For Release: IMMEDIATE
Date: November 21, 2005

Supporting Family Caregivers through the Holidays

November is Family Caregivers’ Month in North Carolina

RALEIGH: The holiday season often heralds additional stress for family members caring for a sick or frail relative. Caregiving already places heavy demands on time, energy, and finances and holiday activities add to these. At the same time, fewer invitations to traditional holiday socials may be emotionally painful and increase caregivers’ feelings of isolation. The entire family may experience isolation, particularly when one of the members has Alzheimer’s disease.

Edna Ballard, with the Duke Family Support Program, encourages friends and neighbors to reach out to family caregivers and offers some of the following advice:

• Friends should call and ask the caregiver when the best time would be to visit.
• If possible, offer to allow the caregiver time to get away while you are visiting.
• Allow the caregiver to talk about frustration or grief over the change in their family member. Witnessing unusual behavior, if the family member has Alzheimer’s disease, can provide an opportunity for the caregiver to discuss feelings.
• Offer help with errands, shopping, baking or decorating.
• Avoid focusing on your personal problems during the visit.
• Don’t feel as though you must entertain or be entertained as your greatest gift is your presence.
• If you can’t visit, send a note or place a phone call. Continue to stay in touch and support the caregiver throughout the year.

There are over 1.7 million North Carolinians caring for older family members with almost half caring for someone with Alzheimer’s type dementia. The importance of family caregivers will continue to increase as the number of people 70 and older, who need assistance with activity limitations, grows substantially in coming decades.

Families indicate they want to keep the tradition of caring for loved ones at home but many need support from the community. More than half of caregivers providing intense care report having suffered from depression. This is particularly true when they are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia. Elderly caregivers with a chronic illness themselves have a 63 percent higher mortality rate than their non-caregiving peers.

Gov. Mike Easley has designated November as Family Caregivers’ Month. North Carolina joins the nation in recognizing the special contributions families make daily to care for older and disabled loved ones. North Carolina’s Family Caregiver Support Program is working to get the word out to communities to support families in their caregiving endeavors. Through a dedicated network of area agencies on aging, tribal organizations, providers of community services, faith-based organizations, and many others, the Family Caregiver Support Program provides critical community-based information, support and training to families at all stages of caregiving, and raise public awareness about caregiver issues. This program validates the contributions of caregivers and lets them know that they are not alone.

For more information about North Carolina’s Family Caregiver Program, visit the Division of Aging and Adult Services web site, www.dhhs.state.nc.us/aging/fcaregr/fchome.htm.

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