Caregiving and Loss: Family Needs, Professional Responses
HFA's Year 2001 Initiative - read the news release
Caregiver Fairs: Support in Action
By Susan Reinhold
The day-to-day challenges of caregiving affect every aspect of a individual's or family's life, including their professional life. Caregiver Fairs offer caregiving professionals and employers an opportunity to gather and promote their communities' caregiving resources and efforts.
People who care for family members, neighbors, or friends rarely think of themselves as caregivers. Most are employed and balance careers, families, and caregiving duties. They may take time off from work or forgo promotions. They may struggle with feelings of stress or feel guilty for taking time away from their families or not doing more to help. Yet they may not seek outside help for years-in part because they do not know where to turn for support.
One way employers can help is to organize "caregiver fairs" and encourage their employees to participate. These fairs, which can also be offered by community groups and organizations, are designed to introduce people to providers and services that can help them deal with caregiving responsibilities.
The general idea is to set aside a time and place for local professionals, volunteers, and community organizations to set up tables or booths with flyers, pamphlets, and other information about the kinds of supports that caregivers need. The organizer of a caregiver fair could invite local visiting nurse organizations, hospices, assisted-living providers, nursing-home providers, day-care providers, respite organizations, the Alzheimer's Association, AARP, churches and synagogues, Medicaid staff, caregiver support groups, or any other resource available and willing to participate. Those staffing the booths should be knowledgeable about the needs of caregivers, resources, costs, and concrete details of how to get help. They should also be able to interact comfortably with people who are at various stages of caregiving-from those who do not self-identify as caregivers to those actively searching for assistance. A non-threatening atmosphere, with food, music, and colorful decor (like a fair) is ideal, and there should be plenty of space to congregate informally with peers and potential helpers.
In addition to these information booths, it can also be helpful to invite guest speakers for special topics offered in an adjacent seminar room, or at specific times. For example, an expert on caregiver stress offering insights and concrete advice can help participants understand that they are not alone. Participants can also feel valued as the speakers acknowledge the enormous contributions of and give them "permission" to congratulate themselves as they learn to take care of their own needs. A health specialist could speak about health promotion and methods to reduce stress. What is important is to invite people who know what they are talking about and who can relate to participants.
Finally, people will not come unless they know about the event and are given time off to attend. A half-day, lunchtime, evening, or all-day event may be held. The organizer should advertise the event, speakers, and locations in advance and offer staggered hours for different organizational units. When the CEO talks it up, people tend to go. Sometimes out of curiosity. Sometimes out of need. Sometimes out of desperation for help.
© 2001 Hospice Foundation of America
Please contact HFA at lveglahn@hospicefoundation.org for permission to re-print this article.
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