For Caregivers

On February 1, 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a toll-free National Caregiver Support Line housed at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center campus in Canandaigua, New York. The toll-free number is 1-855-260-3274. This support line will serve as a primary resource/referral center to assist caregivers, Veterans and others seeking caregiver information to help in the care of our nation's veterans. Calls to The National Caregiver Support Line will be answered by VA employees who are licensed clinical social workers. The support line is also available to respond to inquiries about caregiver benefits associated with Public Law 111-163, Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010.
 
The concept of a "holiday" is an elusive one for the more than 28 million people in the United States who provide care for someone age 75 or older. A 2009 National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP study found that 88 percent of family caregivers never get a break from this full-time job. As readers here know all too well, the non-stop effort can take both a physical and emotional toll over time.

National Alliance for Caregiving
The National Alliance for Caregiving provides support to family caregivers and the professionals who help them and works to increase public awareness of issues facing family caregivers.

Caregivers Toolkit
The purpose of the toolkit is sharpen awareness of caregivers as an at-risk population, whose own needs should be determined by an assessment; and to helping develop and implement an appropriate caregiver assessment process.

Family Caregiver Support: State Facts at a Glance
The National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures and funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging, released the "Family Caregiver Support: State Facts at a Glance." The report provides information by state about family caregivers, the state-level programs that serve them, and legislation introduced and enacted. The report may be found on the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) website at www.ncsl.org/programs/health/forum/caregiversupport.htm.

Interrelatedness of Care-Receiver and Caregiver Tasks
Resource for caregiving at life's end from the Hospice Institute of the Florida Suncoast.

The Caregivers Handbook (PDF)
This handbook, developed to accompany a PBS broadcast of Caring for Your Parents, helps caregivers in locating eldercare information and services, finding national and local caregiving organizations, and choosing appropriate caregiving services and resources. 

End of Life booklets for Caregivers
For those of you involved in supporting caregivers dealing with end of life issues, the University of Hawaii, under an AoA National Family Caregiver Support Program Innovation Grant, produced a series of five booklets for caregivers.

Family Caregiver Alliance Online Caregiving Workshops
The workshops offer caregivers the unique opportunity to learn practical care skills from expert instructors without leaving the convenience of their home or office. Each title in the archive is available free and includes an audio file and companion written materials.

Current workshop titles:

  • Caring Together! Sharing Caregiving Responsibilities with Siblings and other Family Members
  • How Do You Know If You Have a Memory Problem?
  • Here but Not Here-Finding Hope When Your Loved One Has Memory Loss
  • Keeping Away the Caregiver Blues
  • Medications: Safe and Less Expensive Drug Therapy-A Caregiver's Role
  • There Must Be A Better Way Than This! Communicating with Someone with Dementia
  • Understanding and Treating Difficult Dementia Behaviors
  • Understanding Stroke and Vascular Dementia

Full Circle of Care
The Full Circle of Care website provides information to address the practical realities of caregiving. The site provides local resource links for the entire state of North Carolina and provides links to other state "Divisions of Aging" and Area Agencies on Aging to address the needs of long-distance caregivers.
  

The Brookdale Foundation Group consists of The Brookdale Foundation, The Glendale Foundation and Ramapo Trust. All were endowed by the Schwartz Family and share a common outlook and purpose. Although Henry, Irving, Robert, Benjamin, and Arnold Schwartz are deceased, their vision and compassion remain the driving force as they focus on the needs and challenges of America's elderly. Their mission is to enhance the quality of life for America's senior citizens and to further the fields of gerontology and geriatrics. The Brookdale Foundation Group provides seed grants to not-for-profit organizations for Group Respite and Relatives as Parents Programs.

ARCH National Respite Network
The mission of the ARCH National Respite Networkand Resource Center is to assist and promote the development of quality respite and crisis care programs in the United States; to help families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities; and to serve as a strong voice for respite in all forums.