Alzheimer's Association CareFinder™
- http://www.alz.org/carefinder/index.asp - This user friendly site will help you to plan ahead, understand care options, provides information about coordinating care and how to find good care in your community. Their interactive tool prints out recommended options and a list of questions to ask when screening a care provider.
Family Caregiving 101 - http://www.familycaregiving101.org - was created especially for caregivers and is a great place to find assistance, answers, new ideas and advice. It will provide you with the basic tools, skills and information you need to protect your physical and mental health. It was created by the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC).
Prepare to Care - A Planning Guide for Families - http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/aarp_foundation/programs_services/prepare_to_care.html - This AARP caregiver resource will help you to begin to discuss a caregiving plan with your family. The guide includes five steps from beginning a dialogue to taking action and includes information on how to get started, questions to ask and where to find basic resources. Don't be discouraged if you can't answer every question or fill in every blank. The important thing is to start the conversation in a way that works for you and your family.
The Cooperative Extension's - http://www.extension.org/family+caregiving - site includes family caregiving information and help.
AssistGuide Information Services (AGIS) - http://www.agis.com - is designed to help caregivers provide the best care they can to their loved ones.
"So Far Away: Twenty Questions for Long Distance Caregivers,' - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/LongDistanceCaregiving/ - a National Institute on Aging (NIA) publication available on-line is an excellent, easy to follow resource for long-distance caregivers. You may also call this toll-free information line - 1-800-222-2225 - to place an order or go to: http://niapublications.org/pubs/order/order.asp?id=BK021.
Lotsa Helping Hands - http://caregiver.lotsahelpinghands.com/ - is an on-line tool for caregivers to help them to arrange for help. In literally minutes, a coordinator can create, free-of-charge, a private and secure Lotsa Helping Hands web community, define volunteer activities using the supplied templates, and begin inviting members to the community. Through an intuitive interface that requires no training, volunteers can then easily view and sign up for any number of available tasks, review their current commitments, and be confident they won't forget any assignments as the system automatically sends out email reminders of upcoming obligations.
CaringBridge - http://www.caringbridge.org - is a free on-line service for anyone who has chronic illnesses or long term care needs. Anyone can build a website in minutes. The CaringBridge website helps keep loved ones informed during difficult times and family and friends give patient and caregiver support through guestbook messages.
On-line resource to help families manage their caregiving responsibilities - http://www.sharethecare.org - You can organize a team using a simple, easy-to-follow system and a workbook guide. It provides a road map on how to take a group of individuals and turn them into a 'caregiver family' to help you with your caregiving responsibilities.
Care for the Family Caregiver: A Place to Start - http://www.caregiving.org/pubs/brochures/CFC.pdf - developed by the National Alliance for Caregiving gives an overview of basic cargiving aspects and issues. You may want to start a file or designate a special place in your home for caregiving resources. You may find a topic in this booklet that you have not yet considered. Perhaps you have not yet encountered the financial aspects or legal issues involved in family caregiving. You may find that simply recognizing and anticipating these and other issues will help you take the first steps in determining a plan of action.
Are you searching for that perfect book, video or website on caregiving issues? With literally hundreds-if not thousands-of such resources available, how can you know which might be right for you? To meet this need, the AXA Foundation has funded the creation of the National Alliance for Caregiving's Family Care Resource Connection - http://www.caregiving.org/fcrc.htm - Here you will find reviews and ratings of hundreds of books, videos, websites, magazines, fact sheets and other resources addressing the range of issues and questions faced by family caregivers. They add new resources all the time, so check back often!
Resources for Caregivers - http://www.caregiving.org/pubs/brochures.htm - also prepared by the National Alliance for Caregiving with the MetLife Mature Market Institute in cooperation with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) (Dec. 2006) to help individuals and family caregivers or those who anticipate future caregiving. It can be viewed as a starting point for resources. It provides mailing addresses, phone numbers and Internet addresses of national associations and organizations, disease specific resources, and financial and legal resources, plus an annotated list of caregiver-related books, videos and websites. Retail prices of books, tapes and videos are listed. The items included are generally available at bookstores. Other materials can be ordered using the addresses listed in the guide.
BenefitsCheckUp - http://www.benefitscheckup.org/ - Developed and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), BenefitsCheckUp is the nation's most comprehensive web-based service to screen for benefits programs for seniors with limited income and resources. BenefitsCheckUp includes more than 1,550 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Many older people need help paying for prescription drugs, health care, utilities and other basic needs. And, millions of older Americans - especially those with limited incomes - are eligible for but not receiving benefits from federal, state and local programs. This service helps individuals learn about and apply for public programs to help them with heating and energy assistance, prescription savings programs, income supplements, and more.
AARP's Benefits QuickLink - http://www.aarp.org/family/grandparenting/articles/benefits_quicklink_for_grandfamilies.html - can help you to determine if you or the children you are raising are eligible for key public and private benefits. You can find and apply for low and no-cost programs that can help you stay healthy, cover basic expenses, assist older relatives, and support children in your care.
