Today we wanted to take some time and talk about Caregiver Support Groups. We will discuss what they are and how families can benefit from them.
Some of you may have attended a Caregiver Support Group before and may be familiar with some of the benefits they offer. However, quite often when families are just starting to care for a loved one they aren’t readily aware of Caregiver Support Groups. This is typically more common than not. Especially, when you first find yourself caring for a loved one there are so many other needs, arrangements, appointments, and things that you may be the only one responsible for taking care of that and thinking about yourself or anything unrelated to the direct needs of your loved one can be found most of the time further down your to-do list and that is absolutely fine.
Here are some facts and statistics to consider from the Family Caregiver Alliance:
Only 30% of caregivers provide care to their loved ones for less than a year.
24% of caregivers care for their loved ones for more than 5 years.
15% of caregivers provide care for their loved ones for more than 10 years.