Caregiver Relief Fund, medical alarm can help caregivers
December 14, 2010
When Leena’s father fell five years ago, he suffered severe injuries that left him a quadriplegic. This placed a caregiving burden on her mother, who had to attend to him as the couple aged in their Chicago-area home, according to The New York Times.
As the years passed, Leena, who did not give her last name for privacy reasons, started to worry about her mother’s physical and mental state.
“His care is so demanding, she gets lost in the process,” she told the news provider. “She’s just bombarded every day, from the time she wakes up until she goes to bed.”
One night, as she was exploring Facebook, Leena happened upon The Caregiver Relief Fund. She filled out the nomination form for her mother and, a few days later, the nonprofit offered four hours of respite, the news source reports.
Currently, the program is available in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and California, but will be expanding soon.
Overwhelmed caregivers may also want to invest in a medical alarm for their home. This can allow family members some time to run errands or enjoy themselves, knowing full well that a spouse or parent can use the device to send a medical alert if they require assistance.
