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>> Woman: A lot of people think
that caregiving is just for the elderly.
It could be caring for your spouse,
your children, your grandchildren.
You know, a lot of them don't even recognize
or acknowledge themselves as being caregivers.
>> You know, sometimes it can be overwhelming,
depending upon the condition of the person
for whom you're caring.
With Called to Care,
we're taught how to separate the emotions
in order to give better care to the person.
>> What we know is that most healthcare takes place
not in the hospital and not in clinics,
but in the home.
One out of every five adults in America
is serving as a family caregiver.
We're finding that they are taking on tasks
that we used to think of as more nursing tasks,
sometimes providing wound care, ostomy care,
helping provide equipment,
doing intravenous feeding.
We often refer to them as healthcare's invisible workforce,
and part of this project is to make sure
they're no longer invisible.
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>> Good morning.
Thank you for calling Called to Care.
This is Tammy.
Can I help you?
I am the first person that they talk to.
That phone number on the brochure is everything that's me.
I try to find out what it is they need.
Sometimes, they don't even know.
Listening to them,
I've learned to kind of figure out what it is,
which direction to put them in.
You know, caregivers,
they're unsung heroes.
>> Coming here and hearing your story,
and that support for me,
that hey, I can make it.
If she can make it,
I can make it, you know?
>> As a family caregiver,
I know it's a very challenging, often stressful time.
You need to ease that and to find answers.
That's where Called to Care really comes in
to make a difference.
>> Maybe there's a son or daughter that lives with them,
but of course, that son or daughter probably works.
>> Linda: We're about the encouragement,
equipping families.
>> So, we offer education.
We offer support,
and we offer community partnerships.
We have providers that we have from the hospital,
volunteers actually that come out.
It can be from doctors, nurses, social workers.
We also have our personal community partners.
It could Meals on Wheels one week.
It could be Maryland Legal Aid Society,
Maryland Benefits Trust,
Alzheimer's Association,
it could be any of them.
So, we bring those entities together with caregivers.
>> Thank you very much
for having the Called to Care team here at Mount Pleasant--
>> Hospitals and healthcare systems cannot meet all the needs
of the patients and families they serve.
>> And the community relations coordinator for the--
>> Dan: They're going to need to develop partnerships.
>> When you have these kind of programs
coming across the pulpit that's endorsed,
that this is already vetted,
then they know that this is something that they can trust.
Anything that we can offer to make sure
that our membership,
even outside these walls,
are cared for in the best possible way,
we're all for.
>> I had three doctors refuse to see me--
>> What we've learned at Johns Hopkins Bayview
and what we're really building on is that
you have to do more than provide simply direct medical care,
that to provide good, whole-person care,
you need to be looking at their family situation,
their home situation,
their social networks,
the resources in the community
that they may not be accessing.
>> Some people need maybe support groups,
or maybe they need food,
or maybe they need assistance with paying a utility bill.
You know, so we can also help them
to meet those needs as well.
>> I really like that they're listening to us.
It's not their agenda.
They ask us.
>> What I wanted to say is--
>> It's been very well-received.
We've reached,
if you count all the different programs
within our overall program,
well over 10,000 people.
>> I think we could absolutely replicate this across the,
not only across the state,
but across the country.
I would love to see Called to Care in every state.
>> Oh, I love it, yes.
Yes, I've never seen anything like it.
I think they are fulfilling a great need
because we have so many people
who are just falling between the cracks,
and they don't know how to access help.
So, I think this is wonderful.
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