WELCOME TO OUR PAGE ON CAREGIVING. 

* Care is provided for a variety of reasons. Among them are:

• Shopping
• Transportation
• Bathing
• Dressing
• Money management
• Friendly visiting
• Cooking, laundry, housekeeping
• Monitor medications
• Helping someone to remain in the community
• Provide emotional support and companionsip
• Help walk or to get around
• Everyone expects you to fulfill these tasks
• You can add to this list

Most of us become caregivers at some time during our life time. Some of us are caregivers for elders who have mental health problems including depression, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, dementia, etc. This page is for those caregivers.

* Care is given by many different people:

Informal Caregivers- include but are not limited to:

• Family(spouses, children, siblings, partners, et.al.)
• Friends
• Neighbors

Formal Providers - include but are not limited to:

• Homemakers
• Personal care aides
• Social workers
• Nurses
• Therapists
• Physicians

All of those and more are caregivers.

Informal caregivers are not paid and often provide care at great cost(financial, emotional, physical, relational. etc.). Most caregiving(about 80-85 %) is provided by informal caregivers.

Formal providers are paid( not always well) and provide care at great odds(unrealistic expectations, unclear situations, unfamiliar environments and relationships, etc.)

All who provide care for impaired elders feel some degree of responsibility for them and their families. All are faced with many challenges in order to preserve the elder's dignity.

With that in mind this page will support caregivers and do the following:
Provide information and identify resources which caregivers can use.

Please let us know what you think.

Directory

Elsewhere on this site:

Dementia and Sexual Relationships (Mental Health Page)

Caregiver Burnout

Caregiver Health

Development of Objectives for Family Caregivers

Elders Who Are Depressed: Tasks For Family Members And Friends

Family Handbook

Family Support Groups

Journal Writing About Gratitude By And For Caregivers

Harmful Family Caregiving Behaviors

Help From Family Members

Research on Caregiving

Spousal Caregiving Can Lead to Gum Disease

Taking Care of the Caregiver

Teaching Caregivers to Cope Better May Strengthen Their Lives

When One Partner of a Couple Has Dementia