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Support for caregivers and grandparents raising grandchildren available through Area Agency on Aging

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Are you a caregiver who is looking for additional support in understanding how caregiving is impacting your life? Are you a grandparent raising a grandchild who is looking for community services or support to assist you in your needs?

If so, your local Area Agency on Aging District 7, Inc. (AAA7) is here to help. 

Through funding from the Older Americans Act, AAA7 provides a Caregiver Support Program that is designed to provide caregivers with services that can help reduce stress, in addition to resources that can aid with providing better care for not only the loved one, but the individual caregiver as well.  

A caregiver is anyone who is caring for someone who cannot complete everyday functions such as dressing, feeding or using the restroom. Although
caregiving is a loving and giving act, it often brings with it hard work, stress, and questions for the loved one providing the care.

“What our Caregiver Support Program offers is an avenue for education and
resources that can help caregivers with the care they provide to their loved
one,” says Vicky Abdella, RN, Director of Community Services at AAA7.

“Anyone who provides care and is looking for a needed support system is encouraged to give our office a call.  Through a conversation with the caregiver over the phone, we can determine what services might best help their situation and facilitate this process in order to assist the caregiver in their needs.” 

Services provided through the AAA7 Caregiver Support Program include assessments, training, information, assistance, counseling, and answers to everyday problems.  Any caregiver in AAA7’s 10-county service area who wishes to receive these services is able to with no eligibility requirements. Additional services include respite and supplemental services that could include a resource or product that is needed to complement the care provided, such as medical supplies, home safety equipment, legal services, and more. All services are offered by the AAA7 at no charge to
the caregiver. 

Grandparents or relatives who are raising a child can also take advantage of the services provided through the Caregiver Support Program. These “kinship caregivers” include individuals who provide full-time care for a relative or non-relative’s child and/or children in their home.

Through the Support Program, kinship caregivers can utilize resources and services surrounding daycare, financial assistance, parenting the second time around, and much more.  To be eligible, kinship caregivers must be 55 years of age or older and caring for someone 18 years of age or younger, or an adult child from age 19 to 59 who has a disability.

The Area Agency on Aging District 7 Inc. serves ten counties in Ohio including Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. Services are provided on a non-discriminatory basis. For more information about the Caregiver Support Program for caregivers or grandparents and relatives who are raising a child, call the AAA7 toll-free at 800-582-7277.[[In-content Ad]]

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