Caregiver Support

Caregivers are adult family members, or other individuals, who are unpaid providers of in-home and community care to older adults. They help an older family member or friend with tasks they once handled for themselves such as meal preparation, bills, personal care, transportation or medication management. They often don’t see themselves as caregivers as they are simply doing what a family member or friend would do. Yet the services they provide are invaluable to the person they care for and to the community at large.

There are many community supports to help caregivers provide care. There are also services focused on the needs of the caregiver. Listed below are a few of these caregiver-focused services.

Caregiver Consultation/Coaching Services. Experts on aging issues can assist caregivers to: build on their strengths, manage caregiving challenges, access training, work effectively with family members and guide caregivers to clear solutions.

Caregiver Education/Training. Group or one-to-one sessions that help people increase their confidence and comfort in their caregiving roles. Sessions cover topics such as legal and financial questions, self-care and community resources.  Many home health care agencies and others provide training to increase caregivers’ skills in physical or health care related tasks. Visit Eldercare Partners (Off Site) to view educational opportunities for caregivers.

Caregiver Support Groups. These groups bring caregivers together to discuss concerns, share knowledge, and provide mutual support. Professionals generally facilitate the groups. A listing of general support groups in the Metro area can be found at www.eldercarepartners.org (Off Site). For disease specific groups go to specific agency websites. For example, stroke information can be found at www.strokemn.org (Off Site) and Alzheimer’s Disease information at www.alzmndak.org (Off Site).

Care Management. Assessment of an individual's social, psychological and physical health challenges and strengths resulting in a plan of care for services, if appropriate.

ECHO Minnesota (Off Site)
ECHO provides health and safety information in Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, Somali and English. Watch the video Helping Families Care for Older Adults to learn about the importance of family caregiving and obtain information for people who are caring for an older family member or friend.

Long-term Care Consultation. A free in-home assessment that helps identify needs and assists in developing a plan of care. Consultation is available through county social service or health and human service departments.

Respite Care. Temporary care or supervision of an older person so primary caregivers can have relief from their caregiving responsibilities.  Services may be provided at home by volunteers or paid staff, or out of the home in an adult day program, nursing home, adult foster care home or other residential setting. 

Adult Day Services. These centers provide structured programming that addresses the health, social and support service needs of older adults while giving caregivers a break. Learn more from the Minnesota Adult Day Services Association (Off Site). The Department of Human Serivces licences Adult Day Centers.

Printed Materials. There are many books and tip sheets that provide useful information on providing care, the role of a caregiver, caregiver health, and much more. Visit the Forms and Publications page for downloadable information on caregiving and senior services.

Local Resources. To locate organizations that provide these services call the Senior LinkAge Line® at 1-800-333-2433 or complete the Contact form.

Caregiving Websites. The Internet has an abundance of websites with useful information for caregivers. To get started here are just a few. Each site listed, as well as those throughout the caregiver pages, connect to many others. 

• www.caregivermn.org (Off Site) – is a comprehensive website for caregivers of seniors featuring Care Pages on topics critical to caregivers, confidential assistance from an online advisor, descriptions of publications and other resources, a bulletin board for caregiver sharing and support, and categorized links to other valuable web sites.  This site is a service of DARTS, an organization that provides caregiver education and support in the community and the workplace.

• www.mnaging.org (Off Site) – the website of the Minnesota Board on Aging features information about caregiving and links to caregiver support services throughout the state.

Long Distance Caregiving. Caring from a distance has its own distinct challenges, including limited knowledge about available resources and services. Outside Minnesota try the Eldercare Locator (Off Site), a national toll-free directory assistance program provided by the U.S. Administration on Aging to help elders and their families find local services.  Call 1-800-677-1116.

Aging, Caregiving, & Developmental Disabilities. Caregiving for someone with a developmental disability is lifelong and often performed by older parents or siblings. As the parent and the care-receiver age, there can be increased difficulty with the provision of care, prolonged effects of lifelong caregiving and a change in the types of services needed. Information on services focused on the needs of this group of caregivers can be found at Arc Greater Twin Cities (Off Site).

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren & Kinship Care. The vast majority of kinship caregivers step in to provide a safety-net to keep families together outside the formal foster care system when birth parents are unable or unwilling to parent. The Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association has a statewide network of agencies that can address the information, education and referral needs of kinship caregivers. Grandparents and others raising relatives’ children will find useful information on legal custody options, financial assistance, health-care and support services through Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association (Off Site).

Caregiving Related Brochures and Flyers

En Español

Aging, Caregiving, & Developmental Disabilities
Written in partnership by the Minnesota Board on Aging and Arc Hennepin-Carver this brochure explains resources for caregivers who are caring for persons with developmental disabilities.

Care Well - Resources for Family Caregivers brochure
Developed by the Minnesota Board on Aging, this guide explains the many roles of caregivers and help available through programs funded by the National Family Caregiver Support Program. Information on the various programs can be obtained through the Senior LinkAge Line™.

Caring with Confidence
This self-help guide was developed by Eldercare Partners, FamilyMeans, and the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging for the caregiving journey.

Family Caregivers as Advocates

Family Caregiving at Life's End
Written in partnership with, Hospice of the Lakes, this booklet contains information for caregivers caring for an individual at life’s end.

First Steps
The Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association developed this how-to guide to help new (or not new) relatives caring for kin.

Holding a Family Meeting
This brochure contains information on how to hold a family meeting and tips for successful meetings.

Legal Steps
This guide was developed by the Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association to help grandparents who are raising grandchildren by answering their legal questions on rights and custody issues.

Parkinson's Disease and Family Caregiving
Written in partnership with Methodist Hospital Struthers Parkinson’s Center, this card contains information for caregivers caring for an individual with Parkinson’s disease.

Share the Care Journal
This journal helps caregivers plan, organize, and reflect on the caregiving process.

Safe Medication Use for Family Caregivers
This card contains information for caregivers who give medications to a family member.

Stroke
Written in partnership with Minnesota Stroke Association (Off Site), this card contains information for caregivers caring for a stroke survivor.

Updated 07/13/2007