What happens when you want to take care of your elderly parent but they live in Texas while you live in Oregon? Long distance caregiving can be quite demanding and nerve wracking because you are wondering what is happening with your parent and how they are doing when you are not there to see them. Whether it is one hour or ten hours, you have to determine the best way to take care of your loved one’s needs long distance without robbing them of their self-confidence and sense of independence. Here are some strategies to get you started on your quest to efficient, yet caring of a loved one long distance:

1.  Organize your thoughts and actions. Get a lay of the land so to speak and understand where things stand in terms of your elderly parent’s general health, ability to care for themselves, mobility issues, cognitive and mental acuity and level of care needed. Without a true understanding of the situation, you will never be in command of it.

2.  Travel to see your ill loved one. This relates to number one above. In order to understand what is going on, you really need to visit your elderly parent in person and see for yourself where things stand. Schedule an appointment with your parent’s doctor. Make it a point to meet your parent’s neighbors and who they are friendly with – whether it is someone down the street, at church or through some other means. These connections will likely be your lifeline once you return home.

By having some friends and neighbors at the ready you have a built-in group reporting to you giving your progress reports on your loved one. They can stop by your aging parent’s home to offer assistance and companionship. They can take turns chauffeuring your loved one around on errands.

3.  Use the geriatric network in your parent’s area to locate the local centers or agencies on aging. If you are seeking any caregiving resources whatsoever, these agencies are your best bet when your hands are tied at a distance. If you need to find a home health care nurse, an assisted living facility or even a group home that deals with dementia, tap into this aging resource.

4.  Get the legalities out of the way. While it is difficult, you need to speak with your loved one regarding a will, setting up a trust or even a power of attorney so that you can act on their behalf in the even they become incapacitated.  It is best to do this while your loved one still understands what is going on.

5.  Tackle finances with your loved one. A joint ownership is one way to protect your loved one. Set up automatic bill pay and online banking so that your loved one does not have to worry about writing check to pay bills and you can balance their checkbook and the account online you’re your own home.

6.  Keep a plan of action in the event your loved one’s friends or local caregiver calls you with news of trouble. Having a plan means you do not have to think about what to do when you are stressed by the call that something is wrong with your ailing parent. Your one thought should be how to get to them, not having to research several different airlines and rental cars online for the best deals.

7.  Consider relocating your sick parent close to you, especially when their health has declined and the need for an in-home nursing assistance or 24 hour care is eminent. You have to examine your options of whether moving them in with you is the right choice or finding an assisted living or nursing facility.

8.  The final piece of advice is to not neglect your own needs during the caregiving process. You may end up so focused on the needs of your loved one that you may not immediately realize the stress you are under.

If you care for a loved one that is ill, then you know that every little bit of help you can get is good thing. Caring for someone is a job that never ends, which is a burden for you, but caring can also be a burden for the patient themselves. Many people who are being cared for want to be as independent as they possibly can, but little things get in the way. Sometimes, it’s easier for you to do something for them than for them to do it themselves, which leaves you feeling stressed, and them feeling guilty. This is where assistive technology can enter the picture. Assistive technology can help make your loved one more independent and help make the caring you do a lot easier. It’s an option that has helped many caretakers and patients alike.

Just what is assistive technology? It’s really just a fancy word that applies to any number of devices that make things easier to do. There are two kinds of assistive technology – low tech and high tech. Low tech assistive technology can be something as simple as a cane, a hearing aid, or a pair of glasses. High tech assistive technology can involve computer programs and sensors that let you know when a patient with dementia is trying to leave the house, for instance. Just about anything that helps someone accomplish something can be called an assistive technology.

Of course, not all assistive technology is right for everyone. You have to look long and hard at the needs of the person for whom you are caring before you go for assistive technology. For example, a shiny scooter to whisk your loved one around might look nice, but if they are fully mobile, it’s no use. If, on the other hand, their hearing is impaired, a hearing aid can make a world of difference. There are tons of assistive technology devices that make things are difficult for a person who needs caring, like personal hygiene, easier. Velcro, specially designed clothing and more can all give them the ability to dress themselves, and in turn, give them a self esteem boost and a feeling of independence. When you’re selecting the kinds of devices you need, make sure you evaluate the ones that will be most helpful for you. It can be easy to get distracted by things that look really “cool” but they may not be the things you need. Think about the biggest challenges you and your loved one face, and look for devices that meet those needs.

