University of Wisconsin - Extension

Contact: Mary Brintnall-Peterson, 608-262-8083, mary.brintnall-peterson@ces.uwex.edu

Madison, Wis.--Are you one of the nearly 40 million Americans who are family caregivers? You may live with a family member who needs in-home care or provide help in other ways, such as reminding an older relative to take medication or driving them to appointments. No matter how you are involved, caregiving can be a life-changing commitment.

"Caregiving is a journey," says Mary Brintnall-Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Extension specialist in aging. "It affects different levels of your life. People don’t always understand the ramifications of caring for a loved one, but it is different for everyone."

For example, caregiving might lead you to remodel your home to ensure the safety of a family member. Or you might suddenly need to make financial decisions for an aging parent. Caregivers themselves may experience significant changes in physical and emotional health, income and free time.

A new online resource can provide a wealth of information for caregivers and professionals who work in the area. The eXtension Family Caregiving web site at http://www.extension.org/family+caregiving comes from America’s largest and oldest university system—land-grant universities. These universities were created by Congress to study subjects that are relevant to everyday life.

For family caregivers, those subjects might include dealing with grief and loss, strategies for healthy eating, employment, changing relationships between caregivers and care providers, finances, the challenges posed by caregiving in rural areas, and how to keep a person receiving care safe in a natural disaster.

"This website gives caregivers access to educational resources on a variety of topics," says Brintnall-Peterson, who provided expertise and leadership for the caregiving website project. "It brings new depth to the information. People can search for a specific topic in the Frequently Asked Questions, read an article or contact an expert. They can also give us feedback by rating an article’s usefulness."

As the high cost and shortage of trained caregivers continues to grow, it is anticipated that even more people will opt to provide personal care at home, learning new skills and adjusting their personal, family and work lives to care for family members.

Whether you are anticipating becoming a caregiver in the future, or are in the middle of your caregiving journey, the eXtension Family Caregiving website has information to help.

For more information about caregiving, contact your local UW-Extension office.