Caregiver support & resources (Copy)
Are you a caregiver?
Like many others, you may not think of yourself as a “caregiver.” Have you stepped in to help a family member or friend with everyday tasks like shopping, meals, cleaning, driving, paying bills, medications, dressing, or more? If so, we believe you are a caregiver. We appreciate the care you provide! We want to offer support and share resources available to you.
As a caregiver, you balance a lot. Research shows using services such as the ones listed below can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression for caregivers. These services can also enable you to provide care longer, delaying the need to place a loved one into long-term care residential options such as assisted living communities or nursing homes.
If you are unable to find what you are looking for or would like to ask for something to be added, please fill out this form.
- Avoid arguing and correcting your loved one. It usually only makes things worse.
- If your loved one is safe, it’s okay to join them in their view of reality.
- Avoid quizzing and asking, “don’t you remember?” It won’t help them remember.
- Breathe deeply and respond to their questions as if it’s the first time, every time.
- Use humor, compassion, touch, eye contact, and gentleness. How would you want to be treated?
- Accept help; it does not mean you are failing or a burden on others. Make a list of needs and share it if someone says, “let me know how I can help.”
- Take breaks to release tension, relax your mind, and renew your energy (respite).
Care consultations: These are meetings with trained professionals who will help you:
- Navigate caregiving decisions and family issues
- Assess current needs, and anticipate future care challenges
- Identify caregiver resources
- Develop an effective care plan
- Assist with problem-solving
- Offer supportive listening in a confidential, nonjudgmental environment.
Care consultations can be provided without a fee by any of the national dementia organizations through their helplines (see national helplines and websites list below). In addition, your local Area Agency on Aging can either provide a care consultation or help to direct you to a nearby organization for one. Finally, the Division of Aging & Adult Services provides in-person, virtual, or telephone care consultations through our partnership with the organizations listed below. You can self-refer for these free meetings; no need to get a referral from your healthcare provider.
- Cognitive Disorders Clinic, University of Utah
- Melissa Mauchley, LCSW, MSW
- 801-585-7575
- [email protected]
- Dementia Caregiver Clinic, Utah State University
- Laurie Smith
- 435-797-2088
- [email protected]
Education programs: As dementia progresses, additional knowledge and skills are needed in order to best support the person living with dementia. Dementia caregiving is not an intuitive process, so getting help to navigate the changes and challenges will help you and the adult living with dementia. Education programs are available to help you understand dementia, manage challenges as they arise, plan for the future, and understand the resources available to you. For more information about in-person or virtual offerings in your area, contact your local Area Agency on Aging or see below for online, national education.
National online education options:
AARP dementia or caregiver courses
Alzheimer’s Association courses
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
Caregiver Teleconnection
Hilarity for Charity
UCLA Dementia Care Caregiver Education
Support group meetings: Support groups are meetings with people who share common experiences or concerns and provide each other with encouragement, comfort, and advice. Being a caregiver can be a rewarding experience, it can also be a challenge. It can help to have a group of people who understand what you are going through, people who also have experience caring for someone with dementia. Support groups provide opportunities to receive validation, support, and empathy, as well as learn tips from the experiences of others. To find support groups near you, check with your local Area Agency on Aging or the national dementia organizations (see national dementia helplines and websites list).
Respite: Respite is short-term relief for caregivers. This can be provided either in or out of the home. For example, a friend/family member visiting can allow you the opportunity to step away and take some time for yourself. Also, organizations such as personal care agencies can be hired to provide social visits, help with everyday jobs such as light housekeeping and meal prep, or help with care tasks such as bathing. These organizations can provide you with a few hours of support or up to 24/7 support. Respite can also be used outside of the home such as a few hours to a few days a week at an adult day center (see description above) or overnight to multiple day/night stays at an assisted living community or nursing home. There is a fee to use these services, and sometimes benefits such as long-term care insurance or Aid and Attendance through the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) may help with the cost. The National Family Caregiver Support Program (implemented by Utah’s Area Agencies on Aging) and the VA’s Caregiver Support Program also offer respite care to eligible caregivers (see local caregiver resources below for both programs).
