The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there were approximately 43.5 million caregivers in the U.S. in 2015 (the most recent year for which such data is available), and that of those caregivers, nearly 15.7 million were caring for someone who has Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. These caregivers managed a wide range of tasks, including shopping, personal assistance, complex chronic care (medical and nursing tasks), and others.
Though caregivers' attention is generally focused on the person they’re caring for, they often fail to maintain their own adequate levels of health. The CDC reports in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that almost 20 percent of today's caregivers are in only fair to poor health. The conclusion reached by the CDC is that the stress and burden of caregiving has an adverse effect on the caregivers’ health.
Care for the Caregivers
Because of the burden of caregiving, those who are caring for others should periodically seek personal maintenance and respite. A number of caregiver resources in Lakeway, Texas, are available to help caregivers and their families cope with the tensions and hardships of providing support to senior adults. Utilizing these resources provides a refreshing respite from the worry and anxiety of caregiving. Below are examples of some of the services and resources available.
FirstLight Home Care
Caregivers often focus their attention on providing care to the senior adult in their lives to the extent that they forget to care for themselves. FirstLight Home Care focuses on providing temporary personnel to assume the duties of caring for a senior. This allows the full-time, primary caregiver to take a break from the strain and pressures of full-time support. FirstLight offers respite care for any length of time on either a one-time or periodic basis.
The Lakeway Church
The Lakeway Church in Lakeway offers a program called Care for the Caregivers. This program is free and is designed to provide caregivers with peer-group emotional and spiritual support. The meetings are open to everyone and are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. The group meets in the church’s Fellowship Center Room.
Home Helpers
Having some time away from being a caregiver is often the most critical support a caregiver needs. Another resource in Lakeway is Home Helpers, which provides skilled professionals on a temporary, one-time, or regular basis. Depending on the caregiver's situation, Home Helpers can supply personnel for dementia care, companion care, out-of-the-home shopping, and 24/7 in-home adult care. Home Helpers also provides a personal monitoring service to help ensure the well-being of older seniors who are living alone but do not yet need continuing care.
AmeriCare
AmeriCare is another valuable caregiver resource in Lakeway. This organization provides highly skilled and compassionate caregivers throughout the Lakeway area in the service of flexible respite care relief and work breaks for primary caregivers. AmeriCare's philosophy is focused on allowing the primary caregiver to take time off for work, spending time with friends and family, or catching up on errands.
Homewatch CareGivers
Homewatch CareGivers meets with primary caregivers and their families to develop a respite care plan based on specific needs and requirements. They then provide the level of respite care needed. Care levels can range from transportation services to elder care to dementia care, and more, all based on the needs of both the person cared for and the primary caregiver. Homewatch CareGivers believes it is important to maintain a consistent level of quality of life, as well as carry out all necessary caregiver functions. As a result, Homewatch employs skilled, compassionate, and understanding professionals.
The above caregiver resources in Lakeway provide respite care and emotional support specifically for primary caregivers. These organizations and companies offer a wide range of services, from personal health and safety monitoring to on-site elder and dementia care. Utilizing these resources allows primary caregivers the opportunity to step away from everyday pressures and concerns, hand over the responsibility for caregiving to a skilled professional, and take a personal break. In this way, the primary caregiver can take some time to relax, recharge, and work to restore their health so that they can return to caregiving invigorated.
