Resources for Family Caregivers

When older adults need help, family members and friends often step in. They buy the groceries, pay the bills, mow the lawn, escort to medical appointments, and sometimes even bathe, dress, and feed the senior. These are caregivers -- people who give of themselves to meet the needs of another. Caregiving can be both rewarding and exhausting. It can be both educational and bewildering.

DARTS provides information and support to hundreds of caregivers each year through respite care, support and education groups, service coordination, a comprehensive website for caregivers, and a resource library.

Click here to download a flyer of all DARTS' caregiver services.

Workplace Eldercare Seminars for Family Caregivers

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In addition to DARTS' caregiver education offerings for senior centers, faith communities, service clubs, housing facilities, and senior service providers, DARTS also provides eldercare seminars at workplaces throughout the Twin Cities. These seminars connect employees with resources for their caregiving journey. A recent national employee survey ranked life balance issues as workers' number one concern -- and eldercare is at the top of their list. If you're wondering whether you or your work colleagues are caregivers, download our "Am I a Caregiver?" poster for some tips on identifying a caregiver.

DARTS' eldercare seminars for the workplace can benefit employers and employees alike. Seminar categories and topics include:

Critical Issues in Aging

• Housing Decisions -- Housing decisions take on new dimensions as seniors age. Learn the pros, cons, and finances of staying at home, independent senior housing, home services, assisted living, and nursing homes.
• Financial and Legal Issues -- Power of attorney, specialized insurance, and other thorny issues are best explored sooner than later. Advance information on financial and legal issues can ease the crises of aging.
• Dementia and Memory Loss -- Many elders remain alert, yet most fear the loss of memory and reason above all else. Their families do, too. Learn about memory loss symptoms and complexities.
• Community Resources -- Needs change continually as we age. Whether you are near or far from your elder, community resources can make life better. Explore service availability, costs, and benefits.

Strategies for Caregiving

• Family Caregiving Strategies -- A good starting point for working adults who provide care for aging family members. Learn about resources and strategies that can help maintain everyone's dignity and connectedness.
• Critical Conversations -- Helping an elder age well involves talk about family team work, senior driving, health, independence, even dying. Good communication strategies help families build cooperation, develop work plans, and make decisions.
• Cooperative Caregiving -- Adult siblings and other caregivers must often find new common ground in caring for a parent or elderly loved one. Scout this territory of common conflicts, possible resolutions, and criteria for family satisfaction.

DARTS' eldercare seminars are presented by DARTS professionals and include a question-and-answer period. Many employers have hosted these seminars, including University of Minnesota, Dakota County, Unisys, CHS Cooperative, Twin Cities Public Television, and Anoka Hennepin Technical College.

Seminar testimonials

Support: DARTS' workplace eldercare seminars are supported by employer-based seminar fees and funding from the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging (through the federal Older Americans Act) and the Greater Twin Cities United Way.

For more information or to schedule an eldercare seminar at your workplace, call 651.455.1560 or send us an e-mail.

DARTS Offers Coaching/Counseling Service for Family Caregivers

DARTS is providing caregiver counseling through Eldercare Partners, a collaboration of four Twin Cities nonprofit organizations (including DARTS). The service focuses directly on the needs of family caregivers, so they have the skills, training, and emotional support to stay balanced and confident throughout their caregiving journey.

Caregiving doesn't always come naturally, especially when the care receiver's health requires new skills for managing all the related issues. For instance:

• Understanding and dealing with behavior associated with Alzheimer's disease can be a challenge.
• Helping someone in a wheelchair get into and out of a car can be difficult without proper training.
• Asking other family members to pitch in with caregiving tasks may take extra resolve.
• Getting a handle on financial issues related to long-term care can often be frustrating.

These are just a few of the practical, day-to-day issues DARTS professionals can help caregivers address.

If you or someone you know could benefit from having a family consultant for information, counseling, coaching, and support during the caregiving journey, please call 651-234-2262 and talk to Lynn. This service is available to caregivers in Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington Counties. Voluntary contributions are welcomed for this service, which is available to anyone caring for someone 60+ years of age.

The service is funded in part by the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging (through the federal Older Americans Act) and in part by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. (The other members of Eldercare Partners participating in this service are HSI--Human Services, Inc., Senior Community Services, and Wilder Foundation.)

Website for Family Caregivers

DARTS hosts a website for caregivers of seniors, including resources for Spanish-speaking and Hmong caregivers. Features of the site include: Education and resources on topics ranging from caregiver basics to medical and housing issues; short descriptions of other websites we think worthwhile; confidential assistance from an online advisor; and Consider This caregiving tips, news, and trends. The site is a result of DARTS receiving a technology grant from the United Way as part of their Service Through Technology initiative. For more information, visit the site or contact us at 651.455.1560.

Respite
Respite, or a period of relief, can help reduce the stress of 24-hour-a-day caregiving. Compassionate and well-trained respite volunteers stay with the senior who is ill or disabled so the caregiver can take a break. DARTS provides this relief on a weekly basis for as long as 4 hours at a time. A caregiver may use this respite to enjoy an afternoon with a friend, run errands, keep a golf date, or just take some time to rest and be refreshed. Respite volunteers work under the supervision of DARTS professional service coordinators who are available to help you access other services tailored to your individual needs.

The fee for respite service is billed by DARTS on a quarterly basis and and is based on a sliding scale. For more information contact us at 651.455.1560 or send us an e-mail.

Caregiver Support Groups and Education Programs

Meeting other caregivers who truly understand what you are going through can be an invaluable source of support. DARTS brings you and other caregivers together to discuss concerns with knowledgeable professionals and to learn from the real experts -- others who are walking down the same road. DARTS service coordinators lead the groups.

DARTS' Community Services offers educational programs for caregivers. The programs are suited to senior centers, faith communities, service clubs, housing facilities, and senior service providers. You can pick a topic that meets your needs and schedule it at your convenience. To learn more, call 651.455.1560 or send us an e-mail.

Service Coordination

DARTS service coordinators provide consultation and personalized service planning for seniors and their families and link you with DARTS programs and services. These professionals are also very knowledgeable about other community resources and can help you or your family connect with them. Service coordinators can help you identify your strengths and challenges and find the best services for your situation. Think of the service coordinator as your personal advisor -- someone who will come to know you and then offer recommendations, service planning, and, if you wish, ongoing coordination and monitoring.

This type of assistance is often known as care management. Some people come to us for care management through Eldercare Partners. Eldercare Partners brings together the senior services expertise of four of the Twin Cities area's most respected nonprofit organizations, including DARTS, to offer personalized advice on senior options in the seven-county metro area.

Our sliding-scale fees vary according to the services provided, and are billed by DARTS on a monthly basis. For more information, contact us at 651.455.1560 or send us an e-mail.

Resource Library

An extensive collection of books, videotapes, and other resources is available for caregivers to borrow. You may check out a book to learn about Parkinson's disease or borrow a relaxation tape to help relieve stress. You are welcome to peruse the shelves at the DARTS office during regular business hours. If you cannot get away to visit the library yourself, we would be glad to mail items to you. See the online listing of items available.

Archived Newsletter

Keeping In Touch is a past, archived newsletter written especially for caregivers of older adults.