs were not being
met. The stress involved in dealing with his father's
condition quickly began to take a toll on Dr. Kiehart,
his wife and their teenage sons.
"I began to ask myself ‘when is it appropriate to try and
make decisions for my parents?'" said Dr. Kiehart. He
decided he needed help and support in making the
right decisions and turned to Duke's Personal
Assistance Service (PAS).
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Personal Assistance Service: |
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Offers free confidential assessment,
short-term counseling, and referrals to all Duke faculty, staff and members of
their immediate families |
Duke Family Support Program: |
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Offers free confidential elder care
consultations for Duke employees and their families |
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PAS is a counseling and referral service that offers
assistance to Duke faculty and staff suffering from a
range of personal, work, and family problems. When
Dr. Kiehart went to PAS for the first time, he met with
Andy Silberman, director of PAS, and they discussed the
stress involved in caring for a parent with dementia.
"It is a major transition when an adult child has to
assume a different role with their parent," said
Silberman. "When they have to begin helping their
parents make decisions or, in some cases, make
decisions outright, it can be very difficult."
"I can't say enough good things about PAS," said Dr.
Kiehart. "I really appreciated the opportunity to discuss
something that was bothering me and based on our
conversations, Andy referred me to the
Duke Family
Support Program. With their expertise in elder care,
Andy suggested that they could help me make informed
decisions about my parents."
The Duke Family Support Program offers free
confidential elder care consultations for Duke faculty,
staff, and their families. These consultations include
not only talking about the emotional issues involved
with elder care, but also discussing local elder care
resources, determining costs, and locating facilities.
Lisa Gwyther, director of the Duke Family Support
Program, met with Dr. Kiehart and pointed out that
as long as his mother was capable of making decisions,
it was appropriate to support her in doing so. Through
contacts in Connecticut initially identified by Gwyther's
office, Dr. Kiehart and his family were able to set up the
support system required to help his parents make the
difficult decisions that faced them.
"Lisa was extremely helpful and forthcoming," said Dr.
Kiehart. "She took time for me on the telephone and in
person. The fact that Duke is so sufficiently interested
in the well-being of employees and their family
members is fantastic. I am thankful these resources
were available to me during my time of need."
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