With so many different kinds of assistive devices out there, the prices vary wildly. Obviously something like Velcro can be very cheap, while something like a hoist to help you move a loved one out of bed and into a wheelchair can be extremely expensive. The good news is that if you need to get an expensive assistive technology device, there may be help available. Many of these devices are covered by Medicaid and most insurance plans. Some companies that sell these devices will even take care of the paperwork for you, so you don’t have one more responsibility to bear.

If you need help learning about the different options that are out there in assistive technology, start by checking with the doctor of the loved one you are looking after. They might have some good advice for you. You can also check with your local caregivers’ support group. The members there might be able to give you advice from experience, including what has helped them and what products to avoid. However you explore this avenue, make sure that you do. The burden it can lift from you and your loved one is enormous.

There is a big problem among adult caregivers these days that they either do not recognize or no one is talking about. The problem is called depression and as many as 25% of all adult caregivers suffer from this condition which is twice the national average of the population in general. These figures are actually quite conservative as many senior social agencies that provide resources to caregivers believe. In addition, once the caregiver’s duties are done with (usually due to the loved one’s death), depression can still occur or linger on.

Of all the adult caregivers, it seems that those who deal with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in their loved one has a higher propensity for developing depression with it occurring in women twice as likely over men. The act of caregiving itself is not the cause of the depression but rather the feelings that stem from prolonged care. By the same token, not everyone experiences depression during the caregiving process either.

Why Depression Can Occur

Providing the best care to your loved one can mean giving up your own free time and making emotional and physical sacrifices. There is sometimes no time to call your own when you can decompress and relax. Always being in the “on” position can take its toll, even with the most efficient, competent person. It is quite normal for feelings of anger and resentment to crop up. There is also a feeling of loneliness and sadness in addition to anxiety and fatigue. Add those guilty emotions you have for even feeling these things and it is no wonder depression has become quite a problem among adult caregivers.

If you have never encountered depression before in others, you may perceive it as a weakness in yourself and ignore your feelings. This unbalanced feeling is not healthy and not only can it take a toll on your relationship with loved ones but also on yourself. Denying you have these conflicting emotions just makes things worse because you cannot will them away. Sometimes, you also may not realize you have depression because this condition manifests itself differently from one person to another. Plus depression symptoms do change in a situation over time. Here are some signs that might signal a depressive state:

1.  A feeling of fatigue all the time is one signal of depression that no amount of sleep will solve. In addition, depression can also cause changes in your sleep patterns. Either you will want to sleep too much or you do not get enough.

2.  Eating habits may change. Some people turn to food to try and assuage the feelings of guilt and frustration causing weight gain while others get a nervous stomach and do not eat enough because the food upsets them.

3.  Loss of interest in many activities that were once fun and neglecting personal relationships are both signs of depression. Feelings of inadequacy are quite common as well.

4.  Depression can manifest itself into actual physical symptoms that cannot be attributed to any other ailment. Headaches, non-specific pain on the body and digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome are just a few of these physical symptoms of depression.

5.  Permanently ending things through suicide is one of the most drastic problems in depression in caregivers because they feel they have no escape and no where to turn.

If you feel any or all of these symptoms of depression, you should know that you are not alone. Do not shoulder the burden any longer. Seek help through friends, family, church, counselors or even your doctor. Do not hold things in but rather confide in someone. It takes time to bounce back but do what you can to make that happen. Participate in activities that were once favorites – and force yourself if you have to. Think positively too. Slowly you will feel the weight being lifted off your shoulders and the days will be brighter. However, you have to take that first step to do something about the depression.

Coping with the illness of a parent is difficult enough on its own, but often such a circumstance can cause conflicts between siblings. These kinds of conflicts can really escalate when a parent requires long terms care and someone needs to step in and take on the role of caregiver. They types of conflicts that come up differ from family to family, depending on several different factors, but it is important to know in advance that caregiving is potentially troublesome for sibling relationships so you can manage this from the outset – it will be one less burden everyone needs to carry during this difficult time.

The number one issue for siblings when it comes to caregiving roles is who is going to take on what responsibilities. The way this problem manifests itself, however, depends largely on the kind of relationship each sibling has with the parent and with each other. If the family is close and each sibling has a close relationship with the parent involved, then the conflict may come up as rivalry. Siblings may compete with who will provide the primary care for the parent, especially if the decision is made that someone will either have to move in with the parent or have the parent move into their home. The opposite problem will occur if the siblings and parents are not close. A history of bad feeling and estrangement between the siblings and the parent may leave the siblings arguing over which one of them has to provide the care, as neither of them wants to get too involved.

