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Caregiver
Support Ministries and Organizations
Did
you know...
Nearly
8 in 10 (79%) care for a loved one 50
or more years of age (averaging 75 years
of age). Twenty percent care for someone
18-49 years (average age is 33 years).
We've
put together some helpful links for you!
illness
doesn't just affect the individual. It
affects everyone they know.
If you are the caregiver friend or family
member of someone who lives with chronic
illness or pain, we thank you for taking
the time to drop by our site and learn
more about the emotions that they must
be coping with as well as how you can
outreach to them more effectively.
It’s
no secret that chronic illness
affects the entire family. It
comes into the home like an
uninvited guest and it becomes
a team effort to learn to adjust
to the changes that transpire.
Part of the purpose of Rest
Ministries, Inc. is to serve
the family, as well as the individual,
who has the chronic condition.
Caregivers
come in many forms. For some of us a
caregiver is a person that we pay to
come into our home and help us out with
certain tasks. For others of us, our
caregiver is our well-spouse who helps
us shower and dress each day. And many
of us we may not even believe that we
have a caregiver. We simply have a spouse
that scrubs the shower or a neighbor
that unscrews those tight lids.
According
to the National
Foundation Caregiver’s Association
(NFCA), there are more than 25 million
people who find themselves in a caregiving
role and the numbers are growing daily.
Although most of us may assume that
we will be a caregiver for our parents,
a recent survey conduced by NFCA found
that 48% of caregivers were caring for
their spouse, compared to 24% caring
for a parent and 19% caring for a child.
As
someone who is healthy, you may never
understand the daily issues that your
loved one copes with. As a friend, you
care. You want to help... but maybe
you just don't know what to say to bring
comfort and not frustration. You may
feel frustrated yourself, feeling like
you're walking a tightrope of helping
too much and helping too little, saying
the wrong thing and not saying anything
at all. We
are here to encourage you and to offer
some tools that you can put to use in
your relationship.
As
we grow, we are hoping to include retreats
for couples to our list of programs
and we are in the process of putting
together a book on ways to help a hurting
friend. Again, we thank you for dropping
by, and we hope you find the information
below helpful.
Statistics
from the National Alliance for Caregiving
Nearly
seven in ten (69% of caregivers) assist
one person; two in ten care for two people.
About half (48%) help a loved one eight
or less hours per week. One in five (17%)
assist for 40 or more hours per week.
Overall,
women give more hours of care and generally
more intimate or intensive care than their
male counterparts.
The typical caregiver is 46 years old,
has some college, and spends at least
20 hours per week providing care to a
care recipient 50 years of age or older.
One
in 4 caregivers live with their loved
one. Of those who do not live with a care
recipient, 85% live within one hour’s
distance; 74% say they see their loved
one at least once a week.
The
average length of caregiving is 4.3 years
Christian
or Interfaith Resources
Stephen Ministries
They offer courses and ministry systems
to fit the needs of every congregation
and adult education ministry. Lay caregivers
(called Stephen Ministers) provide one-to-one
Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized,
terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed,
relocated, and others facing a crisis
or life challenge. Stephen Ministry helps
pastors enhance caring ministry by ensuring
that quality follow-up care is available
for as long as it is needed.
SomeOne
Cares Christian Caregiver Conference and
Resources
An annual Christian conference through
Lifeway is for caregivers. And in 2008
it's in Hawaii! Excellent. Founded by
Carmen Leal, who was a caregiver for years
for her chronically ill husband and the
author of "The 23rd Psalm for Caregivers."
Equipping
to Encourage
Dedicated to helping people provide emotional
and spiritual encouragement to patients
and their caregivers, especially those
facing cancer. Resources for starting
or leading a Christian-based cancer support
group; becoming a Christian patient advocate;
and incorporating faith and medicine as
a healthcare professional.
Hometouch
Ministry
A ministry for the homebound. Each week,
a church can send homebound members a
personal package from their church. It
will contain two pages printed in large
type for easy reading, reminding them
of how much they are remembered and loved.
Bright
Light Ministry
Though this ministry is not specifically
for caregivers, the passion behind caregiving
for a loved one is what kicked off this
amazing ministry by two sisters in their
twenties who witnessed the love between
their grandparents, and how Alzheimer's
Disease never diminished this love.
Stacie Stoelting speaks on the subject
of caregiving frequently and has a book
"Still
Holding Hands" about her grandparent's
story.
Secular
Resources
Magazines
Caregiver.com
The publisher of Caregiver Today Magazine
has one of the largest web sites of
caregiver resources.
