Caregiver Assistance

COALA® Caregiver Education & Support Program

A recent study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP discovered that in about 25% of all homes, a person over the age of 18 had been a caregiver to an adult over the age of 50 at some time during the previous year. Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA^SM) recognizes the importance of the involvement of these informal caregivers (spouses, children, friends, neighbors and other relatives) who may provide everything from minimal assistance with personal care and homemaking and errands to 24-hour assistance.

If you or someone you know is providing care for an older adult 60 years of age or older in your home or in theirs, and needs some help in handling their care, the Council on Aging Learning Advantages (COALA®) Caregiver Education & Support Program can help to make things a little easier for everyone.

A Registered Nurse will make a visit to their home at NO CHARGE and will assist the person who is providing the care with HANDS-ON teaching about medications, diabetic care, bathing, stress, and more.

You will receive a FREE Instruction Manual and a FREE Resource Directory. These services are just a phone call away.

To assist these caregivers, COA has developed and published a Caregiver/Client Training Manual. It was written by Registered Nurses with over 35 years of combined Home Care experience. This Training Manual is printed in large font and in easy-to-understand language. The Manual is given FREE to all Caregivers who are visited by the Caregiver Support Nurse to use as a reference tool. This manual covers:

• Understanding the Needs of the Caregiver
• Safety and Body Mechanics
• Infection Control
• Communication and Observation
• Nutrition
• Mobility
• Personal Care
• Medications
• Bowel and Bladder Problems
• Skills and Procedures
• Sleep Disturbances
• Coping with Grief and Death
• Common Diseases and Conditions
• Accidents and Emergencies
• Ethical, Legal and Financial Issues
• A Glossary of Terms
• Hiring Help for Home Care
• National & Local Resources for Informal Caregivers
• Information on the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio

The COALA Caregiver Training addresses Client / Caregiver tasks and instructional needs such as: Assessing the care-recipient and caregiver’s situation (physical, mental, social, medical and environmental); How to form an organized plan for meeting the needs of the care recipient and caregiver; How to balance personal and caregiving responsibilities; Financial concerns; Physical and mental health of the caregiver; Planning for the future; Community resources including support groups; and Internet and literary resources on caregiving.

To qualify for an RN visit(s) the caregiver or person receiving care must be 60 years old or older and live in one of the 5 counties COA serves (Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton or Warren).

Caregiver Manual Sales

Through a grant from the Administration on Aging (AOA), the COALA program was evaluated by Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  The project evaluation, completed in 2005, showed “that over a three-month time period, after receiving training, caregiver burden decreased, self esteem and competence improved, and objective knowledge of caregiver issues improved.  The number of hours of care provided by the primary caregiver declined, while a larger proportion of caregivers reported using formal services such as personal care, homemaking and respite. More caregivers were making time for themselves, and injuries such as back strain were reduced.  Our [Scripps] findings indicate that the program is worthy of replication.”

The COALA program provides a model for replication by other organizations wishing to provide supportive services for caregivers.  The training manual could be easily adapted for use by changing resource lists to reflect what is available in each community.  Caregiver training could become an integral part of assessing older adults for home and community based services.

COA offers the COALA® Caregiver / Client Training Manual to interested entities for their own programs for $60.00 a manual for 1- 3 manuals, $45.00 for 4 - 9, and $20.00 a manual for 10+.  It should be noted that the manual is copyrighted and no changes or reproduction of the manual is permitted.  COA will also provide a copy of the forms used in their training program for no additional fee for those purchasing 10+ manuals. We hope these forms may be used as a reference for developing other forms, or feel free to reproduce them for your own use.

Employee Assistance Programs are an employment benefit that your workplace may or may not offer. Types of assistance vary widely, though programs generally provide employees with counseling for personal issues such as depression, stress, addiction, financial crisis, and illness or death in the family. Some programs may also assist with locating eldercare and childcare resources. Check with your Human Resources Department.

Local Churches sometimes have volunteers available to provide occasional relief and assistance for the family caregiver. Check with the church in your area.

COALA® Caregiver Education and Support:

513-345-3313
One-on-one training provided to caregivers in the home by the Home Health Educator at Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio.  More Information

Support Groups bring together caregivers who meet regularly to share information and discuss practical solutions to common problems. They are a good source of information on available resources. Support groups also provide caregivers with the opportunity to give and receive encouragement, understanding, and support from others who have similar concerns. Interacting with other caregivers can be a great help in reducing stress.

To obtain information about support groups you can call:

Alzheimer’s Association

Greater Cincinnati Chapter: 513-721-4284
644 Linn Street, Suite 1026 800-441-3322
Cincinnati, OH 45203
www.alz.org/grtrcinc

Butler-Warren Branch Office: 513-705-9168
140 N. Verity Parkway
Middletown, OH 45042

Georgetown Branch Office: 937-378-0533
303 E. Cherry Street, Suite 207
Georgetown, OH 45121

Alzheimer’s Programs and Services

• The Helpline: 513-721-4284 or 800-441-3322
  A telephone assistance service which provides information, supportive services and referral to programs and/or community resources. The helpline operates Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Family Support Groups
• Family Options
  Education, support, and care planning program.
• Safe Return
  Safe Return is a nationwide identification, support and registration
  program working at the community level. Assistance is available 24 hours, every day,
  whenever a person is lost or found. When missing, Safe Return faxes the registrant’s
  information and photo to local law enforcement. When found, a citizen or law official
  calls the 800 number and Safe Return notifies listed contacts. The local Alzheimer’s
  Association provides support.
• Safe Return Registration
  You can obtain a registration form by calling Alzheimer’s Association at 513-721-4284
  or 800-441-3322.
• Other educational and consultation programs.
• Speaker’s Bureau
• Resource Center – The center at Linn St. is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.
  to 4:30 p.m. Contact branch offices for information about their hours of operation.

