Supporting Family Caregivers in SWPA
AARP, the United Way Southwest PA 2-1-1, and Northern Area Multi Service Center (NAMS) have collaborated to help connect family caregivers in Southwest PA to NAMS’ Caregiver Solutions™ program, which provides informal caregivers and care recipients access to professional Care Consultants.
Every day, nearly 1.6 million Pennsylvanians perform a great labor of love: caring for parents, spouses, adult children with disabilities, friends, and other loved ones so they can remain in their homes – where they want to be. They manage medications, provide transportation, prepare meals, handle finances, perform complex medical tasks, and much more.
“We know that managing care is a team effort,” said AARP Pennsylvania State Office Director Bill Johnston-Walsh. “AARP is pleased to help to connect Southwest PA caregivers to Caregiver Solutions as another tool in the toolbox designed to provide support to caregivers and care receivers and help them find practical solutions to meet their needs, adjust to changes, and plan for the future.”
Caregiver Solutions is convenient and flexible. A trained Care Consultant connects with the caregiver by phone. While calls can be made from home or on the go, the opportunity to email questions provides added convenience. Care Consultants are trained to listen and help coordinate and prioritize concerns, provide resources and emotional support, and develop a step-by-step action plan to make caregiving easier to manage. Care Consultants know the available local and national resources and provide caregivers with information they need to make informed decisions.
Caregiver Solutions is available to caregivers and care receivers 18 years and older living in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.
Help is just a phone call away and there is currently no fee for this service. If you are a caregiver and would like to learn more about Caregiver Solutions and be connected to a Care Consultant, simply dial 211 on your telephone. You can also learn more about the program at http://buildingindependence.org/caregiversolutions/.
AARP is fighting to support family caregivers who help make it possible for older Pennsylvanians and other loved ones to live independently at home – where they want to be. Caregiving is too big a challenge to tackle alone – no one person should bear the whole burden, and no one agency can provide every solution, which is why AARP has teamed up with United Way Southwest 211 and NAMS to raise awareness around the issues caregivers face and finding new ways to provide support.
To learn more about additional resources for family caregivers in Pennsylvania, please visit AARP’s state resource guide. To learn more about AARP’s national support of family caregivers, go to https://aarp.org/caregiving/.
