Resources: Family Caregiver Support

Family Caregiver Support

Are you providing care and assistance for a spouse, relative, friend or grandchild? Do you have questions or problems for which you need information? Are you feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities and wondering if there is any way to obtain help?

Let Elder Directions help you find your way through the maze of information and resources available, provide support for your loved one and help you de-stress your life.

The Family Caregiver Program

The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) was established by the 2000 amendment to The Older Americans Act of 1965. The program is designed to help reduce the stress of caregiving by offering five basic services.

The five types of services provided by the program are:

Information to caregivers about available community services
Assistance to caregivers in gaining access to the services;
Individual counseling, organization of support groups, and education/information training for caregivers
Respite care to enable caregivers to temporarily be relieved from their duties; and
Supplemental services, on a limited basis, to complement the caregiver's services.

There are two types of Caregivers that are eligible for this program:

An adult family member, or another individual, who is an informal provider of care to an individual over the age of 60.
Grandparents, age 60 and older, or step-grandparents or blood relatives of children no more than 18 years old who are: a) living with the child, b) are the primary caregiver of the child because the biological or adoptive parents are unable or unwilling to serve as primary caregiver; and c) either have a legal relationship to the child, such as legal custody/guardianship, or are raising the child informally.

The counties covered by Area IV are Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Warren and White. To see if you are eligible for the program, please call the Information and Assistance Dept. of Area IV at 765-447-7683 or 1-800-382-7556.

NOTE: The services of information, education and training, and support groups are available to persons regardless of age. The services of assistance, counseling, respite and supplemental services are available only to those caregivers described above.

The Family Caregiver Program

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