Senior Site - Social Supports

Support for Family Caregivers

Caring  for a family member?  You’re not alone.  One in four adults provides assistance to a disabled family member or friend.  The best way to help those you love is to recognize it’s not all up to you.  Ask for help.

To talk to someone about specific services available right here in Montgomery County, call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 240-777-3000 (TTY 240-777-4575).

Many of the resources on the Senior Site offer  the kinds of support caregivers need: information, encouragement, respite, and more.  But caregivers also have unique needs best met by connecting with other caregivers and professionals familiar with the demands of family caregiving.

For Caregivers
Caring for a family member?  You’re not alone.  One in four adults provides assistance to a disabled family member or friend.  Caregivers report that the best way to help those you love is to recognize it’s not all up to you.  Ask for help.

Online Resources for Caregivers

• Family Caregiving brochure
• List of Helpful Organizations and Websites for Seniors
• Disability Resource Center. 

Advice From Other Caregivers

• Information. Learning about disabling conditions can help you know what to expect and how to deal with it.  You can find useful information through doctors, libraries and on-line.
• Skills. Caring for another adult may involve learning new skills.  Practical training on how to assist someone with daily tasks (bathing, dressing, transferring) can increase safety and save time and energy.
• Feelings. Caregiving can inspire a range of emotions from fulfillment to frustration, guilt and anger.  Talking to other caregivers experiencing similar feelings can be helpful.

Practical Tips 

• Individuals with dementia (Alzheimers) can become agitated when confused or unsure of what is going on around them.  If you have to move them, or change something (even bed linens), it helps to explain to them in advance what and why you plan to do it. 
• Writing things out helps!  You may want to create lists of tasks or errands (which you can share with family members to help distribute the workload), list of medications that the person may be taking, in case of an emergency, critical phone numbers (write in big lettering), list of things that need to be checked before leaving the house (e.g., keys, eyeglasses, locking the door)

Advice For Caregivers - From Professionals

• It's okay, and even necessary, to talk with friends, coworkers, members of your congregation and others to learn from their experiences with caregiving.  In fact, not asking for help often limits the quality of care a caregiver can provide.   
• Talk to your boss at work.  Many employers are willing to make arrange for flexible schedules to meet the needs of their employees who are caregivers.  

• There are community organizations that specialize in supporting caregivers.  They can supply services in your home for your loved one, plus provide you with new ideas for improving your own efforts.  They can even tell you if you're eligible to receive financial aid from the government.

• To make the best of your efforts as a caregiver, think of changing your role from "personal nurse" to "compassionate manager" in charge of directing a group of support services for your loved one.   

• Often, there is extra support available from within your own family.  Have you spoken with relatives about getting them more involved?

• Approaching your caregiving role as a "one-man job" only limits the level of care you can provide.

Helpful Organizations and Websites for Seniors - top

• Montgomery County Senior Resource Line 240-777-3000 (TTY 240-777-4575)
  Find out about senior services available in your community. If in doubt, call us!
• Holy Cross Caregiver Resource Center 301-745-7152. The Caregiver Resource Center offers:

• Caregiver support groups
• Caregiver education programs
• A resource library with books, audiotapes and videotapes on caregiving issues and health-related topics
• Brochures from local service providers
• Pamphlets, AARP publications, reprints of health-related articles and information on upcoming seminars and lectures
• A free caregiver newsletter
• The caregiver telephone helpline

Visit the Holy Cross Caregiver Resource Center online to learn more, including the meeting times for support groups.

• Alzheimer’s Association 24-hour Free Hotline 1-800-272-3900
  The Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline provides reliable information and support to all those who need assistance. Call toll-free anytime day or night. The Hotline is designed for caregivers, people with memory loss, health care professionals, and the public. Highly trained and knowledgeable staff can help you with:
  • Understanding memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer's
  • Medications and other treatment options
  • General information about aging and brain health
  • Skills to provide quality care and to find the best care from professionals
  • Legal, financial and living-arrangement decisions

Resources - top

Support Groups - Online
Many people find the flexibility and anonymity of online support groups (which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to be more useful than in-person gatherings. Below are several on-line support groups that might be beneficial to you.Read a 2007 Orlando Sentinel article about support groups: “The stressed, ill and alone find solace in online support groups."

• Alzheimer’s Association Online Community Share your thoughts and needs with other caregivers.This site offers information and support from people who are in similar situations.
• StrengthforCaring.com’s Connecting Caregiver Message Board allows you to post a message, ask for advice, or talk to other caregivers on message boards.
• Griefnet.org’s list of 50 facilitated e-mail support groups covering topics such as loss of a parent, spouse or partner, sibling or friend, and the spiritual aspects of loss.
• Caring from a Distance This organization provides information on financial management, institutional options, diseases/conditions and treatments, insurance, and end-of-life care.
• Family Caregiver Alliance This website provides advice, fact sheets, disease information, and access to online discussion groups and audio presentations.
• Caregiver’s Friend: Montgomery County is the first local government in the nation to offer Caregiver’s Friend, a multi-media tool for caregivers. This web-based interactive program has been shown in clinical studies to reduce feelings of burden and stress among caregivers. The tool, which requires high-speed internet access, is a free service to residents of Montgomery County.