There is, of course, a middle ground to this issue, and that is the one where one sibling is the clear choice as the caretaker, and the other siblings remain involved on a limited basis. This situation can actually cause more resentment on the part of the caretaker than any other, as they may feel unduly burdened by taking on all of the care themselves, and they cannot see a good reason why their siblings are not helping. Understanding that your brother and mother do not get along and he remains uninvolved in her care is one thing. Seeing your brother breeze into town and stop by to say hello to your mother for 20 minutes on his way out of town on vacation when you haven’t been able to so much have a cup of coffee with a friend in months is quite another thing and much harder to take.

These problems don’t have to happen with you and your siblings if you’re ready to plan for them in advance. Anticipate the bumps in the road and try to avoid them. The most important thing you can do is make sure that everyone is involved in every decision that relates to the care of the parent. Not only will this help make sure no one feels left out, it will also give everyone a very clear picture of what exactly the caretaker has to deal with, so they may be more willing to jump in and help.

Another big help for siblings is to devise a schedule that meets everyone’s needs. Everyone is likely to have different levels of availability to provide care, but you should split up responsibilities as much as possible. Siblings who live out of town may be called on to contribute financially more while those in town can help with doctor’s visits, cleaning and so on.

For siblings, realizing a parent requires caregiving is a daunting discovery. The best way to make sure the parent gets what they need while the sibling relationships are protected is to make sure the communication doors are always open.

Assuming the role of caregiver for a loved one can be challenging and with the amount of stress and aggravation that comes with the job, you would think that the caregiver would rather turn the loved one over to a nursing home or other organized care facility. However, the opposite it true! While the trials and tribulations of caregiving can be quite intense, most of the time caregivers are grateful to have had that time with their loved ones. They report that it is an experience they were glad to have, despite the problems – financially, emotionally and physically. For them, the positive experiences far outweighed the negative and they would choose the caregiving role over again over institutional care. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1.  Life and responsibilities get in the way of maintaining close ties sometimes with family members so when one requires the need of a caregiver, you should view it as an opportunity. Daily care of the loved one entails personal contact so you often end up engaging in long conversations about anything and everything.

There is opportunity to talk about the important things in life as well as the inconsequential ones too. You get to know each other better and learn about family history. You can laugh together and share stories about family as well as forge new memories together. Talking openly and honestly about caregiving decisions and what the future holds will cement not only those familial ties but create a newfound intimacy that is priceless. If there has ever been a time to reconcile differences or seek forgiveness, this would be it.

2.  Caregiving, while it may fall to one person in particular, still has a way of forging bonds with other family members such as siblings who may share in the concern of the loved one. Collaborating with family forces communication, first to benefit the loved one who needs care and then it extends into other familial realms. You just might end up learning more about your family and appreciating the differences that everyone brings to the table. While deciding on caregiving responsibilities can be heartbreaking and stressful in certain situation, it also has a way to bring families together.

3.  Making a difference in someone’s life, especially a loved one like your parent, can be quite satisfying. Yes, it can be tiring, emotionally draining and nerve wracking at times but at the heart of it all, there is a strong love and need to give back the support that loved one always gave you. You may view the opportunity to take care of a loved one as a gift because the time you spend with them could not be recouped if they lived in a nursing home or some other institutional care. Many caregivers report that their families benefit through stronger familial ties with the loved one and positive ideals and principles are indoctrinated in their children.

4.  A whole new world is opened to you when you assume a caregiver role. All of the sudden you will find that many others around you are serving the same role and you are not alone. Through support groups and meetings, you will meet new people and learn so much about health care advances as well as tips on making your job easier. You end up forging new relationships that could last for years.

Playing the role of caregiver can be quite rewarding. However, as your loved one’s condition starts to decline, there is a fine line between the benefits of caregiving on your own and seeking an institution of some kind that could offer better care. Consulting with your loved one as well as your family and the doctor is important. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease could end up requiring 24 hour supervision, something you may not be equipped to handle. Knowing when institutional care is necessary is part of the growth process for a caregiver.

