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A helping hand
Caregiver
assistance plans being developed
The load may be
lightening for Minnesota caregivers this year.
Thanks to an
infusion of $1.87 million in federal money through
the recently renewed Older Americans Act,
Minnesota’s Area Agencies on Aging have resources
to add or expand education and assistance programs
for caregivers. Most of the new programs should be
going by this summer.
"These
programs will be very caregiver focuses," said
Jane Vujovich, community services specialist for the
Minnesota Board on Aging. While past initiatives
have focused on care for needy older person,
"these programs will be designed to help
caregivers and their needs," she said.
What those new
services will be will depend on where you live. Each
region is developing its own plan based on the
existing programs, needs and unique circumstances of
the area, Vujovich said.
"What’s
happening in Duluth is going to be different than
what’s happening in Rochester," she
explained. "Each program will be taylor-made
for the area." But in general, main themes of
the new programs will be respite care and caregiver
education.
Parallel to all of
that, the plans are being dovetailed with the
long-term care reforms being initiated across the
state.
"If it’s a
family goal to keep someone at home, we want to
allow people more choices on their living
arrangements. If people are still living at home,
that will delay their entry into a nursing home or
some other living arrangement," Vujovich said.
Common threads to
the new caregiver programs will include:
- Education – It’s
hoped that more formal education workshops will
be held to help train people for the tasks of
caregiving, and not just as caregivers begin
their work, but ongoing. One way to meet that
goal is the start of an e-mail list-serve
MN-SHARE-The-Care. By becoming a member of the
list, caregivers can e-mail questions, comments
and concerns with other caregivers. 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.
- Ongoing support
– Agencies want to build new and stronger
bonds with caregivers after doing initial
assessments, Vujovich said. Along with that,
more work will be done to help new caregivers
enter the support system, whether its through
churches, clinics, employers or senior nutrition
sites.
- Building
services – As more and more people become
caregivers, there will also be more need for
respite programs, allowing the caregiver a time
to get out of the home. Building and expanding
community volunteer programs will be a vital
part of that effort, along with broadening the
sites and ways respite can be found. Also,
expanding the role Medical Assistance plays in
caregiving could open more choices to
caregivers.
How can you get
plugged into the new caregiving services in your
area? Calling the Senior LinkAge Line® is the
starting point (1-800-333-2433). Staff members there
will be familiar with what current and new
caregiving programs are being offered and how you
can access them.
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