Caregiver Resources from the U.S. Government

I found a caregiver section at Usa.gov that is pretty interesting.  It has a lot of great information on many different topics.  Find a nursing home, assisted living, or hospice; check your eligibility for benefits; get resources for long-distance caregiving; review legal issues; and find support for caregivers. There is something for everyone.

While clicking around on the site, I found the Long-Distance Caregivers Handbook from the Family Caregiver Alliance. A helpful resource for anyone who may be suddenly faced with caring for a loved one who lives far away.   The following is an excerpt from the booklet:

The Journey Begins...

It is the long-dreaded phone call. Your mother lives 1,000 miles away, and her neighbor calls you late at night, speaking in anxious tones to deliver a troubling message. 

Your mom hasn’t picked up the mail for three days. When the neighbor knocked on the door, your mother opened it and began talking in a confused manner. Her hair was disheveled, her housecoat wrinkled and dirty. On the kitchen table was a bowl of cereal, smelling of sour milk.  The neighbor says she insisted your mother come spend the night at her house.

You say, “Thanks, I’ll be there as soon as I can book a flight.” You start calling the airlines.
Suddenly, you’re playing a new role. No longer just a devoted son or daughter, you’re now what the professionals in the aging field call a “long-distance caregiver.”

This guide is for people like you, thrust into a new world of intricate responsibility. This booklet offers many useful tips, whether you live an hour away or across the country. But we suggest you read it a little at a time and give yourself the opportunity to absorb the information.

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Health/caregivers.shtml

http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content/pdfs/op_2003_long_distance_handbook.pdf