Librarian's Picks: Caregiving and Caregivers.
"Quick Picks" from the Librarians at the National Rehabilitation Information Center
A caregiver is anyone who provides assistance to some-one who is in need of care. For example, caring for a spouse who has suffered a stroke, a child with muscular dystrophy, a mother-in-law with Alzheimer's disease, or a grandfather with cancer. Most care-givers are unpaid family members or friends who provide care on either a full- or part-time basis. The AMA estimates that 80 per-cent of caregivers provide care-giving assistance seven days per week, and the care usually in-volves personal care assistance and household mainte-nance chores.
For more resources, visit the Ready Reference or search the Knowledgebase. You may also download the brochure in PDF format. Disponible en español.
Health and Wellness
The Caregiver Health Self-Assessment Questionaire
healthinaging.org/resources/resource:caregiver-self-assessment.
healthinaging.org/resources/resource:caregiver-self-assessment.
Information and Support
Well Spouse Association (WSA)
Phone: 800/838-0879
wellspouse.org.
Phone: 800/838-0879
wellspouse.org.
The Well Spouse Association is a peer-to-peer support group for husbands, wives, or partners of chronically ill, injured, or individuals with a long-term disability. WSA is a community of active spousal caregivers and former caregivers that offers support groups, an on-line chat room and forum, bi-monthly weekend respite events, and a national conference.
Caregiver Action Network (CAN)
Phone: 202/454-3970
caregiveraction.org.
caregiveraction.org.
Non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers nationwide. CAN serves a broad spectrum of family caregivers ranging from the parents of children with special needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease.
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)
Phone: 800/445-8106
Founded in 1977, Family Caregiver Alliance was the first community-based nonprofit organization in the country to address the needs of families and friends providing longterm care at home. FCA now offers programs at national, state and local levels to support and sustain caregivers. Its goals include public advocacy for those with financial and emotional distress, direct services to family caregivers (in California), and the national distribution of information on cargiving and the care of people with chronic disabling conditions.
Family Caregiver Navigator from the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)
caregiver.org/family-care-navigator.
A clickable map helps family caregivers locate public, nonprofit, and private programs and services nearest their loved one, living at home or in a residential facility. Resources include government health and disability programs, legal resources, disease specific Organizations, and more.
A clickable map helps family caregivers locate public, nonprofit, and private programs and services nearest their loved one, living at home or in a residential facility. Resources include government health and disability programs, legal resources, disease specific Organizations, and more.
National Caregivers Library (NCL)
Phone: 804/327-1111
The library consists of hundreds of useful articles, forms, checklists and links to topicspecific external resources. It is organized into logical categories that address the key needs of caregivers and their loved ones. The library also provides tools to help employers understand the impact of caregiving on their people and on the organization itself. It provides tools to help identify the organizational costs of working caregivers and ways to analyze, justify, develop and implement Caregiving and Eldercare programs to help employees.
ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center
The mission of the 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. They publish the “ABC’s of Respite: A Consumer Guide for Family Caregivers,” available to download in PDF format. Find respite care and funding options in a specific community through the ARCH National Respite Locator Service at: archrespite.org/respitelocator.
VideoCaregiving
videocaregiving.org.
A visual education tool for family caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease, strokes, or other physical disabilities. The site features exclusive documentary-style videos, created by a team of award-winning film producers, which follow real life people as real life stories and issues unfold. Here caregivers can find tools to better understand and deal with their situation, and to let them know that they are neither isolated nor alone in their struggle.
videocaregiving.org.
A visual education tool for family caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease, strokes, or other physical disabilities. The site features exclusive documentary-style videos, created by a team of award-winning film producers, which follow real life people as real life stories and issues unfold. Here caregivers can find tools to better understand and deal with their situation, and to let them know that they are neither isolated nor alone in their struggle.
Caregiving Resource Center from the AARP
aarp.org/home-family/caregiving.
aarp.org/home-family/caregiving.
The Caregiving Resource Center is an online resource and community for family caregivers that helps caregivers take care of their loved ones and themselves. Features a wide variety of sections including: care for yourself; caregiving basics; long distance care; benefits and insurance; legal and money matters; senior housing; end of life care; ask the AARP caregiving advisory panel; and an on-line community of other caregivers.
AgingCare.com is an online support and information website comprised of millions of family caregivers that helps inexperienced, untrained family members facing the challenge of caring for an elderly loved one. The online community provides a meeting place for the free exchange of ideas with knowledgeable professionals, responsive experts, and other caregivers. Website is divided into five sections. "The Caregiver Forum" is where to ask a question or participate in a discussion. "Senior Living" has all the information on home care and housing, from assisted living to nursing homes, including where to find these services and housing. "Caregiver Support" is where caregivers can learn survival skills needed to handle the stresses of caregiving. "Elder Care" is all about caregiving and how to care for a loved one. And the "Money and Legal Section" provides information on dealing with financial, legal, and insurance issues, including Medicare. Also, throughout the site, individuals can use the "Find Housing and Care" form to locate local area resources, searchable by zip code, city, or state.
Nursing Home Compare
Phone: 800/MEDICARE (800/633-4227)
A searchable database of nursing home facilities across the U.S. Search by state, county, city, zip code, or name. Lists specific contact information and grades safety and health for each facility.
Financial Steps for Caregivers: What you need to know about protecting your money and retirement.
Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER)
Phone: 202/393-5452
The 26-page guide is designed to help iden-tify financial decisions caregivers may face as they care for family members. Sections cover budgeting, saving for retirement, personal care agreements, identifying financial fraud and abuse, sources of financial help for caregivers and care recipients, end-of-life planning, and more.
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