Family Caregiver Support

Most people don’t even think of themselves as a caregiver. In fact, they may become one and not even realize it. For instance:

• Do you, or someone you know, take a parent to his or her doctor appointments regularly?
• Perhaps you, or someone you know, have taken over a sibling’s bills because he or she is no longer capable, perhaps due to memory loss?
• Do you, or someone you know, take a neighbor shopping because they don’t drive?
• …or perhaps you, or someone you know, fix a regular meal for a community member because you know it’s the only warm meal he or she will get that day.

Caregiving comes in many different forms, but it’s our unpaid family caregivers—and that includes our support network or neighbors and friends—that act as the backbone of our long-term care and support system.

When does one become a caregiver?

• Perhaps when a spouse shows the first signs of Dementia or Alzheimer’s.
• Maybe when a parent, who lives alone, falls and fractures a hip and is in need of 24-hour care.
• Or, when a sibling is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Whatever the situation, often folks are left wondering as they reel from events or news, what do I do next? Where do I begin?

With Us.

We offer a number of services to unpaid family caregivers, age 18 and older, living in Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island Counties.

• Find local resources/services
• Find Support Groups and counseling
• Get training needed on specific caregiving topics or supplies and equipment
• Get respite care for needed breaks

Talk through issues, offering practical information and caregiving suggestions. This program has no income or functional eligibility criteria.

Families have always been, and continue to be, the primary source of help to those with long-term care needs. In fact, it is estimated that family and friends are the sole sources of assistance for nearly 75 percent of people who need help with routine daily activities.

Caregivers represent all gender, age, and ethnic groups. They are spouses, daughters, sons, neighbors, and friends. They cook meals, wash clothes, administer medications, and provide companionship. Without them, many people with long-care needs would either be in costly institutions or would live in isolation and at high risk. 

Yet most family caregivers have little or no training and minimal support. They often have financial difficulties, lack information on local caregiving resources, and can experience feelings of isolation and depression. Family Caregiver Supports Programs provide outreach and education to those caregivers by building upon our community's existing supports and services.

• Washington  Family Caregiver Learning Portal 
• Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a six-session educational program for family caregivers that provides tools for increasing self-care, communicating with health care professionals, and for dealing with and finding solutions to difficult situations. Classes are provided in various locations throughout the region.
• Administration for Community Living
• Long-Distance Caregiving
• Balancing work with providing care for an older adult
• Family Caregiving
• Caregiver Action Network
• Community Living Connections
• WA State Department of Social and Health Services
• Dementia Support NW
• Caregiver Information Booklets provided educational materials on a variety of topics, including Alzheimer's/dementia, stroke, depression, and self-care. They are provided free of charge from any NWRC location and online.

Staff in each county help caregivers find information about diagnoses, available local resources; help connect caregivers with support groups, counselors and other professionals; coordinate home-based services; and provide follow-up support. 

Caregiver Consultants are available to provide in-home training and support, custom-tailored to the needs of the individual caregiver and care recipient. Consultants are available throughout the region and may include occupational/physical therapists, counselors; and dementia support specialists, and other professionals. 

Respite Care provides a break for caregivers who need to be away for anywhere from a few hours to two weeks. Care is provided by qualified professionals, and may be provided in the home, in a nursing facility, in an assisted living facility, or through an adult day service program.