| If you are providing care for an elderly
person – whether it’s helping with house chores or assisting with
personal care – you may be interested in a new e-mail “discussion”
group, known as a listserv, for family caregivers.
The MN-Share-the-Care listserv helps family
caregivers share their successes and struggles, resources and ideas. The
listserv is free and open to anyone who can send and receive e-mails.
“The listserv is a great idea to help caregivers
help each other,” says Jim Varpness, executive director of the Minnesota
Board on Aging. “Thousands of Minnesota families provide care to older
family members and friends. Nationally, it’s estimated that 23 percent
of people 65 and over need some sort of assistance, and most of that comes
from their own family and friends.
“But providing care can be stressful. It can be
hard to find resources and challenging to get other family members
engaged. We hope this listerv helps caregivers by connecting them to each
other, so they can share strategies and ideas and share the care.”
By sending a message to the listserv, the message is
simultaneously sent to the entire group, thus creating a “caregiving”
community of people who face similar challenges.
The listserv is free. To subscribe, please send an
e-mail to [email protected].
Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message, type, “subscribe
mn-share-the-care.” You’ll receive a return message saying that you’ve
been added to the list. If you have problems subscribing to the list,
please call the Minnesota Board on Aging at 1-800-882-6262. |