It is quite normal to feel overwhelmed when faced with assuming the role of caregiver. There are a number of people in this country who are now taking care of their parents in their declining years. You may have actually been a caregiver for years without realizing it before an accident or event changed your perception. Do you feel you are even a caregiver? Here are some signs that indicate you soon will be if you are not already:

1.  Your once vibrant dad is now being plagued with a lot of little health problems, nothing earth-shattering or life-threatening – but enough to hamper his lifestyle.

2.  You find your loved one’s bank statements and unpaid bills laying on their desk unopened when they were once really diligent about paying on time.

3.  Loss of interest in the hobbies or regular socializing your loved one normally does. Perhaps your elderly dad’s workshop has not been opened in a while or that weekly card game has now become a thing of the past.

4.  Regular household chores are not being done such as mowing the lawn, washing dishes or fixing a leak in the sink.

5.  There is not an adequate food supply present to feed your ailing parent or they become inattentive when cooking or baking, burning food.

6.  Grooming has become slack and your once polished parent is now a bit disheveled.

7.  Being distracted and inattentiveness in your loved one are also signs that you may soon become a caregiver.

If you feel that your parent may almost be ready for a caregiver, talk with them about it. Involve your aging parents in the process so they have some input in their own care. Of course, if there is some cognitive impairment in your parent, it is still important to include them in the decision-making. This will make them feel included and not so isolated about their situation. Help them navigate the internet on the computer so they can read for themselves the positive benefits of caregiving.

Once your role as caregiver is inevitable, create a job description so you know what to expect from yourself and get your loved one’s input as they will be the recipient of this care. Get other family members, friends and neighbors lined up and on board to serve stand-by for those times when you need help. If you do not have much of a support system, look into local home health care agencies or companions, depending on your loved one’s needs. Be sure to stick to the guidelines you set up for yourself and respect your time off because you will need it to recharge your internal batteries.

You do not have to shoulder the burden of caregiving alone. Check with the AAA, the Area Agency on Aging and look for a local office. They and many other entities like them can provide you with leads on home companions, nursing assistance and even assisted living facilities or adult day care. Know what your options are now before immersing yourself in the caregiving role.

If possible, involve your aging parent in your caregiving decisions. If you plan to use an adult day care, take them on a tour of the facility to ensure there will be enough activities to keep them engaged. Interviewing for a home health care nurse, allow your parent to meet with the interviewee. This will give you a chance to see how well they would interact together.

Find a positive spin for all of these caregiving changes in your aging parent’s life. If a companion is coming to the home to help cook and clean, tell your parent that now they don’t have to worry about those two chores, they have more time to visit with friends or indulge in a favorite pastime. All in all, the most important thing you can do is involve your loved one. Of course screen all possibilities first to weed out the chafe but take into consideration your loved one’s opinions. After all, they are the recipient of your caregiving efforts and should have a positive experience.

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If you are the primary caregiver for a loved one and are finding the demands of being the only caregiver to be too high, it might be time to consider home care services that will help relieve some of the burden that is now placed entirely on you.  There’s an important distinction to be made between home health care and (non-medical) home care; the first concerns medically-based care such as nursing, physical therapy and respiratory therapy.  This type of home care is more expensive than the non-medical types of home care since the providers have to be educated and certified in most circumstances.  If this is not necessary in your case, there are lots of different types of home care that can be utilized at a lower cost (and some that are covered by Medicaid and insurance).

Non-medical home care can either focus on housekeeping tasks such as cooking and cleaning so that you, the primary caregiver can spend time with the aging person, taking care of the person and socializing together.  Another option is to hire someone to be a companion for the aging person part of the day or even the full day.  This person can engage in games and conversation with the patient, work on puzzles together or go for walks if the person is mobile enough.  These types of home care are ideal for primary caregivers who are either working full or part time but do not want their loved one to be alone, or caregivers who simply have too much on their plate.

Home care workers of a non-medical nature can be hired through an agency or can be simply found online or in newspaper listings.  Of course, if you do not use an agency to find a home care provider, you’ll want to do a thorough background check in order to ensure that the person coming into your home is trustworthy and has a good track record.

Sometimes home care professionals come to your house every day for a few hours or sometimes they are hired for the entire week, so your home is the only one in which they’re working at a given point in time.  Additionally, there are home care workers who live in with the elderly couple, which can be an added benefit for both parties.  In this type of situation, the employee benefits by not having to rent a home or apartment and not having to travel to work, and the employer benefits in having their caregiver close by at all times.  The fact that the caregiver lives in should not be abused. Make a working schedule together and expect both parties to stick to it. A caregiver who is not on working duty, but in the house, can give an aging caregiver a feeling that support is there whenever they need it.  In a household where an elderly person can fall at any moment and the primary caregiver is just as old as the patient, having a younger employee in the house can make all the difference in the world.

