Our Caregiver Program offers free support and resources to any individual within our 9-county region who provides unpaid care to a loved one, friend, or neighbor. Our coordinators will work with you to assess your needs and link you with resources that will best support you and your loved ones. The Caregiver Program offers the following:

Caregiver Stress Assessments

Our coordinator will contact you to assess for signs of caregiver stress and burnout. This assessment will help coordinators determine which resources would offer you the tools necessary to cope with the stress of caregiving.

With the help of your coordinator, a tailored care plan and goals will be created to ensure you are able to balance the numerous and sometimes challenging duties of caregiving.

Regular Telephone Contact

Our coordinator will offer routine phone call check-ins to assess for new stressors, barriers to care, and to offer support and validation throughout your caregiving journey.

Linkage to Helpful Resources

Our coordinators will also routinely ensure caregivers are connected with resources within their community that can help prevent or lessen caregiver burnout while allowing their care recipients to age in place for as long as possible, and in the safest ways possible.

Caregiver Support & Education

Area Agency on Aging, Region 9 has partnered with the online education platform, Trualta, to offer additional means of support and education for our region’s caregivers.

Trualta is an easily accessible and navigable platform where caregivers can obtain educational resources such as informational articles, skills-training videos, community chat forums, support groups, and more.

Our coordinator can also assign, or recommend, specific material within Trualta to further tailor and expand your caregiving skills and knowledge.

In-Patient Respite Program

Area Agency on Aging, Region 9 is happy to announce the opportunity to support unpaid caregivers and their loved ones by funding an in-patient respite stay at a partnering nursing or assisted living facility.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Care recipients must be age 60 or older.
• Care Recipients must reside within our 9-county region:
• • Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Muskingum, and Tuscarawas counties.
• No income guideline requirements: approval is based on need and funding availability.

*Individuals are approved for a specific number of days based on provider and funding availability.

Evidence-Based Programs

REACH:

• • REACH offers a series of free, individualized sessions meant to educate and support those caring for someone with Dementia. In these sessions, Caregivers and their Coach will focus on risk assessments, safety, caregiver health and wellbeing, and Dementia specific education. Sessions occur over the phone and typically last 1-2 hours for approximately 4-6 sessions.

Powerful Tools:

• • A 6-week class series that supports caregivers in taking care of themselves while caring for someone else. A Caregiver Help Book is provided to each participant upon enrollment. For a listing of upcoming classes, contact our Caregiver Coordinators for more information.

Lending Library

Our program also offers a lending library comprised of educational and supportive books, CD’s, and DVD’s. With over 300 titles to choose from, these materials are meant to support those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease and more. For a list of those titles, click here.

To request items from our library, contact our coordinators today to arrange for direct mailing of these materials.

Kinship and Adoption Support

Area Agency on Aging, Region 9 is happy to partner with Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigators (OhioKAN). Our coordinators will work with you to locate helpful resources to support you in your kinship and/or adoption journey.

• OhioKAN is a flexible and responsive kinship and adoption navigator program designed to support children, youth, and their families. Building on the premise that families are inherently capable of finding solutions to the circumstances and challenges they face, the OhioKAN program will take an inclusive, engaging, and genuine approach to strengthening families and their networks. OhioKAN is a program of Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (https://ohiokan.jfs.ohio.gov/).

For Community Partners

The Caregiver Support and Education Program coordinators are available for speaking engagements where they offer information and education regarding the program, Trualta, aging issues, caregiving issues, aging advocacy or any other topic related to aging. Schedule an AAA 9 professional to speak to your employees, church groups, service organization or other groups free of charge. If you would like more information or to schedule an event for your group or organization, call 1-800-945-4250 or email: caregiver@aaa9.org.

Helpful Links

Lending Library Titles

Caregiver Support and Education Program Brochure

AARP: https://www.aarp.org/

Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org/

Alzheimer's Foundation of America: https://alzfdn.org/

Eldercare Locator: https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/index.aspx

Family Caregiver Alliance: https://www.caregiver.org/

Ohio Department of Aging: https://aging.ohio.gov/

OhioKAN: https://ohiokan.jfs.ohio.gov/

Parkinson’s Foundation: https://www.parkinson.org/

Welcome to Medicare: https://www.medicare.gov/