Even if you’ve only been caregiving for a short time, you already recognize how important it is to find support. Just like in parenting, successful caregiving takes a village. No man (or woman!) is an island. You can’t and shouldn’t have to do this alone. While some have family and friends nearby to help lift the burden of day-to-day care, it’s often difficult to find resources to help you, the primary caregiver. Use these caregiver resources as your starting point to get your questions answered!

National Alliance for Caregiving

The National Alliance for Caregiving is a group of organizations “focusing on advancing family caregiving through research, innovation, and advocacy.” This is the place to go to research your loved one’s diagnosis. They have articles pertaining to advancements in caregiving and what help is (or will be soon!) available to you in the form of technology, personnel, and tools. Their list of resources is fairly comprehensive and easy to navigate. Additionally, they provide links to further research,  finding care assistance, and general information and support. They are linked to most social media outlets and have a great newsletter for research updates.

Agingcare.com

Agingcare.com is full of articles on everything caregiving. You can find topics in self-care, working with family, various diagnosis, money and legal care, scams plaguing seniors, and more. Browse by topic or do a search for more specific information. If your parent or their spouse is a veteran, this is a great site to help you find available services and benefits. They offer a weekly newsletter, support forums, and membership options.

A Place for Mom

The primary function of this site is to find senior and assisted living options in your area.  If you are on the fence about what is best for your parent (home, assisted living, memory care, etc) this site explains your options in great detail.  You will find specifics on the services provided by each type of facility and links to articles for further research. You will also find state-specific information on these facilities. A Place for Mom will take you from start to finish in finding the best possible care facility for your loved one’s needs.

For the caregiver, A Place for Mom has one of the most comprehensive indexes of articles I have found. You will find help with topics like general aging, caregivers, elder law, finances, and senior housing options. They have a blog with many notable contributors and a newsletter that sends support and tools directly to your inbox.

Caregiving.com

This is one of my favorite sites dedicated to supporting the caregiver. The author of The Caregiving Years: Six Stages to A Meaningful Experience (a must read for caregivers!), Denise Brown, is a much sought after caregiving educator. The site allows each caregiver to set up a blog (if they wish) where they describe their day and the struggles they encounter. The blogs are organized by categories for every type of caregiver (including sandwiched caregivers). From their site you can access training, personal caregiving consultants, webinars, videos, and podcasts mostly geared toward home caregivers (both family and professional). You will find information on multiple caregiving conferences throughout the country. Their forums are in the form of chatrooms that require a login for added privacy.  They are found through most social media outlets.

Alzheimer’s Association

This was a resource of mine even before my mother-in-law’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. While their resources concerning Dementia are unbeatable, they have many options pertaining to normal aging and caregiving. This site is really a training tool for family caregivers. They have online training for everything from daily care to financial and legal planning. If your loved one has Dementia, they will help you develop a care plan. Additionally, they offer private message boards, an active blog, newsletters, and multiple community events.

Honorable Mention

Facebook is also a great place for daily support. It’s difficult at times for me to “vent” to family and friends. My mother-in-law’s family (including my husband) feel guilty and hurt when I explain some of our difficulties. My family feels anger that I am filling this difficult role. Friends generally lack the knowledge to be understanding. Simply do group searches for “caregiving”,  “dementia”, etc. to be rewarded with many groups (small and large) offering support from caregivers similar to you.

By adding these resources to your arsenal and training yourself to turn to them when you experience the inevitable new and difficult that comes with caregiving, you will decrease your feelings of overwhelm and chaos. You will become more confident in your abilities and decisions. It’s easy in our unique situations to feel alone and isolated. Help and community are out there and these five resources will help you find the help you need.

For more support, tools, and resources, I encourage you to follow my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts. For those looking for support in their “sandwiched situation” join A Bridge Between the Gap Facebook group. 

What are some of your favorite caregiving resources?