When You're Caring For A Loved One We'll Be With You All The Way

One in four Americans is caring for his/her mother, father, spouse or other loved one. You are a caregiver if you help a family member or friend with grocery shopping, pay his bills, take her to the doctor or help with other situations.

The Area Office on Aging recognizes the importance of caregivers to families and our entire community and offers resources to help caregivers with information and encouragement in fulfilling the daily caregiving tasks.

With family members providing care at home for about 70 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease, the ripple effects of Alzheimer's disease can be felt throughout the entire family unit. According to Facts and Figures, in 2008, nearly 10 million Alzheimer caregivers in the U.S. provided 8.5 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $94 billion.

In Ohio alone, there were 391,022 caregivers, providing 337,530,280 hours of unpaid care for a loved one with Alzheimer's or another dementia valued at 3,746,586,108 dollars. In Lucas County, we believe there are more than 36,000 individuals providing some type of care or support to a family member with Alzheimer's disease.

Every caregiving situation has different challenges and rewards. Caregivers may be struggling to balance the competing demands of caring for a loved one and managing a career. Caregiving responsibilities do not always fit in neatly after a day of work, but it is possible to balance these often competing tasks and have the support you need. If you are caring for a loved one and would like additional information about caregiving training, educational workshops, counseling or just getting a temporary break, contact the Area Office on Aging's Caregiver Support Program at 800-472-7277 or visit www.areaofficeonaging.com