New Handbook For Long-Distance Caregivers

By: Family Caregiver Alliance

(9/8/2006) Family Caregiver Alliance has a publication that is a guide for families and friends caring for ill or elderly loved ones.

Handbook for Long-Distance Caregivers serves as a roadmap for families new to the challenges of caring from afar for those affected by chronic or disabling health conditions.

According to Kathleen Kelly, executive director of FCA, “Families don’t really know where to start when a parent or other family member becomes frail or has cognitive problems from Alzheimer’s disease or stroke. It’s especially difficult when they live far away.

“Three demographic trends converge to make the situation ever more pressing: the Baby Boomers are aging, as are our parents; women—the traditional caregivers—are in the workplace and not available to provide daily care; and our mobile society has left families separated, sometimes by thousands of miles.

“As our parents age, they need more care, yet families are unsure where to turn to ensure that their relative receives that care. And no one wants to place a family member in an institutional setting prematurely.

“In fact, there is help available. Families just need to know where to look. This is where they can start,” Kelly said.

The handbook takes a step-by-step approach to:

Assessing the care situation;

Developing a care team;

Holding a family meeting;

Accessing community organizations and private agencies;

Balancing work and eldercare;

Locating reliable online information on concerns including paying for care, eligibility for public benefits, volunteer help, making decisions about relocation, and dealing with driving and dementia.

The handbook is available free on the FCA Website at www.caregiver.org. It is also available in print by sending $5.00 to Family Caregiver Alliance, 690 Market St., Ste. 600, San Francisco, CA 94104.

The guide is part of a series of publications on caregiving produced by the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance and funded by the Archstone Foundation.