Caregiver Assistance Network (CAN): 513-929-4483 - In Butler County: 800-606-2560
Caregiver Careline Hours: Weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
www.cssdoorway.org

The Caregiver Assistance Network (CAN) is a collaborative effort of Catholic Social Services of Southwestern Ohio with dozens of community agencies to serve people of all faiths, providing:

• Moral support: Links you with a person who truly understands.
• Stress Relief: Offers tips on how to care for yourself as you care for others.
• Resources: Provides practical ideas on where to get help including free services available to caregivers in our area.
   
• Family Consultation/Counseling: Professional assessment and/or counseling, available by phone or in the home for caregivers’families.
• Caregiver Training/Education: Offers programs on handling emotions, balancing needs and providing care. These programs are available through senior centers, churches and other institutions. They may be presented to employed caregivers at the workplace.
• Support Groups for Family Caregivers: The Network collaborates with senior centers, churches, hospitals, and other entities to co-sponsor free, monthly meetings for family and volunteer caregivers facilitated by two trained group facilitators. Each group meets in the afternoon or evening, typically for 1 ½ hours. There are over 25 locations in Butler, Hamilton, and Warren Counties and in Northern Kentucky. Call: 513-929-4483 for information/registration.
• Balance A quarterly newsletter for family caregivers

Cincinnati Area Senior Services: 513-721-4330
644 Linn Street, Suite 1020
Cincinnati, OH 45203
www.senserve.org
Cincinnati Area Senior Services operates a variety of social services for older adults, such as Adult Protective Services, Indigent Guardianship Services, Substance Abuse Case Management for the older adults and the Representative Payee Program.

The following information for Caregivers has been prepared by the Caregiver Assistance Network

Planning for New Caregivers:

• Learn as much as you can about your loved one’s illness.
• Put your care recipient’s papers in order.
  • Financial. Find out where your care recipient keeps financial information, including investments, bank accounts and tax returns. Find out names of lawyers, bankers and accounts. Also, locate life insurance policies, birth certificates, and funeral arrangement papers.
  • Medical. Find the names and phone numbers of all physicians as well as information about all prescribed medications. Also, find Social Security and Medicare cards. Complete living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care
• Get support early on.
• Be knowledgeable about available resources in your community.
• Allow yourself to experience the many emotions of caregiving (i.e. anger, sadness, loss).
• Find respite.
• Make time for yourself and do activities you enjoy.
• Access legal needs (i.e. wills, advance directives, power of attorney).
• Create a profile of family members’ income and expenses.

Ways to Get Help from Other Family Members:

• Ask. Be assertive.
• Hold a family meeting to express your concerns.
• Suggest specific things others can do to help.
• Don’t make family members feel guilty.
• Be appreciative - say thank you.

Coping Skills:

• Educate yourself about the care receiver’s illness/condition.
• Plan ahead –plan for the worst, but hope for the best.
• Remember to take care of yourself. Know your limits.
• Seek and accept help from others. (Ask for help!)
• Find your source of strength (i.e. religion, exercise, etc.).
• Recite the 4 “C’s”of Caregiving:
  • I didn't cause it.
  • I can’t cure it.
  • I can’t control it.
  • I can only cope with it.

Communicating with Care Receivers:

• Be gentle and sensitive to their situation. It’s not easy to be a care receiver
• Don’t assume you know how they feel.
• Express your concerns openly as well as your limitations.
• Be honest. Maintain eye contact.
• Listen. Be attentive.

Tips for the Employed Caregiver:

• Be upfront and honest with your boss about your caregiving responsibility.
• Ask about any Employee Assistance Programs.
• Take advantage of any flex-time policies.
• Delegate responsibilities both at work and at home.
• Manage your time well, pace yourself.
• Be flexible with your work schedule –be willing to make up any lost time due to caregiving.
• Seek support –from family and the community.
• Try not to use your vacation time for caregiving. Your vacation time should be for you!

Ten Simple Ways to Help a Caregiver:

• Call the caregiver on a regular basis to find out how he or she is doing. Listen with an open
  heart and a non-judgmental ear.
• Volunteer to stay with the care recipient for one evening or afternoon a week, every other
  week, or once a month-whatever you can offer.
• Send a note expressing your love and admiration for the family caregiver.
• Encourage the family caregiver to keep up his/her own interests and hobbies. Help him/her
  find the time needed to do so.
• Lessen the caregiver’s load by running errands when you can.
• Call the caregiver and say, “Don’t worry about dinner. I’ll bring it over.”
• Be a library runner.
• Offer to make phone calls on behalf of the family caregiver to learn about community services
  that can help.
• Stop for a visit with the family caregiver and the care recipient.
• Share a hug! Caregivers give so much of themselves they need regular”hug replacements.”(from www.caregiving.com)

Know the Warning Signs That May Signal Your Breaking Point. For Example:

• Sleeplessness
• Shortness of temper
• Physical problems
• Inability to accept help from others
• Withdrawal from people close to you
• Financial problems
• Disinterest in normal leisure activities