National Family Caregiver Month

Monday, November 25, 2024

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize and honor the estimated 53 million family caregivers in the U.S. who provide unpaid care to loved ones. This caregiving represents an economic value of over $470 billion, yet caregivers often face emotional, financial, and physical challenges. Many caregivers juggle responsibilities for aging parents, children, and employment, highlighting the need for increased support and recognition of their contributions.

In addition, grandparents raising grandchildren and older adults caring for adult children with disabilities also play a vital caregiving role. Approximately 2.7 million grandparents in the U.S. are primary caregivers for their grandchildren, often stepping in due to special circumstances. Another 1 million older adults are caring for adult children with disabilities. These caregivers who are balancing the responsibility of caring for others while managing their own health needs as they age, face unique caregiving challenges, making National Family Caregivers Month an important time to acknowledge and support their roles.

This year’s theme, “I Care,” emphasizes caregivers’ critical role and their need for self-recognition. Many caregivers don’t realize their contributions classify them as such, potentially preventing them from accessing valuable resources. The theme encourages caregivers to acknowledge their role and seek help to manage the emotional and logistical challenges of caregiving.

AgeGuide’s Caregiver Resources

• Trualta E-Learning Platform
  • Understanding the complexities of caregiving can be overwhelming. That’s why AgeGuide is thrilled to announce its partnership with Trualta, a comprehensive online education and community platform tailored for families managing care at home. Ready to simplify your caregiving journey? Sign up for your FREE account today.
• Tailored Care Self-Assessment Screening Tool
  • To address the needs of family caregivers, AgeGuide has partnered with Tailored Care (T-CARE) to strengthen the capacity of its providers to support family caregivers. Are you a caregiver? Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Take this quick and easy caregiver self-assessment questionnaire.
• Kinship Family Program
  • If you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other relative raising a child in place of their parents, then you are a kinship family! You are not alone, and there are many services available to assist you. The program provides valuable resources to adults 55+ who are raising children 18 and under or adult dependent children 18-59 with severe disabilities. Learn more now.
• Additional Resources
  • Go to AgeGuide’s Family Caregiver page to learn more about other resources such as funding opportunities, legal services, support groups, training sessions, and more!

Each county in our service area (DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will County) has a specific caregiver service provider. There are no income or asset restrictions for these services. To read more about each service, and to find which agency provides that service in your area, visit the AgeGuide website.

AgeGuide’s Caregiver Seminar

On November 7^th, AgeGuide held its annual Caregiver Seminar in partnership with Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care. This program’s mission is to transform the experience of dementia – worldwide. The session offered practical strategies to assist those with dementia by focusing on their retained abilities, enhancing interactions, and improving care. To learn more about Teepa Snow, follow this link.

AgeGuide’s Caregiver Seminar PowerPoint