November was National Family Caregivers Month, a time celebrating the contributions of family members who support their loved ones in their medical needs and conditions. Since ACC provides year-round support and resources for caregivers, ACC Programs celebrated National Family Caregivers Month by hosting events that recognized the importance of family caregivers and their commitment to providing care and support for aging or ill loved ones.
Among these events was a free film screening co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association and granted in part by the APIs Rise fund. Viewers watched “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” a documentary following late country singer Glen Campbell and his struggles with Alzheimer’s disease. Following the film screening, ACC Program Director Linda Revilla, Ph.D., moderated a panel that featured medical and social professionals, as well as a family caregiver who shared her personal experiences.
The panel discussed the unique issues family caregivers often face in assisting their loved ones with day-to-day living or medical tasks. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, about 65.7 million people in America regularly provide unpaid care to an aging or ill family member. This number is expected to rise with the aging population in America and a projected increase in Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses.
Panelists: ACC Social Worker Soojin Yoo, MSW; ACC Program Director Linda Revilla, PhD (moderator); Judie Higashi, RN; family caregiver Kathleen Yee; and Bonnie Rea, MSW, Alzheimer’s Association
Soojin Yoo, MSW, is the Care Coordinator of ACC’s Bridge to Healthy Families program, which provides caregiving support services for family caregivers and their care receivers. As one of the panelists, she said, “One thing I think of is how lonely it can be to care for someone with this disease. In this culture, independence is highly regarded, and many people feel like their life is just going to go downhill, so they suffer in loneliness.”
A panelist, Kathleen Yee, shared her story of caring for her husband Ben, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012. According to Yee, her husband simply thought he was “just getting old and forgetful,” but the stress of caregiving often felt overwhelming for her. “At first I felt totally lost about where to find help and resources and who to talk to,” Yee said.
Along with taking family caregiver informational classes, Yee also found solace in attending support groups, where she met others who had similar family situations. And as a caregiver, she quickly recognized the importance of self-care. “I realized I needed respite,” she said, “even just for a few hours a week.”
ACC’s Bridge to Healthy Families program currently offers monthly family caregiver support groups, along with other various caregiving support services that include care assessments, consultations, management, and educational programs.
Another ACC program specifically designed for caregiver respite is ACC’s Friendly Visitor/In-Home Respite Service. This program is part of Legacy Corps and is overseen by Americorps. For a few hours each week, Legacy Corps volunteers visit the care receivers while their caregivers take a break and spend some time outside the house.
ACC carefully screens and recruits Legacy Corps volunteers and provides training on caregiver respite. In addition, Legacy Corps volunteers receive a stipend and an educational award once they complete 450 service hours within a year.
While Legacy Corps volunteers cannot provide any skilled medical, health, or mobility-related services usually provided by a CNA or RN, they can offer conversation and light activities like making art, playing board games, or watching movies.
Chris Leal is currently a Legacy Corps volunteer in the Friendly Visitor program. Leal, a gerontology student at Sacramento State University, felt compelled to join because of his previous experiences in caregiving. “Caregivers face many challenges with caring for another and their personal needs may sometimes be ignored,” said Leal. “I felt it was a great opportunity for me to give back to the local community.”
Leal visits a couple of families a week, and finds joy in the service he provides. He said, “I really enjoy hearing stories about their past, and I enjoy learning as much as I can from them.”
Currently, Friendly Visitors serve the following areas: Downtown Sacramento, Land Park, South Land Park, Pocket/Greenhaven, South Sacramento, and parts of Elk Grove. To receive respite services from the Friendly Visitor program, caregiving families pay a fee of $10 an hour, usually with a 60-90 minute minimum, and are billed at the end of every month of service. Priority is given to veterans and their families.
ACC Program Director Linda Revilla emphasized the importance of caregivers practicing simple self-care. She said, “I recall working with a caregiver who said that all she wanted to do was go see a movie. Just a few hours a week so she could feel like ‘her’ again.”
How to help: Donations of just $10 would provide caregivers an hour of respite in the Friendly Visitor Program. To donate, please make checks payable to ACC Senior Services and write “Friendly Visitor Donation” on the check memo or mailing envelope. You can mail your donation to ACC or donate online at www.accsv.org, where you can also find more information about caregiver support and resources at ACC.
