SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With over half of today’s family caregivers struggling to find the information and resources they need, The Family Caregiver Council, a group comprised of leaders of national caregiving organizations, innovative companies in the active aging space and aging experts, offers resources and expertise to help family caregivers address their most pressing challenges.
There are over 40 million family caregivers in the US, offering unpaid care to older adults in their life. Caring for an older family member comes with many challenges, including the time commitment as well as emotional, physical and financial burden. Caregivers need support and resources to address these challenges, but according to a recent survey of family caregivers1 by the Council, 54% of respondents find scattered information the most challenging component in searching for resources. Further, the survey found that caregivers primarily look to healthcare professionals and online resources for information.
The Council is working to combat this obstacle and meet caregivers where they are by serving as a one-stop-shop for resources to support caregivers at all stages of their journey. Survey participants responded that healthcare information would be the most helpful to have (43%), followed by financial support (32%). Further, they consider the most challenging aspects of family caregiving to be healthcare-related activities (56%), logistical planning (32%), and dealing with the shifting relationship (32%). To address these varying needs, the Council offers resources dedicated to financial information, healthcare issues including hiring help, and logistical challenges from transportation to housing options. The Council also provides information dedicated to self-care, as it becomes impossible to care for others if not caring for yourself.
“People don’t step into the role of family caregiver; they are thrown in at full throttle. Suddenly, they have a new challenging and time-consuming responsibilities,” said David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, Inc. and member of the Family Caregiver Council. “During the transition and throughout the caregiving journey, caregivers may not know where to turn for answers to their questions, or even for emotional support. We’re hoping that the Family Caregiver Council and the member organizations can provide support for those caregivers feeling stressed, in need of direction and information, and curious about the resources available.”
“Caregiving changes your life. It’s like having another full-time job,” said John Schall, CEO of Caregiver Action Network. “But what caregivers don’t know is that there really is help and information available on the whole wide range of issues and challenges that come up. That’s what were here for.”
The theme of this year’s National Family Caregiver Month is “Be Care Curious,” in order to encourage family caregivers to explore support and resources available to help ease the many challenges associated with caregiving. To learn more about National Family Caregivers Month, visit the Caregiver Action Network: https://caregiveraction.org/
For those looking for resources to support them throughout their caregiver journey, visit www.familycaregivercouncil.com.
About GreatCall, Inc.
GreatCall is a leader in connected health for active aging. With health and safety solutions for older adults and their family caregivers, GreatCall’s innovative suite of easy-to-use mobile products and award-winning approach to customer care helps aging consumers live more independent lives. Products and services include, Jitterbug Flip, Jitterbug Smart2, Lively Mobile, Lively Wearable, Lively Home and health, safety and wellness services GreatCall Link and 5Star Urgent Response. GreatCall’s products and services are sold nationwide at leading retailers as well as direct to consumers at 1-800-296-4993 and online at www.greatcall.com. GreatCall, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Buy, is headquartered in San Diego, CA. To learn more, please visit www.greatcall.com. This news release and other corporate assets are available at www.greatcall.com/newsroom or follow our news on Twitter @GreatCallInc and on Facebook at Facebook.com/greatcall.
1 A survey of 300 family caregivers from a base of 1000 was conducted by Dynata in 2019.