With more than 820,000 Washingtonians providing care for seniors who are family or loved ones, getting support and information is crucial. Adequate support allows for a healthier experience for everyone involved financially, emotionally, and community-wise.
Below are some helpful links and information to support your journey.
Financial and Education Support
Orcas Island/San Juan Islands
- San Juan County Senior Services on Orcas– Heidi Bruce is the Aging & Family Case Coordinator and can be reached at heidib@sanjuancountywa.gov or 360-370-0591
- WA Cares Fund – Site to help you navigate how to use your WA Cares benefit to help pay for your caregiver.
National Organizations that provide support and resources for family caregivers
- AARP Caregiving Resource Center Articles, videos, forums, and other resources to help you provide care to an aging adult.
- Caregiver Action Network: A non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, diseases, or the frailties of old age by providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers
- Caregiver.com Includes topic-specific newsletters, online discussion lists, back-issue articles of Today’s Caregiver magazine, chat rooms, and an online store.
- Washington’s Community Living Connections Washington State’s Community Living Connections is part of a national collaborative effort of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services designed to help individuals of all ages, disabilities, and income levels, their caregivers, legal representatives and families get the right home and community-based supports and services at the right time, in the right place.
Resources for Conversations
- Memory Loss Conversation Guide | Let’s Talk Brain Health: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and NAC have created a conversation guide for family caregivers on talking about memory changes and cognitive health.
Internet Tools for Sharing Care
- Losta Helping Hands: A way of creating online caring Communities that help restore health and balance to caregivers’ lives. It brings together caregivers and volunteers through online Communities that organize daily life during times of medical crisis or caregiver exhaustion in your neighborhood and community.
- Share the Care A model that helps you create shared responsibilities, creates a strong support network among the individual caregivers, and leads to making a profound difference in someone’s life.
- Take Them A Meal: A way to simplify meal coordination so friends can show they care.
- CaringBridge A free CaringBridge website helps people in a time of need share updates, photos, and videos, connecting with friends and family who care and want to help.
- CareZone: A way to stay organized and effective when caring for a parent, child, or someone in need. You can safely organize files, contacts, and medications from your computer, smartphone, or tablet and coordinate with family and other caregivers using a shared calendar and journal.