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National Family Caregiver Support Program

Families, not social service agencies, nursing homes or government programs, are the mainstay of long term care for older persons in the United States. Family caregivers provide an invaluable resource to their loved ones as well as to America. Their courage, compassion and dedication to family members and friends allow the elderly and persons with disabilities to remain in a loving environment, often at great cost – economic, physical and mental – to the caregiver.

The Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000 authorized the creation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) to help many thousands of family members with the care of their older loved ones. In Wisconsin, services are provided by or contracted through the local aging unit.

Services include:

1. Information to caregivers about available services
2. Assistance to caregivers in gaining access to the services
3. Individual counseling, support groups and training to caregivers to assist in making decisions and solving problems relating to their caregiver roles
4. Respite care to enable caregivers to be temporarily relieved from their caregiving responsibilities; including in-home respite care, adult day services, and institutional respite
5. Supplemental services, on a limited basis, to complement the care provided by caregivers including home modifications, assistive technologies, emergency response systems, equipment/supplies, and transportation

Links:

Aging Network Websites

• NFCSP Resource Guide for the Aging Network
• Caregiver Self-Assessment (requires Adobe Acrobat)
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General Websites

Living Wills

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Magazines