Caregivers - Helpful Resources

Being a caregiver is often a lonely, confusing situation.  I have written up a short list of some caregiver resources that I have found helpful.  There are so many resources available.  Don't ever think you are alone. 

Try some of these organizations for information on caregiving.   

National Family Caregiver's Association  http://www.nfcacares.org/

Lots of great information.  Check the link http://www.nfcacares.org/join_nfca/join_nfca.cfm.  Once you join you will be sent a newsletter and lots of info booklets that are focused on the caregiver rather than the patient and ways to take care of yourself so you can take care of your loved one.

Caring Connections http://www.caringinfo.org/ 

This program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer and community engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life, supported by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  Provides free resources and information to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis.  This site includes state-specific advance directives that you can download and other related publications.

The National Council on Aging has a list of information sources for caregivers:

Benefits Check Up   www.BenefitsCheckup.org

This is a free Web-based service of the Naional Council on the Aging that allows older American and their families to quickly and easily determine what federal and state benefits they qualify and how to claim them.

Children of Aging Parents (CAPS)  www.caps4caregivers.org 

Woodbourne Office Campus, Suite 302-A
1609 Woodbourne Road
Levittown, PA 19057-1511
1-800-227-7294       8 a.m.- 4 p.m. EST Monday-Friday 24 hour voice mail
National resource and referral, covers all aspects of aging issues.

Eldercare Locator

1-800-677-1116
9 a.m.- 8 p.m. EST Monday-Friday
Telephone assistance by trained staff to find community assistance for seniors.  Directs caregivers, professionals and those needing help to the appropriate Area Agency on Aging (AAA). In a few states, the State Unit or Office on Aging serves as the AAA.

National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) www.caregiving.org

4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 642
Bethesda, MD 20814-3425
1-301-718-8444 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. EST Monday-Friday 24-hour voice mail
Family Care Resource Connection, sponsored through NAC, provides a single point access for caregiver videos, books, audiotapes, training manuals, brochures and Web sites. All resources were reviewed for quality.  Internet: www.caregivers.org/content/fcrc.html

Family Caregiver Alliance www.caregiver.org

National Center on Caregiving
690 Marker Street, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94104
1-800-445-8106 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST Monday-Friday 24-hour voice mail
Provides information and referral to caregiving families and professionals caring for caregivers.

Comments

[Vernita Green]

What a great compendium of helpful caregiver resources you've compiled here. They will be especially useful for a few people I know who are put into a family caregiving situation without a whole lot of experience in the area. I'll forward this post right away. Thanks again!