Ever Heard Of Careology?

By Kathleen Doman, Community Care Manager

Earth has been populated by humans for about 200,000 years. During that time mankind has learned to care for their young, their ill, and their elderly.

How is it that humankind still hasn't created a word to describe the art of caring for the needs of our loved ones?

I propose the word “careology.”

Webster's defines “care” as 1) effort made to do something correctly, safely, or without causing damage, 2) things that are done to keep someone healthy, safe, etc. 3) things that are done to keep something in good condition

“Ology” is defined as any science or branch of knowledge.

Therefore, careology could be considered the science and study of caring.

We care about many people our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. We also care about many things our job, home, finances and health.

We can consult many professionals to assist us with all of the previously mentioned things we care about teachers, social workers, physicians, human resource experts, stockbrokers, bankers, lending experts, and accountants, to name a few.

There are words in Webster's Dictionary to define many different sciences. Those sciences exist because people studied and created courses of study to share their knowledge with others. It seems no one has really put forth the effort to develop the science of helping our parents as they age or our terminally-ill loved ones and their families.

There are well meaning social workers and discharge planners who do a fabulous job at getting people home after suffering a stroke, broken hip, heart attack, or are diagnosed with dementia or other long-term illness. They recommend services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutritional counseling, etc. In some cases they recommend 24-hour non-medical in-home care and supervision (for a period of time or permanently) for health and safety reasons.

Many times it is problematic to care for mom and dad every day, even though you do care. Mom and Dad do not want a stranger providing personal care for them in their home and children feel guilty that they can't be there. That is when a careology expert is truly needed.

A careologist analyzes and plans for the well-being of everyone involved. They not only care for your parents, they care for the son or daughter who is frustrated because they cannot be there 24/7, they care for the professional care provider who may be hired to care for mom and dad, and they care for all the non-responsible family members who love those affected. The need for care is dynamic and exponential. Therefore, a professional careologist is beneficial in every case to ensure the needs of everyone involved are addressed.