Family Caregiver Support Program

Are you the caregiver for a family member or loved one?  Visit our Caregiver Forum!

Do any of these activities sound familiar to you?

Providing unpaid assistance for someone with the following:

Have you found yourself having to leave your employment or no longer able to participate in hobbies/activities you once enjoyed?  Have you ever changed vacation plans or missed out on time with family or friends in order to provide care for someone?

If you answered yes to any or all of these activities, chances are you are a caregiver.  Often times, it may be unclear exactly when you have made that transition to being a caregiver or how to know what to do next.

Each and every family is unique with their own set of needs, however there is information that can benefit all caregivers, no matter what stage of caregiving you are in. From the caregiver who is just starting out, to the caregiver experiencing burn out, or those planning for long term care and or end of life decisions.

Click here for more caregiver information and resources.

Connecting with other caregivers and sharing experiences is also another invaluable resource.  Visit our Caregiver Forum. Local support groups can be found on our Community Calendar.

 

How we may be able to help.

Caregivers face a substantial emotional, physical, and financial toll when caring for their loved ones. Recognizing the importance of family caregivers and the role they play in long term care, Congress has allocated funding to provide support to caregivers who are responsible for the care of their loved ones.

The National Family Caregiver Support Program was established in the year 2000 as part of the Older Americans Act funded through Title III-E. The program provides five key services to caregivers who are:

• Adult family members or other informal caregivers age 18 and older providing care to individuals 60 years of age and older; or individuals of any age with Alzheimer’s disease and/or related disorders
• Grandparents and other relatives (not parents) 55 years of age and older providing care to children under the age of 18; or adults age 18-59 with disabilities.

Through the Family Caregiver Support Program, Trident Area Agency on Aging may provide family caregivers with the following services:

• Information to caregivers about available resources
• Assistance to families in locating services, to both private and volunteer agencies.
• Caregiver training, peer support, and counseling to help families cope with the emotional and physical stresses associated with caring for a loved one.
• Financial assistance for Respite Care Services.  What is respite?
• Supplemental Services, on a limited basis. What are supplemental services?

Caregiver’s Bill of Rights

By: Jo Horne
Author of Caregiving: Helping an Aging Loved One

I have the right:
To take care of myself. This is not an act of selfishness. It will enable me to take better care of my loved one.

I have the right:
To seek help from others even though my loved one may object. I recognize the limits of my own endurance and strength.

I have the right:
To maintain facets of my own life that do not include the person I care for, just as I would if he or she were healthy. I know that I do everything that I reasonably can for this person, and I have the right to do some things for myself.

I have the right:
To get angry, be depressed and express other difficult emotions occasionally.

I have the right:
To reject any attempt by my loved one (either conscious or unconscious) to manipulate me through guilt, anger or depression.

I have the right:
To receive consideration, affection, forgiveness and acceptance from my loved one for as long as I offer these qualities in return.

I have the right:
To take pride in what I am accomplishing and to applaud the courage it sometimes takes to meet the needs of my loved one.

I have the right:
To protect my individuality and my right to make a life for myself that will sustain me when my loved one no longer needs my full-time help.

I have the right:
To expect and demand that as new strides are made in finding resources to aid physically and mentally impaired persons in our country, similar strides will be made toward aiding and supporting caregivers.