Ayudando a Quien Ayuda

Español |Helping the Helper™

If you are visiting this page, you are interested in learning more about our FREE community program, Helping the Helper. Perhaps you have taken on the loving task of providing help or care for a friend or a family member, or you are close to someone who is. If so, please continue reading to find out how Helping the Helper can provide support with some of the challenges faced by caregivers.

Am I a Family Caregiver?

You are a family caregiver if you spend several hours a week helping a family member or close friend with dressing, bathing, preparing meals, medications or household chores. If you have come to see yourself as a nurse carrying out medical tasks, the financial manager of a second household, or have taken on legal tasks on behalf of a loved one, you are a family caregiver.

What is Helping the Helper and How Can It Help Me?

Helping the Helper connects you with ongoing, assistance, guidance, and resources to help you cope with the challenges of caregiving. No caregiver’s situation is alike. That is why we have joined 211 LA and the USC Family Caregiver Support Center to offer free, personalized support to family caregivers in Los Angeles County. No matter the stage of caregiving that you are in, Helping the Helper can connect you with practical, physical, and emotional assistance to help you lower your stress level and maintain your health, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Are The Requirements to Participate in the Program?

Helping the Helper is open to all family caregivers who reside in Los Angeles County. The care recipient must be a person over the age of 55 with a chronic medical condition. This program also serves family caregivers who care for a person of any age with a brain or neurological impairment diagnosed after age 18, such as Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's or stroke. AARP membership is not required.

How Do I Get Started?

To participate in the program, just dial 2-1-1 and ask for Helping the Helper.

When you call, one of 211 LA’s friendly, bilingual Community Resource Advisors will ask for your contact information, and give you an overview of the program. If you are interested in learning more, 211 LA will share your contact information with the USC Family Caregiver Support Center.

What Happens Next?

A few days later, you will receive a call from a counselor called a Family Care Navigator. Family Care Navigators are professional counselors trained in social work and gerontology from the University of Southern California Family Caregiver Support Center (USC FCSC). With the information you provide, the Family Care Navigator will assess your situation and design a personalized care plan to help you manage your individual well-being and that of your care recipient.

USC FCSC has helped thousands of caregivers coordinate hospice, respite care, workshops, legal services, meal delivery programs, training, and more based on the caregiver’s specific needs.

Call 2-1-1 and ask for Helping the Helper to learn how they can help you!

Stay Informed
Download our guide for family caregivers. Click here.

Stay Connected

· For information in Spanish visit, aarp.org/ayudandoaquienayuda.

We thank our Community Partners:
First Five LA
City of Huntington Park
Adventist Health White Memorial
Casa de la Familia
Family Care Specialists Medical Group
Casa de la Familia Counseling
Bristol Hospice

For more information, follow us on Facebook.com/aarpcalifornia and Twitter @aarpca.