Spring 2007
Dedicated to Professionals Who Are Working With Caregivers

What is the profile of a Caregiver?

• One in four families are providing care for someone over the age of 50
• Seventy-five percent of caregivers are women
• Two-thirds of care-givers are employed
• Most caregivers are between 35 and 65 years of age
• The average time spent caregiving is 20 hrs per week.
  

Indicators of Caregiver Stress:

• Denial of a family member's condition often due to feeling anxious about what the future holds and how to manage the situation.
• Social withdrawal, from friends and family because of the demands of caregiving.
• Anger and Irritability which may be due to the lack of control the caregiver feels and the perceived unfairness of the situation.
• Exhaustion due to sleeplessness because of worry or the never ending nature of caregiving.
• Health Problems because of a lack of time to care for ones self and the stress of caregiving.
  

Strategies and Support for Caregivers

• Coming to an understanding that you can not control the illness but you can control your response to it.
• Therapists can be helpful to caregivers in developing coping strategies.
• Having family meetings where roles and responsibilities are discussed. Staying in contact to share changes in condition and needs as the illness progresses. Care managers can help facilitate family meetings and discuss resources.
• Educating yourself on the illness and community resources. The Alzheimer's Association and other disease related organization offer a wealth of information and support groups.
• Utilizing friends and family who want to help; making specific assignments geared to the strengths of the volunteer.
• Taking care of yourself by adopting a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, eating well and getting adequate sleep. Getting regular check-ups and talking to your doctor about any symptoms of depression or illness.
• Utilizing community services such as adult day care, respite care, home health care to provide a break from care giving responsibilities.
  

Resources for Caregiver's:

• Senior Care Management, Care management and home health care services for families, 609- 882-0322, www.seniorcaremgt.com
• Mercer County Office on Aging, Directory of services offered in the county, eligibility for government funded programs., 609-989-6661, www.mercercounty.org
• Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, education programs and support groups for caregivers. 609-514-1180, www.alznj.org