Family Support Dialogue Browse Random ideas

I have had over 13 calls from Seniors taking care of their parents. Trying to leave them in their home and still live close by. Some have hired caretakers to come during the day and night. But they always have a time, when the Hired person can't come in a take care of Mom or Dad. Then they call me and ask if I know of someone who could come in at last min. and sit with their parent. I propose to set up a Temporary... more »

As a caregiver and DHCPOA I would like to start a conversation and bring about policy changes to have advanced directives give greater instructions to the people who are to carry out the individuals wishes as to what to do if XYZ happens, not just, withhold nutrition and hydration if I'm terminally ill. Give deeper instructions, who do you want to provide caregiving for you if you should need it? Do you expect your family... more »

One area of support I find families need is how to navigate the grieving process. Some families are aware of where they are emotionally regarding their loved one and some do not seem to be aware at all, or are very good at hiding it. As a provider, I would like more information/resources/etc on how to help a family in the grief process so that they can manage their feelings as well as provide the necessary support to... more »

The National Council on Disability 2012 report, "Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities," identified numerous knowledge gaps. How many people with different types of disabilities are attempting to raise children? How many of them are involved with child welfare systems? What kinds of supports are available to them ( and where)? What are their outcomes? This field is wide open, and the... more »

Respite is often the most frequently requested family support service. However, according to the ARCH/ACL Expert Panel on Respite Research, which will be issuing respite research recommendations this summer, high quality research on respite outcomes for the family caregiver, the care recipient and the family as a whole, including cost benefits, is limited and often fraught with methodological problems. More and better... more »

High end resources are well marketed. Those who need free or low cost options often are unable to identify them. Social workers in the community are mostly unaware of faith based and small grant and/or institutional services. How can this information be better understood by caregivers and those who advise them?

From the perspective of a busy general pediatrician, what I believe U.S. families need is all described in my 2/20/15 article for The Hill, "Let's get smarter about preventing developmental-behavioral problems". Please read my article and share it on FB, Twitter and other social media outlets...

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/233131-lets-get-smarter-about-preventing-developmental-behavioral

Caregiving results in an overall cost to business of $33.6 billion per year due to absenteeism, supervisory time, unpaid leave, and reduced hours. Family caregiving is also estimated to add another $13.4 billion or an 8% differential to healthcare business costs. How do we convince companies to provide resources to help their employees manage their jobs and their caregiving responsibilities?

What are the perceptions of Latina/o family caregivers that provide care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia in regards to support and where do they feel most support is needed?

In the State of California there is a rarely used Family Code that states the "The father and mother have an equal responsibility to maintain, to the extent of their ability, a child of whatever age who is incapacitated from earning a living and without sufficient means."
I recently used this law to win continued child support for both of my 18 & 20 year old children with mental illnesses.
Research on this law could... more »

The most important thing for caregivers, and the family members we/they care for, is an occasional break so we can have social interaction outside the home. To take a break we need backup assistance from time-to-time that we can count on. Independent Living Centers (CILs?) have provided no assistance in this regard. Shouldn't that be one of their core functions? What do CILs do--just advocacy?

At any rate, we need... more »

Some Medicaid and other government programs (including the VA) allow for paying people to provide personal assistance and other services to members of their family who need LTSS. In some cases, parents and spouses can be paid. I’d like to understand the impact of paying family members to provide LTSS. This includes impact on the caregiver himself or herself, economically, socially, and in terms of possible reductions... more »

Develop hands-on wellness programs for family caregivers (diet, exercise,mental health,primary care) including tangible caregiving supports

Establish community-level "visitability" equipment loan programs so caregivers can borrow portable ramps,lifts, grab bars &c in order to increase options for family members to visit other inaccessible homes of friends and family

We all know caregiving is difficult and requires a team. There are many resources available to caregivers but caregivers have challenges reaching out and asking for help.

Building a care team and developing a care plan can avoid some caregiver heath challenges, how do we make it okay to ask for help?