Caring
Today.com
A magazine website with practical advice
and knowledge for family caregivers.
AARP
Caregiving
From the Association of American Retired
Persons.
The
CaringRoad Support Network
They connect caregivers seeking the
support and friendship of other caregivers
in an online community.
The
CareStation Blog
They provide information and resources,
as well as updates from Assist Guide
Information Services about our features,
special guests and news.
CAPS
(Children of Aging Parents)
They establish and facilitate caregiver
support groups, and provides information
on available services to assist caregivers
Family
Caregiver Alliance
FCA is a public voice for the caregivers.
They focus on information, education,
research and advocacy.
National
Alliance for Caregiving
The National Alliance for Caregiving
is dedicated to providing support to
family caregivers and the professionals.
National
Family Caregivers Association They educate, support, empower and
speak up for the more than 50 million
Americans who care for loved ones with
a chronic illness or disability or the
frailties of old age.
California
Senior Care Directory
This free web site has a comprehensive
listing of resources in seven categories:
housing resources, transportation resources,
home care, end-of-life care, legal resources,
financial planning and management, and
health care. Access articles that include
how-to guides, and even a blog on senior
care issues.
CareGiver
Partnership
Provides the most dignified product solutions
for home healthcare.
Empowering
Caregivers
Provide assistance; education, support,
referrals and respite for informal family
caregivers, as well as to promote public
awareness about the realities of those
who care for loved ones.
The
Caregiver's Beacon
This is an amazing blog with enough links
and resources to keep you busy for years.
Finding
At Home Care
Visiting
Nurse Associations of America
The Visiting Nurse Associations of America
(VNAA) was established in 1983 as the
official, national association of freestanding,
not-for-profit, community based visiting
nurse agencies (VNAs).
VNAA
leads a profession that is more than a
century old - a profession that VNAs actually
helped create. Today, by linking leading
not-for-profit home health care agencies
from coast to coast and creating a comprehensive
brand identity program, VNAA has created
a powerful network for growth and development.
One that will continue to enhance and
support the delivery of home health care
for the next one hundred years.
SuburbanCaregivers.com
SuburbanCaregivers.com specializes in
placing quality Nannies, Caregivers and
Housekeeping services to households in
Suburban Chicago Land and Nationwide.
They
extend their services to families who
intend to provide the highest quality
of care for their families and loved ones.
Services include locating and screening
qualified candidates and matching your
family's requirements to the right Caregiver,
Nanny or Housekeeper without the Finders
Fee*
The
National Association for Home Care &
Hospice
This is the nation's largest trade association
representing the interests and concerns
of home care agencies, hospices, and home
care aide organizations.
Tools
for Caregivers or Families to Share the
Caregiving
We
have an entire web page for more of these
kinds of groups here.
Lotsa
Helping Hands
This is a simple, immediate way for friends,
family, colleagues, and neighbors to assist
loved ones in need. It’s an easy-to-use,
private group calendar, specifically designed
for organizing helpers, where everyone
can pitch in with meals delivery, rides,
and other tasks necessary for life to
run smoothly during times of medical crisis,
end-of-life caring, or family caregiver
exhaustion. It’s also a place to keep
these ‘circles of community’ informed
with status updates, photo galleries,
message boards, and more.
How
to Organizae
a Care Group
This is an article with step by
step instructions on how Ellen's
Angels organized their care group.
Share
the Care
This is a detailed step-by-step model
that shows you how to: (1) Create a unique
caregiver "family" from friends,
relatives, neighbors, coworkers and acquaintances;
(2) Answer the question all your concerned
neighbors and friends have asked. "How
can I help?"; (3) Hold a meeting
that will turn a group of ordinary people
into a powerful caregiver team; and more!
Based on the book, Share
the Care.
Strength
for Caring
An online resource and community for family
caregivers. Strength for Caring helps
family caregivers take care of their loved
ones and themselves. Strength for Caring
is part of The Caregiver Initiative, created
by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products
Company, Division of Johnson & Johnson
Consumer Companies, Inc.
Thiswas created by National Family Caregivers Association
just for caregivers. In its 148 fact-filled
pages, you'll find more than 500 listings
for hotlines, helplines, newsletters,
respite services, specialty directories,
associations, catalog retailers, support
groups, and more. The book is approximately
$13 and can be ordered by calling
National Family Caregivers Association
at
800-896-3650.
This is one of the most extensive
online libraries for caregivers
that exist today. It
consists of hundreds of articles,
forms, checklists and links to topic-specific
external resources. The library
is organized into the eighteen Caregivers
Resources categories.
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