Six County Area Agency on Aging
Caregiver Support Program
This program provides relief for caregivers on a temporary basis. Each client has a $1,500.00 per year, limit. Those eligible for this program are:
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Adult family members or other informal caregivers age 18 and older providing care to individuals of any age with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders
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Adult family members or other informal caregivers age 18 and older providing care to individuals 60 years of age and older
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Older relatives (including parents) age 55 and older providing care to adults ages 18-59 with *disabilities; and
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Older relatives (other than the parent) age 55 and older providing care to children under the age of 18
This program strives to provide information and resources to caregivers. Services may include Homemaker, Personal Care, Training, Outreach, Education, Support Groups and Medical Supplies (such as assistive devices). Eligibility is established by stress and need scores assessed by a Case Manager. Services are provided on a donation basis.
The Utah Geriatric Association Education Consortium provides additional training, information, and helpful resources: https://www.utahgwep.org/
Caregiver Bill of Rights
A Caregiver’s Bill of Rights
I have the right:
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To take care of myself. This is not an act of selfishness. It will give me the capability of taking better care of my relative.
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To seek help from others even though my relative may object. I recognize the limits of my own endurance and strength.
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To maintain facets of my own life that do not include the person I care for, just as I would if he or she were healthy. I know that I do everything that I reasonably can for this person, and I have the right to do some things just for myself.
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To get angry, be depressed, and express other difficult feelings occasionally.
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To reject any attempt by my relative (either conscious or unconscious) to manipulate me through guilt, anger, or depression.
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To receive consideration, affection, forgiveness, and acceptance for what I do for my loved one for as long as I offer these qualities in return.
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To take pride in what I am accomplishing and to applaud the courage it has sometimes taken to meet the needs of my relative.
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To protect my individuality and my right to make a life for myself that will sustain me in the time when my relative no longer needs my help.
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To expect and demand that as new strides are made in finding resources to aid physically and mentally impaired older persons in our country, similar strides will be made toward aiding and supporting caregivers.
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To:_____________________________________________________________________
Add your own statements of rights to this list. Read this list to yourself every day.
Reprinted from Caregiving: Helping an Aging Loved One, an AARP publication by Jo Horne.
Caregiver Skills Videos
Please check out these videos on caregiver skills courtesy of the Family Caregiver Alliance at https://www.caregiver.org/