In addition to these standard working situations for full and part-time home care givers, there’s the option of respite care.  Respite care is a special, round-the-clock type of in-home care where the respite caregiver is responsible 24 hours a day.  This can go on for a day or for a period of time, for example if the primary caregiver becomes ill and cannot take care of their loved one for a few days while they get better or perhaps the caregiver has to go out of town for a few days.  Respite care is an option that offers constant care, the same as a spouse or child offers in-home care.

If you are a primary caregiver with too much work on your hands, checking out some in-home care options might prove to be the smartest step you can make.

Thanks to better healthcare and information about nutrition and healthy diets, people are living longer and this means a growing population of seniors. With the increase of seniors comes an increase in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and many other ailments that normally strike that age set. Not only do these illnesses prove debilitating to the person but the ripple effect extends to the family who now must take care of them. There are millions of people who are trying to juggle a career with children, their ailing loved one’s caregiving and other obligations.

You may seem alone in your caregiving duties but many studies show that at least 25% of all households in the country are caring for an ill loved one, usually a parent 55 years of age or older. These loved ones either need full-time caregiving, daily assistance for everyday tasks or somewhere in between. About 40% of caregivers in this country work outside the home so this means they are sacrificing their free, relaxation time to care for a loved one and are even losing quality time with their spouse and children. Work productivity goes down because of time off from the job to devote to caregiving, a reduction of hours or even having to quit altogether. This leads to loss of income and less money being invested in their retirements. You may be part of this group who is playing juggler too. While there is legal acts like the Family Medical Leave Act which helps keep your job secure (if unpaid) when you need to take time off to tend to the caregiving of a loved one.

If you are a juggler and feeling increasingly tired of all the obligations, there is a wealth of community resources available to help you in your quest to provide the best care possible for your loved one. From casual arrangements with neighbors, family and friends to structured care in nursing facilities, there are many options available to you.

Assessing your Loved One’s Caregiving Needs

Examine your daily schedule to see where you need help the most when caring for your loved one. Is it while you are at work? Perhaps you have obligations in the evenings with your kids and need help during that time. Know up front what you need before enlisting help. Also, you need to consider what type of care your loved one will need. Do they need 24-hour supervision due to dementia? Can they get around in the home and just need help with errands and transportation? Do you need other around the clock nursing care?

Once you have an idea of the type of care your loved one needs as well as the scheduling, consult with your loved one’s insurance company to see what type of coverage is available for nursing, caregiving and other  services. Long-term care insurance is usually not included in most regular health plans so you may have to see what you could afford to supplement the caregiving.

Finding those Resources

When your caregiving and that of friends and other family is not quite enough, you can turn to community resources to fill in the gaps. From in-home care to just daily visits from a home care companion, there are a number of options – and some even offer transportation so your work day is not interrupted.

In-home care is usually contracted through an agency, particularly if your loved one is dealing with an ailment that requires constant care or specialized training from a nurse or licensed medical attendant. There are agencies you can go through if you are hiring a companion for your loved one or you could even put an ad in the paper and interview candidates.

Adult day cares are an option if you must work and need a daily outlet for your loved one. These day cares offer everything from specialized care for dementia patients to activities such as games, crafts, exercise and more. Some programs serve lunch and some don’t while others may have pick-up to and from the home.

When you can no longer handle the caregiving duties on your own, there are nursing and assisted living facilities, depending on the level of care needed as well as group homes when 24-hour specialized care is needed. You must evaluate your situation from the health of your loved one to what you can and cannot handle care-wise. Finances and insurance are also issues that must be dealt with. If you can plan ahead with your loved one before they get sick or develop some type of impairment, it will be much better for you later when you have to deal with it.

When it comes to taking care of an aging loved one, it’s important to not only think about the needs of the person that are physical needs, such as being warm enough and being fed and bathed, but also about the needs that are more psychological.  Many caregivers notice that when the person they are caring for is more able to do things independently that they are happier.  Part of being able to do something independently is mobility; fortunately, for caregivers and for those with reducing mobility, there are many devices that can help a person with reduced mobility get around safely.

