The Caregiver’s Resource Center and Alzheimer’s Support Unit of the Office for the Aging is designed to help caregivers provide quality care for older adults and persons with disabilities while also maintaining the quality of their own lives and the lives of their family members.
Caregiver Instructional Videos
Services of the Caregiver's Resource Center include:
Information, Referral and Counseling
Individual assistance in determining your needs, referrals to meet those needs, and how to cope with the stresses of caregiving. Learn more about our Caregiver's Resource Center--stop by or visit our webpage today.
Support Groups
Caregiver Support Group
This group meets every other week on Tuesdays from 1 pm-2 pm. Participants are welcome to join in person at the Office for the Aging, 214 W. Martin Luther King Jr/State Street, Ithaca, or via zoom. Call 607-274-5486 with questions or to register.
Newsletter
Call (607) 274-5486 to get on our mailing list to start receiving a free subscription to In Support of Caregivers, a quarterly newsletter with articles and announcements of interest to family caregivers. The Caregiver's Resource Center also maintains a resource and lending library for community members and professionals. To view recent editions of In Support of Caregivers, click here.
Workshops and Classes
Workshops on caregiving are offered periodically. For information on dates and locations, please call (607) 274-5486. Workshop titles have included:
- Powerful Tools for Caregivers Classes
- Caring for yourself
- Communication skills
- Community resources
- Dementia
- Depression and aging
- Introduction to caring for your aging parents
- Medical problems of aging
- Psychological aspects of aging
Alzheimer's Support Unit
The Caregiver's Resource Center provides information and support to caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia at all stages of disease. Articles and pamphlets on various issues of concern to caregivers are available, in addition to the books and videos on dementia caregiving, in the lending library. Dementia Caregiving trainings are scheduled periodically. Telephone support from ex-caregivers of persons with dementia is available in addition to the support groups and consultation available with staff.
Caregiver Respite and Support Through Project CARE
The Office for the Aging's Project CARE is a program which provides in-home support to family caregivers as well as direct help to frail, homebound seniors. Volunteers of the Project Care Program provide assistance in a variety of ways, helping with one or more of the following activities:
- friendly visiting
- errands
- grocery shopping
- light housekeeping
- light yardwork
- respite for caregivers
Volunteers may stay with a frail senior so that the caregiver can take a walk, do an errand or simply read a book! In addition, small grants may also be available for short-term (temporary) respite--to help fund substitute care so that a stressed family caregiver can get away for a few days. These grants are intended for caregivers who would otherwise find it difficult to afford the respite care--whether at home or a respite stay in a facility.
Caregiver Assessment
Do you provide unpaid care to a family member, friend, or neighbor who has an illness, disability, memory loss, or injury? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a caregiver! Are you feeling overwhelmed, constantly worried, tired, sad, easily irritated, and/or extremely stressed? You are not alone and there is support available. If you would like to learn more about resources, tools, and supports available for caregivers, please answer the following questions to get connected to the right starting place.
- Are you over the age of 18 and caring for an older adult (age 60+)?
- Are you over the age of 18 caring for an individual (any age) with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder (e.g., dementia, traumatic brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, chronic traumatic encephalopathy)?
If you answered yes to either of the questions above, you are eligible for the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). The goal of the NFCSP is to support family caregivers so they may continue to carry out their caregiving roles and responsibilities. The program can provide services such as caregiver counseling, information and assistance, caregiver training, respite care (a break from caregiving), and much more. If you would like to learn more about how this program can assist you, please contact Amy Jackson, Caregiver Coordinator at 607-274-5486 or ajackson@tompkins-co.org.
If you answered no to either question above, or you are not interested in learning about the resources available through the NFCSP, there is still help available to you through the Any Care Counts-New York (ACC-NY) Campaign which recognizes and supports the millions of unpaid caregivers across the state. Through ACC-NY you can discover your caregiver intensity score by taking the ARCHANGELS Caregiver Intensity Index (CII). It takes just 2 minutes to complete. You will find out whether you are "in the red", "yellow, or "green", and be connected to trusted resources.
Do you prefer to search resources on your own? Visit the NY Connects Resource Directory. NY Connects links individuals of all ages and their caregivers to long term services and supports and provides one stop access to free, objective, comprehensive information and assistance.
New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) Statewide Partnerships
NYSOFA has engaged in two new partnerships to provide important resources to caregivers.