When I realized that Dan’s memory was not going to recover after his hospital stay, I was unprepared and had to find resources quickly.
Two resources that I relied on were AARP and Family Caregiver’s Alliance.
AARP
I’ve been a member of AARP, the American Association of Retired People, for years. They have good articles and support for family caregivers. So, I want to introduce you to their site if you aren’t aware of it.
On their main website, you’ll find a link to Caregiving. Under that topic, you can find information on all aspects of family caregiving. However, I’m unsure what resources are available if you aren’t a member, which is $12.00 yearly. Three of their topics are:
AARP Care Guides - Being a family caregiver is one of the most critical and challenging jobs you’ll ever have. The role can be frustrating, satisfying, exhausting, joyful, thankless.
AARP Resources in Your Area - Find family caregiving help in your community.
More than 40 years ago, a small task force of families and community leaders in San Francisco created support services for those struggling to provide long-term care for loved ones with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, and other debilitating disorders.
The diagnoses were different, but the families shared common challenges: isolation, lack of information, few community resources, and changes in family roles.
The mission of the Family Caregiver Alliance is to improve the quality of life for family caregivers and those who receive their care. It offers in-depth information and tips on various caregiving topics and essential strategies for maintaining a caregiver's well-being.
Their services, education programs, and resources are designed with caregivers in mind and offer support, information, and tools to manage the complex demands of caregiving. Although California-based, they have a program entitled Services By State, which helps caregivers locate support services across the U.S.
These resources are invaluable. I highly recommend them.
For people caring for loved ones with dementia, you might find this a valuable resource: Some Ideas of What to Do When.
P.S. I have a potential new offering: Another way to support family caregivers who wish to explore solutions to their situations in a 1-to-1 setting. You would receive four 1-to-1 email coaching sessions per month with me for a small fee.
This separate offering is unrelated to Aging Well News and Substack.
To find out more, go here.
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If you want to contribute to my work, consider donating to the Alzheimer's Association. This link takes you to their website. The choice is yours.
When I realized that my husband's memory was not going to recover after his hospital stay, I was unprepared and had to find resources quickly.
Thanks for this Janice, I'm going to link to it for my readers.