Caregiver Support Initiative
The Community Foundation's Caregiver Support Initiative aimed to connect individuals caring for aging family members with essential resources and information
Caregiving in Northern Nevada
NevadaCaregivers.org, along with the Caregiver Guidebook and Caregiver Compensation Guide, were created as part of the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada’s Caregiver Support Initiative. Launched in 2016, the initiative aimed to connect individuals caring for aging family members with essential resources and information. Today, the Sanford Center for Aging leads the initiative.
Focusing on unpaid family caregivers for seniors in Washoe County, the Caregiver Support Initiative acknowledges the vital role these caregivers play in maintaining the health and happiness of our seniors. Often overlooked, caregivers were closely consulted and collaborated to develop tools that alleviate the stress of caregiving.
The Community Foundation's approach for all initiatives involves bringing together diverse stakeholders, including organizations and residents, to address community challenges collaboratively. The resources developed through these initiatives are then transitioned to other organizations, embedding the initiative's tools and resources into their everyday work.
The Caregiver Initiative is the second initiative the Community Foundation addressed.
NevadaCaregivers.org
NevadaCaregivers.org is the most extensive resource database our community has for caregivers and seniors. It lists over 300 useful community and national resources that are easily searchable and broken up into categories.
In addition to connecting caregivers with local resources, NevadaCaregivers.org also provides information about common questions that caregivers have, downloadable documents that caregivers may need, and a community blog for caregivers to share their personal experiences. The site is designed to be easy to navigate for all ages and has been tested by local caregivers. This resource database will be kept up-to-date and the information for each resource will be verified every six months.
Nevada Caregivers Guidebook
The free Nevada Caregivers guidebook is designed to benefit first-time caregivers as they begin their caregiving journey. This guidebook has been written by experts and caregivers in the Reno area and covers topics involved in caregiving. Information about self-care for the caregiver, planning (financial and legal), home safety, techniques for communicating with health care professionals, and more are written in a personal, easy-to-follow style.
Nevada Caregivers: Your Guide to the Basics of Beginning Care, is FREE and is available at hospitals, nonprofits, community centers, and online. To access the guidebook, visit https://nevadacaregivers.org/documents/nevada-caregivers-guidebook/ for a downloadable version or visit the Sanford Center for Aging to pick up a printed version.
Family Caregiver Email Discussion Group
Connect with other family caregivers. Share advice and ask each other questions about caregiving.
To register as a member, click here.
Let’s say you are trying to get better at self-care, but don’t know how to begin. Send an email and ask, “How can I take time for myself without feeling guilty?”
Members of the group can respond to your question. When another member responds to your question, you will simply receive a response through your email. You can also share experiences and answer questions of other members in the group.
The Sanford Center for Aging moderates each message to ensure the highest quality of experience for each member. Once your question has been approved, it will be visible to the group.
Click here for detailed instructions on the discussion group.
