The program offers services to Family members who are caring for relatives 60 years of age and older.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP will meet Tuesdays, August 5 and August 19, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the Baldwin Center Library.  Contact KERRI MCMANAMA, MSW for details.

Services provided include:

• Individual counseling that can assist caregivers in making decisions
• Caregivers training and education
• Respite care which can provide a caregiver with a much needed break
• Supplemental Services

Announcing the National Family Caregivers
Support Chat Room

National Family Caregivers Services
Contact Information

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Lydia Rodriguez with her daughter Margarita Garcia as a caregiver

GENERAL INFORMATION

Programs open to everyone
An individual(s) with a disability are welcome to enjoy the programs offered by the Department. Anyone who needs special assistance to participate in the programs should contact the Senior Services Department.

Online Documents
You can download these documents and print them on your local printer. Many of these documents are .pdf (Portable Document Format) files requiring the use of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader© Click here for more information about the PDF format.

• Bright Ideas That You Can Use
• Caregiver Bill of Rights
• Stress and the Caregiver
• The Good Neighbor Policy

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• What is Caregiving and Who are America's Family Caregivers?

• What is the Status of Family Caregivers in America?

What is Caregiving and Who Are America's Family Caregivers

(Copied from http://www.nfcacares.org/)

We are family, friends and neighbors who stand by those we love as they face chronic illness or disability.

We share a common bond with each other despite the fact that some of us care for our spouses, while others care for parents, children, siblings or lovers, and despite the fact that we deal with a wide array of medical conditions and diagnoses. To get the latest news visit NFCA site

We are a diverse group of people of all ages and from all walks of life, some new to caregiving, some just anticipating becoming caregivers and others for whom it has become a way of life.

To find out more about how America's family caregivers cope. Visit NFCA Education and Support site.

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What is the Status of Family Caregivers in America?
FAMILY CAREGIVING STATISTICS

(Compiled by the National Family Caregivers Association
copied from http://www.nfcacares.org/)

• More than one quarter (26.6%) of the adult population has provided care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during the past year. Based on current census data, that translates into more than 50 million people. Source: National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) Random Sample Survey of 1000 Adults, Funded by CareThere.com, Summer, 2000.
• Caregiving is no longer predominantly a women's issue. Men now make up 44% of the caregiving population. Source: National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) Random Sample Survey of 1000 Adults, Funded by CareThere.com, Summer, 2000.
• The value of the services family caregivers provide for "free" is estimated to be $257 billion a year. Source: Peter S. Arno, "Economic Value of Informal Caregiving," presented at the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, February 24, 2002.
• Virtually one half of the US population has a chronic condition. Of these 41 million were limited in their daily activities. Twelve million are unable to go to school, to work, or to live independently. Source: Chronic Care in America (Institute for Health & Aging, Univ. of CA/SF for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) 1996
• People over 85 years of age are the fastest growing segment of the population. Half of them need some help with personal care. Source: US Bureau of the Census Statistical Brief, Sixty Five Plus in the United States, May 1995
• Elderly caregivers with a history of chronic illness themselves who are experiencing caregiving related stress have a 63% higher mortality rate than their non-caregiving peers. Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, December 15, 1999, Vol. 282, No. 23.
• The pool of family caregivers is dwindling. In 1990 there were 11 potential caregivers for each person needing care. In 2050 that ratio will be 4:1. Source: Chronic Care in America - as above
• Sixty-one percent (61%) of "intense" family caregivers (those providing at least 21 hours of care a week) have suffered from depression. Some studies have shown that caregiver stress inhibits healing. Source: National Family Caregivers Association/Fortis Long Term Care (Caregiving Across the Life Cycle) 1998; Lancet 1995;346 (Slowing of Wound Healing by Psychological Stress - Kiecolt-Glaser, JK et al)
• Heavy duty caregivers, especially spousal caregivers, do not get consistent help from other family members. One study has shown that as many as three fourths of these caregivers are "going it alone". Source: Caregiving Across the Life Cycle - as above
• Approximately 80% of home care services are provided by family caregivers. Source: US General Accounting Office (GAO/HEHS 95-26, "Long-Term Care: Diverse, Growing Population Includes Millions of Americans of All Ages") 1994
• A recent study calculated that American businesses loses between $11 billion and $29 billion each year due to employees’ need to care for loved ones 50 years of age and older. Source: National Alliance for Caregiving/Met Life (Met Life Study of Employer Costs for Working Caregivers)
• Fifty nine percent of the adult population either is or expects to be a family caregiver. Source: National Family Caregivers Association (Random Sample Survey of 1,000 Adults Sponsored by Aleve)

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Useful and Related Links

• NFCA: National Family Caregivers Association
• The AgeNet Eldercare Network Family Caregiver Alliance
• Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging (SWCAA)

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