Caregivers: Need a Lift? Try This Website
Guest Post by Carolyn Comerford
Caregivers often find themselves caring for a loved one with little or no preparation for that role. It may happen slowly or abruptly. Sometimes they are working in addition to their caregiving, which adds to their stress. A lift can come from information, resources, and knowing they are not alone in their situation.
Recently, Katie Gilstrap gave a brief introduction to the on line work of Lift Simplified Caregiving, its website and resources in a Lunch & Learn event at United Way's offices. A caregiver who cares for a loved one from a distance, shares caregiving responsibilities, or lives next door will find tools, ideas and support online at Lift Caregiving.
Katie, a co-founder of Lift Simplified Caregiving, introduced the free caregiver’s toolkit available on the website. She showed how a caregiver could create a central planning center for their personal caregiving circle of family members and friends as they care for a loved one in Richmond or another town or state. Katie also demonstrated how a caregiver might evaluate options online, walk through the assessment process, and see solutions from the privacy of their own home. Lift is based in Richmond and currently includes information about resources in our region. The site is in the process of expanding its services across the United States.
I became a caregiver when my mother needed assistance. She lived in a rural community near Richmond; I lived in Northern Virginia. I shared caregiving with my sister living in Maryland for a number of years, but I eventually moved to Central Virginia to give her a hand, on site. Lift Caregiving would have been a great resource for me, when we were struggling with the idea of helping our mother when we didn’t really know what to do next.
You can find out more about evaluating options, setting up a personalized caregiving site supporting your loved one or finding answers to some of your caregiving questions by visiting www.liftcaregiving.com.
If you are not a caregiver but do want to know more about regional plans to support our aging community, you can:
- Download the 2012 AgeWave plan and share it with friends, family and community groups.
- Submit your thoughts and ideas to the Age Wave Coalition online.
- Sign up for the Age Wave Listserv and receive news about events, webinars and research about older adults and caregivers.
If you would like to hear more about United Way Lunch & Learn events, contact Lea Setegn at setegnl@yourunitedway.org or myself at comerfordc@yourunitedway.org.
