"A caregiver, carer, or support worker is a paid or unpaid member of a person's social network who helps them with activities of daily living."
Examines the ways that family members and caregivers can support older adults, how to identify and address caregiver stress and burnout, and how to foster positive relationships among family members.
Aging and caregiving: This topic covers the general process of aging and the role of caregivers in supporting elderly individuals.
Caregiving and family dynamics: This topic examines the intersecting roles of family members in caregiving, including the impact on family relationships, financial strain on family systems, and cultural perspectives on caregiving.
Memory and cognition: This topic focuses on the cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes related to aging and how these impact individuals and their caregivers.
Social support: This topic covers the interpersonal support that is critical for aging individuals, including friendships, social engagement, and community involvement.
End-of-life Issues: This topic focuses on end-of-life decisions, such as palliative care, hospice care, and advanced directives, as well as grief and bereavement.
Health and wellness: This topic examines various factors that contribute to overall health and wellbeing in aging populations, including physical exercise and nutrition.
Technology and aging: This topic encompasses the use of technology to improve the lives of aging individuals, including communication tools, assistive devices, and telehealth.
Policy and practice: This topic investigates the broader policy and practice contexts that impact aging and caregiving, including the role of government agencies, non-profit organizations and professional practice standards.
Interventions for Aging and Caregivers: This topic covers strategies for supporting aging and their caregivers, such as support groups, care coordination, education, and counseling services.
Ethical issues: This topic focuses on the ethical considerations related to aging and caregiving, including autonomy, informed consent, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.
In-home care: In-home care provides older adults with varying levels of assistance right in their own home. It may include services such as assistance with ADLs, medication management, housekeeping, and transportation.
Adult day programs: Adult day programs provide older adults with support during the day, while allowing them to return home at night. Activities may include socializing with peers, participating in group activities, and receiving assistance with ADLs as needed.
Respite care: Respite care provides family caregivers with temporary relief from their caregiving duties, usually in the form of in-home or out-of-home care for the older adult.
Support groups: Support groups are groups of individuals who come together to provide emotional support and share experiences and caregiving resources.
Counseling: Counseling services provide older adults and family caregivers with emotional support and assistance in dealing with feelings of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
Case management: Case management services provide older adults and family caregivers with assistance navigating complex healthcare and social service systems, connecting them to resources, and coordinating care.
Financial assistance: Financial assistance may be provided in the form of government or community-based programs, grants, and other forms of financial support aimed at helping older adults and their families manage the costs associated with caregiving.
Legal services: Legal services provide older adults and their families with assistance in legal matters related to aging, including wills, trusts, guardianship, and estate planning.
Transportation services: Transportation services provide older adults and their families with assistance securing reliable transportation to medical appointments, grocery stores, and other necessary locations.
Meals and nutrition: Programs providing meals and nutrition assistance aim to ensure older adults have access to healthy, nutritious meals either at home or in a community setting.
"Since they have no specific professional training, they are often described as informal caregivers."
"Caregivers most commonly assist with impairments related to old age, disability, a disease, or a mental disorder."
"Typical duties of a caregiver might include taking care of someone who has a chronic illness or disease; managing medications or talking to doctors and nurses on someone's behalf; helping to bathe or dress someone who is frail or disabled; or taking care of household chores, meals, or processes both formal and informal documentation related to health for someone who cannot do these things alone."
"With an aging population in all developed societies, the role of caregiver has been increasingly recognized as an important one, both functionally and economically."
"Many organizations that provide support for persons with disabilities have developed various forms of support for carers as well."