Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

For many, caring for a chronically ill family member is “the right thing to do”, but it is also often a source of emotional hardship, physical stress, and social isolation. In response, skill-building, coping, and psychoeducational programs have emerged to help caregivers meet the changes and challenges in their – as well as the patients’ – lives. Education and Support Programs for Caregivers reveals the diversity of the caregiver population as well as their experiences and needs, and it introduces an empirically solid framework for planning, implementing, and evaluating caregiver programs. The book synthesizes current trends, exploring the effectiveness of different types of programs (e.g., clinic, community, home based) and groups (e.g., peer, professional, self-help), and how supportive programs lead to improved care. Coverage includes: Improving service delivery of education and support programs to underserved caregivers. Cultural, ethnic, and gender issues in conducting caregiver education and support groups. Utilization patterns (e.g., a key to understanding service needs). E-health, telehealth, and other technological developments in caregiver services. Evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of programs. Recommendations for future practice, training, policy, and advocacy. Education and Support Programs for Caregivers offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers.

For many, caring for a chronically ill family member is “the right thing to do”, but it is also often a source of emotional hardship, physical stress, and social isolation. In response, skill-building, coping, and psychoeducational programs have emerged to help caregivers meet the changes and challenges in their – as well as the patients’ – lives. Education and Support Programs for Caregivers reveals the diversity of the caregiver population as well as their experiences and needs, and it introduces an empirically solid framework for planning, implementing, and evaluating caregiver programs. The book synthesizes current trends, exploring the effectiveness of different types of programs (e.g., clinic, community, home based) and groups (e.g., peer, professional, self-help), and how supportive programs lead to improved care. Coverage includes: Improving service delivery of education and support programs to underserved caregivers. Cultural, ethnic, and gender issues in conducting caregiver education and support groups. Utilization patterns (e.g., a key to understanding service needs). E-health, telehealth, and other technological developments in caregiver services. Evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of programs. Recommendations for future practice, training, policy, and advocacy. Education and Support Programs for Caregivers offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Caring for persons with chronic illnesses or disabilities is a rewarding endeavor, but it often places extreme demands on those providing care. Caregivers need both education and support to understand their caregiving roles and to cope with the difficult situations they face. All too often there is a chasm between professionals who are part of the formal caregiving system and family members, friends, and neighbors who provide daily care. The Caring for You, Caring for Me education and support program is a valuable tool for use in providing caregivers with education and support. The program is designed to bring formal (professional) and informal (lay/family) caregivers together to gain a better understanding of each other's perspectives on what it means to be a caregiver, with the hope that in the process both will learn to do it better. The program is based on caregiving research and the expertise of frontline caregivers. The Leader's Guide contains everything needed to conduct a ten-hour education and support program for caregivers: informational content, layouts for overhead transparencies, and suggested group activities. The companion Participant's Manual supports the presentation, providing a workbook for class activities, a suggested reading list, and a compendium of national sources of help for caregivers. Caring for You, Caring for Me was developed by the Rosalynn Carter Institute under the guidance of the West Central Georgia Caregivers' Network (CARE-NET). The Rosalynn Carter Institute was established in 1987. Its mission is to understand the process of caregiving and discover new ways to benefit both formal and informal caregivers. The Institute supports the premise that caregivers and care receivers can be served most effectively through the collaborative efforts of formal and informal caregivers, academicians, public and private services, and organizations representing caregivers and recipients of care.

Abstract: Caregivers of persons with dementia are at risk of mental and physical illness due to challenging caregiving tasks. Failure to adjust to the caretaking role may result in poor health and inability to continue in the role, resulting in a family decision for placement in long-term care facilities. The project was to develop a grant proposal for funding an in-home education and therapeutic support program for these caregivers. A review of literature on outcomes of caregiver support programs ensured that the program would contain appropriate interventions. The project was to develop a grant proposal to fund a program to be administered by the Alzheimer's Association, whose mission is to provide and enhance care and support for all persons affected by dementia and to reduce the risk of dementia through promotion of brain health. Actual submission and/or funding of the grant proposal was not required for successful completion of this project.