Today the population is living longer than ever before. Along
with this aging trend has also come the desire for people to
remain independent in their home even with chronic illness. The
Family Caregiver Support Program is a program designed to
identify, assist and support family caregivers with the task of
taking care of their loved one in the home.
Family caregiving, which is usually unpaid, now includes one in
every four households. It is estimated that family caregiving
will provide approximately 80% of the care to older people so
they can maintain their independence, delaying or by-passing
nursing home stays. The estimated value of this "free
service" that family caregivers provide to the health care
industry is $306 billion in savings nation wide. Out of this
enormous support to the older adult came a public out cry for
information, assistance and services to give relief to the
caregiver. It was determined by enabling the caregiver to remain
emotionally and physically healthy, they would be able to
continue the caregiving role for their loved one longer.
In 1999 during the re-authorization of the Older Americans
Act came the National Family Caregiver Support Program. This
program calls for all states with the partnership of the Area
Agency on Aging to administer this program in five areas.
Administration Areas
Information
To identify caregivers in the area and to
identify what services are available in the area for caregivers.
A caregiver is defined as a person who is assisting another
person to live independent in their home. This may be:
Spouse caring for a spouse
Children caring for or
assisting aging parent(s)
Children caring for or assisting aging parent(s) along
with raising their own children
Children caring for or assisting aging parent(s) for
long distance with or without the assistance of paid caregivers
Neighbor or
friend caring for or assisting an aging neighbor or friend
Assistance Aidingthe caregiver to gain access to services that can assist them in
their caregiving role ---This is identified as the Care
Management program of the Area Agency on Aging
Respite Service Enables the caregiver to have temporary relief of the caregiving
tasks by a paid caregiver so they may participate in activities
of their choice to help keep themselves mentally and emotionally
well.
Supplemental Services Identified services offered on a limited basis to compliment the
care provided by the caregiver.
Contact our office with questions or for
more information on any of the information on our website.
