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Caregiving may be
one of the most important roles
you will undertake in your lifetime.
Caring Connections
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Introduction to Caregiving
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Being Prepared
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Providing Physical Care
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Providing Comfort Care
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Services Available to Assist
Caregivers
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Preparing Your Home
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Caring for the Caregiver:
Acknowledging You Need Assistance
Idaho Family Caregiver Support Program
Idaho
Local Area Agencies on Aging
Assistance, information, respite, support
and supplemental services for the families, friends and
neighbors that give informal care to
loved ones; helping with the everyday tasks of living.
Caregiver’s Handbook, Caregiver’s Bill of Rights
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Caregivers have the right to receive
sufficient training in caregiving skills along with
accurate, understandable information about the
condition and needs of the care recipient.
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Caregivers have the right to
appreciation and emotional support for their
decision to accept the challenge of providing care.
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Caregivers have the right to protect
their assets and financial future without severing
their relationship with the carereceiver.
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Caregivers have the right to respite
care during emergencies and in order to care for
their own health, spirit, and relationships.
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Caregivers have the right to expect
all family members, both men and women, to
participate in the care for aging relatives.
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Caregivers have the right to provide
care at home as long as physically, financially and
emotionally feasible; however, when it is no longer
feasible, caregivers have the obligation to explore
other alternatives, such as a residential care
facility.
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Caregivers have the right to
temporarily alter their premises as necessary to
provide safe and livable housing for carereceivers.
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Caregivers have the right to
accessible and culturally appropriate services to
aid in caring for aging carereceivers.
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Caregivers have the right to expect
professionals, within their area of specialization,
to recognize the importance of palliative (ease
without curing) care and to be knowledgeable about
concerns and options related to older people and
caregivers.
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Caregivers have the right to a
sensitive, supportive response by employers in
dealing with the unexpected or severe care needs.
Profile of a caregiver. She has a warm smile and a
gentle touch. She is by turns nurse, cook, waitress,
singer, storyteller and psychologist. She is caregiver
Alice Cockerill whose days and nights are spent taking
care of 102-year-old Rosetta Cockerill, her aunt and a
patient of Hospice & Palliative Care of Westchester.
Washington State Medical Association Patient Brochure –
End of Life Care. The quotations below are from
local individuals who have confronted these fears, from
family members who have lived through the death of their
loved ones, and the medical, emotional and spiritual
caregivers who supported these patients and families.
Thanks to our neighbors in Washington State for
preparing this resource.
"The greatest gift my father gave me was
allowing me to be not only his son but also a caregiver
to him throughout his illness. He had always been so
strong and independent. It took a lot of courage from
him to accept our help. I feel like I had a chance to
pay him back for all he had given me throughout my
life." —John Farrell, from Sumner, whose father, Jack
Farrell (1921-1996) died of Leukemia.
"I think that the dying process can be as
meaningful for people as the birthing process." —Stuart
Farber, MD, a Tacoma family physician and medical school
educator, who is certified by The Academy of Hospice and
Palliative Care.
"I had a 'last supper' in honor of Mom
for the family. Mom slept through most of the evening as
family members remembered how she had affected their
lives. I truly sensed that she was able to feel the love
and warmth from her family that night. Later, I leaned
down to kiss her good bye and she turned her head and
gave me two kisses on my cheek. Once again I told her
she could move on to the next place as her work was
completed and her family was prepared." —Margaret
McNamara, from Bonney Lake, whose mother, Janet Hurly
(1919-1997), died after living with Alzheimer's for ten
years.
"You need to let people give you what
they have to give you and accept it with grace." —Paul,
from the documentary "I'm really Going to Miss Me." Paul
died of AIDS in 1993.
End-of-Life Care, “Those last few months, she just
seemed to be “fading away”. Her appetite was gone; she
didn’t care about watching her “soaps”, and she even
looked smaller from day to day. I began to accept that
we wouldn’t have her much longer.”
Caregiving Resources
Send your favorite sites to Jill Darrington, A Better Way Coalition.
If you find a dead site - let us know!
AARP On-Line Guide – Caregiving
Caregiver.com, Online magazine for caregivers, about
caregivers, by caregivers.
Caregiver Network, Inc., A resource center created
to help caregivers of the elderly and ill.
Caregiving.com, Inc., Solutions to your caregiving
situations.
Caregiving at Life’s End: Facing the challenges.
Caregivers: Rewards and stressors.
Caregiving 101
CareGuide, Resource guide.
Caregiver Information.com, Stroke, Alzheimer’s,
brain injury and more.
Caring for a Dying Child
Coping with Caregiver Burnout
Family Care and Burden at the End of Life
Family Caregivers Online, A public voice for caregivers
Family Caregiving Alliance, Public voice for
caregivers.
Handbook for Long-Distance Caregivers
Help Guide, Support for caregivers of people with
Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.
Home Away from Home: Relocating your parents.
Long-Distance Caregiving, The Alzheimer’s
Association.
Long Distance Caregiving
Long Distance Caregiving – Module 10.
National Alliance for Caregiving, Providing support
to family caregivers and the professionals who help
them.
National Family Caregiver Support Program, Resource
room.
Net
of Care, Information and resources for caregivers.
Signs of Dying with Suggested Cares
Talking with Family, Friends and Caregivers
Ten Strategies for Long-Distance Caregiving
The Alzheimer’s Caregiver – Take care of yourself.
The Ethics of Caregiving, What if… Decisions near
the end-of-life.
The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, Extensive
resources for caregivers.
The
National Association for Home Care and Hospice's,
Homecare online virtual headquarters.
The National Family Caregivers Association,
Supports, empowers, educates, and speaks up for people
caring for a chronically ill, aged, or disabled loved
one.
Transitions, Written primarily for families and
loved ones of patients who are very critically ill and
who are facing turning points in their lives.
What Dying People Want, Lessons for living from
people who are dying.
Idaho
Local Area Agencies on Aging
Area Agencies on Aging in Idaho (there
are six) offer comprehensive services to caregivers in
their regions. Grandparent caregivers of their
grandchildren can also be referred to resources
including support groups by contacting their local Area
Agency on Aging, all listed below.
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