Here are some organizations that offer free respite:
Area Agencies on Aging
CurePSP
Hilarity for Charity (HFC)
Jewish Family Service
Lynden Legacy Foundation
Adult day services: Adult day services are services in which older adults, adults living with dementia, or adults living with disabilities receive individualized therapeutic, social, and/or health services for some part of the day. In Utah, most adult day services occur at adult day centers, which are freestanding buildings operated strictly for this purpose. Additionally, some assisted living communities or nursing homes offer adult day services at their community where people will visit for all or part of the day and are integrated into the day’s activities and routine along with the people who live there. For people living with dementia, using adult day services can include benefits such as socialization, physical activity, cognitive stimulation, creative expression, building new friendships, and more – all in a safe environment. These benefits have shown to reduce falls, improve quality of sleep, and bolster self-esteem. For caregivers, adult day services can help lower stress, offer you a break, avoid burnout, allow you to continue working, provide peace of mind, and more. There is a fee to use these services. Benefits such as long-term care insurance or Aid and Attendance through the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) may help with the cost.
Salt Lake County
Neighborhood House
Willow Canyon Living
Tooele County
Lighthouse
Utah County
Aspen Senior Day Center
Beehive Senior Daycare
Poppy’s Place
Washington County
Memory Matters
Weber County
Daybreak Senior Services
Taking care of yourself helps you be a better caregiver.
- Treat yourself like a friend.
- Feel the warmth of the sun.
- Listen to music, sing, or hum.
- Walk barefoot in the grass.
- Take time for your own passions.
- Write in a journal.
- Find reasons to smile.
- Put your own health first.
- Tell yourself, “I am doing a good job.”
- Call a friend, family member, clergy, etc.
- Join a support group.
- Use respite (see "Types of services" above to learn more about respite).
Dementia websites and helplines
- Alzheimer’s Association
- alz.org
- Helpline: 800-272-3900
- Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
- theaftd.org
- Helpline: 866-507-7222
- Alzheimer's Foundation of America
- alzfdn.org
- Helpline: 866-232-8484
- CurePSP
- psp.org
- Hope Line: 800-457-4777
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation
- cjdfoundation.org
- Helpline: 800-659-1991
- Huntington’s Disease Society of America
- hdsa.org
- Helpline: 800-345-4372
- Lewy Body Dementia Association
- lbda.org
- Lewy Line: 800-539-9767
- Parkinson’s Foundation
- parkinson.org
- Helpline: 800-473-4636
Caregiver support organizations
- AARP
- aarp.org/caregiving
- Resource line: 877-333-5885
- ARCH National Respite Network
- archrespite.org
- Phone: 706-256-2084
- Area Agencies on Aging
- daas.utah.gov/locations
- Ask about the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP)
- Caregiver Action Network
- caregiveraction.org
- Caregiver help desk: 855-227-3640
- Dementia Action Alliance
- Eldercare Locator
- eldercare.acl.gov
- Phone: 800-677-1116
- Family Caregiver Alliance
- caregiver.org
- Phone: 800-445-8106
- Lorenzo's House (younger-onset dementias)
- National Institute on Aging (National Institutes of Health)
- VA Caregiver Support Program
- caregiver.va.gov
- Support line: 855-260-3274
- Utah VA Caregiver Support Program, George E Wahlen VA Medical Center
- Andrew Wittwer, LCSW, MPA
- 801-582-1565 x2608
- [email protected]
- Andrew Wittwer, LCSW, MPA
- AARP Family Caregiving Publications (available in digital or free printed copies)
- Care for the Caregiver
- Family Caregiver State Resource Guides
- Family Caregiver Questions Guide
- Financial Workbook for Family Caregivers
- Family Caregiving Guide (available in multiple languages)
- HomeFit Guide (available in multiple languages)
- Veteran and Military Families Caregiver Guide (available in multiple languages)
- A Guide on Advanced Care Planning Resources
- The Caregiver's Handbook (National Institute on Aging)
- Caregiver Planning Guide
- National Institute on Aging worksheets
- Coordinating caregiving responsibilities
- Home safety checklist
- Questions to ask before hiring a care provider
- Questions to consider before moving an older adult into your home
- Managing medications and supplements
- Important documents and paperwork
- The person I am with has dementia pass along cards
- Salt Lake County Aging Services (available in multiple languages)
- Creating Joy
- Managing Care
- University of Utah LEAD Guide
There are only four kinds of
people in the world — those who have been
caregivers, those who are currently caregivers,
those who will be caregivers and those who
will need caregivers.