Of course, safety is a primary concern, so it’s not a good idea to encourage someone with reduced mobility to just walk around the house because it’s good for the person to be able to do things for themselves.  It’s important to keep in mind that this ability to get around the house (or get up and down the street) should not be treated as a simple goal; the benefits of having the ability to do it because of assisting devices has to be weighed against the risks that are involved with letting someone with reduced mobility head off down the street.

For elderly people who are still walking but who need some assistance to ensure that they don’t fall, there are various types of assisting walking devices.  Some people prefer a simple cane, but there are also a wide variety of walkers available which give the person even more stability.  The tough thing with using a cane is that most people only use one cane to help them walk around; while this is a good addition to one’s mobility program, it’s even better if a device is added which supports both sides of the person’s body.  Since a cane only supports one side of the person’s body, it’s very easy to become preferential to one side of the body.  Some people remember to switch the cane back and forth to the opposite side of the body each day in order to stay balanced, but the vast majority of people develop one arm that’s for the cane and the other arm is never involved with the device.  A rolling walker can provide even more stability and does not favor the left or the right side of the body.

In contexts where much more movement is required or for a person who is not at all able to walk on their own, there are many devices that can help caregivers help people with reduced mobility to get around.  For example, a scooter is a great way for many elderly people to get around because quite often their caregivers are their own spouses, a person who is also quite advanced in age in most cases.  Usually, the caregiver is not someone who can be pushing a wheelchair with an adult person in it; this is why the scooter with a built-in motor is the perfect solution for many caregivers.

In addition to the scooter itself, the best way to be able to use the scooter in multiple contexts is to get a carrier for your car.  Once you have a carrier on your car, you can transport the scooter anywhere that you need to go.  Loading the scooter onto the carrier (or into a van, for example) is completely automated at the push of a button.  Such a device ensures that caregivers and their loved ones can go to all the places they need to go without the worry of wondering how to get around once they get there or without the disappointment of always being left in the car.  Such devices as these are what make caregiving easier and easier despite the emotional stresses that remain.

For most caregivers, time isn’t the only thing demanded of them. The person who steps in to offer care to an ill family member usually also takes on the financial burden of looking after the person. The cost of giving care is tremendous physically and emotionally for the caregiver, but it can also be overwhelming financially. Medical care is extremely expensive, and most insurance plans do not cover the many of the expenses associated with long term care of a patient.

What are some of the costs that a caregiver frequently has to cope with? Obviously, the first, and usually the largest cost are the medical bills themselves. Doctor’s visits, prescriptions, hospital stays – the person who requires the care typically only has Medicare coverage that is often inadequate to meet their needs, and the caregiver often has to step in to make up the difference. There are many other costs that may enter the picture as well, however. There is the expensive of hiring home help, adult day care, or any other supplemental care that the patient might require. There is the cost of buying any medical equipment or making changes to the home that the patient may need or that may make caring for them easier. Also important to calculate in here is the lost earnings of the caregiver. Frequently, the caregiver either has to give up their job completely, take a new job that is less demanding or move to part time work, causing a marked loss in income, all while they are having to spend more.

What can you do if this sounds like the situation you are facing? First and foremost is that you must speak up and ask for help. Although it is easy for caregivers to feel resentful of family members who are not helping with the care of a sick relative, in many cases, they are uninvolved in the care because they don’t know what to do or believe you have it all covered. Sometimes, asking for help may be all that is required – you may find that other relatives are willing and able to chip in and help take the financial burden off of you.

Of course, not all families are in the position to provide this kind of help. If yours is not, there are still some resources out there for you. First, check and see what you employer has to offer. You may be surprised to find out that many employers have programs in place to help their employees meet the costs associated with providing care, like adult day care programs and home help workers. The insurance program you receive through your job might also have some benefits that you can tap into to see you through this time.

If there aren’t any benefits at work, you may be eligible to receive aid from the state. Some states “pay” people who provide care fulltime, and some states offer grants that let you hire in extra help without any cost to you.

To receive this kind of help, however, obviously you have to know where to find it. One good place to start is to seek out the local caregivers support group in your area. There is one of these groups in almost every town, and they can give you all of the info you need about the resources available to you. If you can’t find one of these groups, ask the doctor of the person you care for if they can recommend any help, or turn to the net. There is plenty of help out there, and putting in the time do some research can relieve your emotional and financial burden.