It has hired Barbara Stender as a part-time project director for a family caregiver program, funded by a grant from the regional Office on Aging. Stender began her new job Feb. 18 and is up to her elbows learning about the resources and needs in the county.
The grant spelled out three priorities: a resource guide, training volunteers for a respite program, and helping start a support group for grandparents raising their grandchildren.
The job was created after a series of discussions among those involved in providing services to the aging. Each group, whether governmental, private, or volunteer, recognized various needs for caregiver support, but few were able to stretch their already overworked staffs to coordinate a program for the county.
Federal grant money became available through the Triangle J Area Agency on Aging. As with most grants, the request for funds had to be very specific and cover services outlined in the grant overview. Several meetings were held locally, and the consensus was that the Department of Aging was the natural agency to supervise a caregiver program. Terri Prots, department director, presented the grant proposal in late October and received word within a few weeks that the county would receive funding.
“We must do all we can to ensure that our older residents can remain at home and receive care from loved ones for as long as possible,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said in announcing the federal program. “This money will allow states to develop systems of support to ease the burden on hundreds of thousands of family caregivers nationwide.”
Congress created the new caregiver program as part of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000. The principal component of the program consists of grants to states distributed through a congressionally mandated formula. The department’s Administration on Aging issued comprehensive program guidance to states and has been providing technical assistance as states provide needed information for the grant program.
“States will work closely with their local area agencies on aging and other service providers in the community to put into place program services,” said Norman L. Thompson, acting principal deputy assistant secretary for aging. “Among those services are information and assistance, training, counseling and support, and respite opportunities to allow caregivers to take short breaks from their often stressful daily caregiving responsibilities.”
Stender is putting together a comprehensive resource guide that will be made available to county residents. The guide will list services and agencies in the county that offer help to caregivers. State and federal agencies and organizations that are not found in the county will also be listed.
“Many people have no idea what’s available to them,” Stender says.
One of the difficulties many agencies in the county encounter is finding out who needs help and getting information and services to them. Stender encourages those who are learning about this new program to spread the information.
Caregivers often are not fully aware that they are indeed caregivers, she said. Types of care change according to the needs of the recipients. Getting caregivers to come forth and say that they need help is a major thrust of the program.
Volunteers are being recruited for the respite part of the program. Some respite providers may need to be “only companions,” while others will need more specific training.
Most surveys and research about caregivers highlight the need for them to have a break from their role — sometimes for only a few hours, and sometimes for a day or more. Some of the nursing home facilities in the county offer a paid respite service, but cost can be a deterring factor. One part of the new grant program seeks to provide assistance with paid respite care.
The number of grandparents in the county who are raising their grandchildren is not known, but there are many. Stender plans to help get a support group started for grandparents.
Stender moved to the Sandhills a few weeks ago and is delighted with her new role. She loves horses and is working with Prancing Horse Stables to provide a new “Ridercize” program for people over 50. This combination of riding and exercise has become part of the FirstHealth wellness program.
The caregiver program is a first for the county, and both Prots and Stender have high hopes for its success.
