Supporting Family Caregivers via Home Care & Online Communities

It’s not the norm for seniors to wake up one day requiring full-time care services when the day before they were completely independent. In situations of illness or accident, this certainly can happen, but usually the need for care builds so gradually that family members take on the responsibility little by little. Eventually, family caregivers often end up providing more care than they were prepared for.

As any family caregiver knows, it’s vital to create a support network to avoid burnout and maintain the ability to provide the best care possible—after all, as the saying goes, you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others.

With their businesses, Homewatch CareGivers® franchise owners are in a position to support family caregivers through respite care and other care services, as well as offering suggestions for other support resources. We’ve put together a list of ways that our franchise owners can help care for family caregivers.

Providing Respite Care

Family caregivers should be able to take time for themselves every now and then, and respite care allows them a way to do that. Whether the loved one they care for simply needs transportation to and from the doctor or the grocery store or requires more comprehensive assistance around the clock, professional, respite caregivers can provide those services temporarily while the primary, family caregiver tends to their own personal matters.

Homewatch CareGivers® performs an important role while providing respite care. Family caregivers can take care of themselves, participate in and enjoy their own interests, and take care of any pressing personal issues that arise, all with the peace of mind that their loved one is in good hands.

Suggesting Online Resources

As respite caregivers and sources of information about the caregiving industry, Homewatch CareGivers® teams can provide family caregivers with online resources to help them find the support they need through additional outlets.

Here are some online caregiver support resources our franchise owners may suggest:

Our Homewatch CareGivers® Care Community Blog provides articles and posts with a variety of useful tips and advice for those caring for a family member.
Caregiver Action Network offers a free Caregiver Help Desk, where caregivers can reach out to members of the Care Support Team for guidance on challenges they may be facing.
The Alzheimer’s Association has an entire section of its website devoted to help and support for those providing care to someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Its free online discussion board, ALZConnected®, offers an online community where caregivers can support each other through challenges unique to Alzheimer’s care.
For those caring for a loved one with Parkinson’s disease, the American Parkinson Disease Association has partnered with Smart Patients to foster an online forum that serves as a peer-to-peer support community.
AgingCare’s Caregiver Forum gives those caring for elderly family members a place to pose questions and weigh in with support or advice for others in a similar situation.
The Caregiver Space utilizes Facebook to create support communities for different types of caregivers, such as those providing spousal care or elder care, young caregivers under the age of 35, caregivers who are or care for members of the LGBTQ+ communities, and more. There’s even a support group for after caregiving ends.

Not only are these online support resources helpful to the families served by Homewatch CareGivers® services but, as a franchise owner, you may also find them valuable to share with your team of caregivers. Providing care can be challenging, but it can also be rich and rewarding when one has a strong network of support.

Learn more about our in-home care franchise opportunities today by reaching out online or by calling (888) 718-5318 today.