Berkshire Senior Online

By Chet Gallup

Caregivers often lose themselves in the process of taking care of loved ones. Some lose their health – physical or emotional – some their savings, others their jobs.

To address this problem, Elder Services recently announced six grants amounting to $54,071 awarded to local organizations for Caregiver Support Programs that will run from December 1, 2001 to September 30, 2002. The funding was made available by the 2000 re-authorization of the Federal Older Americans Act under a new title E and will be used to develop a Family Caregiver Support and Training initiative throughout Berkshire County.

Elder Services Executive Director Catherine May says that the goal of grants is to widen existing caregiver support.

"Prior to the recent grants, different towns and organizations found the means to pay for caregiver support programs on their own," May said. "And, they have done well at it. The recent grants by Elder Services have a goal of expanding the availability of the programs. If you are a caregiver or work with elders or children in need, you know that public funding doesn’t meet support and training needs. Our initiative is vital as caregivers are the prime ingredient allowing elders to remain independent and in their homes."

The Family Caregiver Support and Training initiative recognizes the unpaid, in-home help provided by family members to older loved ones and seeks to support their efforts. Whether it’s preparing a meal, assisting with bathing and dressing, running errands, or taking over the tasks the loved one used to do, care giving can be a demanding and challenging responsibility. In performing such compassionate duties, family caregivers must sacrifice considerable time, resources, and personal comfort.

The Family Caregiver Initiative provides an opportunity to address the needs of caregivers by first determining what their needs are, and by then creating and expanding caregiver services. Grant recipients are: the Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Berkshire Area Alzheimer’s Partnership, Great Barrington Council on Aging, Berkshire Center for Families and Children, Parker O’Brien and Associates of Williamstown and the Pittsfield Council on Aging.

This article specifically covers the grant to the Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Future articles will cover the remaining five grants.

Nurse Training Coordinator Shirley M. Zawistowski, R.N. leads the Red Cross effort. She has over 20 years of experience caring for elders.

"We find that caregivers are often spouses and that the effort can be 24/7 – 24 hours a day and 7 days a week," Zawistowski said. "It can be debilitating – financially and physically. Caregivers need to know that it’s O.K. to seek help. They need to take care of themselves to be effective. It’s our goal to give them the tools and the services."

The Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross has received $3625 to provide Family Caregiver training programs to Council on Aging groups and Brown Bag/Lunch Seminars to family caregivers at seven major employers. The Family Caregiver training programs, to be presented in eight locations throughout Berkshire County consists of four two-hour sessions:

Session 1, The Art of Caregiving, focuses on the American Red Cross Six Principles of Care: Safety, Communication, Independence, Infection Control, Privacy, and Dignity. This session includes not only skills but also techniques to ensure that visits to physicians result in no unasked questions. Tools in this session include forms to track and record multiple medications.

"Caregiving is an art," Zawistowski said. "For instance, the art of caregiving includes communication – not only with the patient but also with doctors, nurses, and social workers serving the patient. As people get older, they miss being touched. Everyone needs that. Consequently, part of communication skills taught includes eye contact and touch."

According to Zawistowski, all the workshops include handouts allowing each participant to create a reference handbook.

Session 2, Keeping People Safe and Measuring Life Signs, focuses on emergency situations and what to do until help arrives. Caregivers are encouraged to call 911 versus a physician, otherwise important time may be lost.

Session 3, Providing Care for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia, focuses on stages and treatment of the disease. This workshop features lectures by Dr. Jay Ellis, who specializes in Neurology.

During this workshop, emphasis is placed on developing a "Failure Free Environment."

"People have a lot of self," says Zawistowski, "They want to do as much as possible for themselves and to feel independent within their disease. So it’s important that the caregiver is not being the doer all the time, but allows those being cared for to maintain a sense of accomplishment, so they don’t become totally dependent."

The last session, Session 4, Caring for the Caregiver, focuses primarily on the caregiver. Relaxation techniques are part of this workshop, which includes a free massage much treasured by the participants. One caregiver mentioned that the massage she received left her "feeling like a de-boned chicken." Respite for caregivers is also an important issue. Sources for respite are identified and contacts made available.

"The networking that takes place among participants is impressive," Zawistowski said. "Many don’t want the workshops to end as the atmosphere has been so open with no fear of questioning. Many form groups of their own for follow-up support and we not only evaluate their consensus of the workshops, but also are available for follow-up as need is identified."

The teaching of how to advocate for persons being cared for is stressed. Along with that, the importance of the three C’s of Care is covered: Consistency especially for dementia care. Continuum in being able to describe the needs and habits of those being cared for, as they go on to more advanced care. Continuity of care is also important when caregiving tasks are allocated among siblings.

Questions regarding available tools, services, or programs for caregivers may be addressed to Elder Services at (413) 499-0524 or to Shirley Zawistowski, R.N. of the Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross at (413) 442-1506.