By Kay Kaylor
PREVIEW Columnist
For San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging (SJBAAA), I am not only a part-time long-term care ombudsman, advocating for residents at Pine Ridge, a 24-hour extended care home, and BeeHive, an assisted living residence. I also am an aging and disability resource specialist and trained Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) and State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor. Information on the many aging and care concerns will be included here.
November is National Family Caregivers Month, first signed as a presidential proclamation in 1997 by President Bill Clinton. During the month, organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association and National Institute on Aging (NIA) make it a point to thank and honor the 40 million family caregivers in the United States and to offer supportive information to help them with the many challenges. For example, the NIA recently launched Frequently Asked Questions About Caregiving on its website, nia.nih.gov.
Caregiver Action Network first promoted the designation in 1994 as the National Family Caregivers Association and chooses an annual theme. This year it is “Be Care Curious” about the care recipient’s goals, treatment options, research, care plans and insurance coverage.
Archuleta County family caregivers might be interested in the annual in-home care grants SJBAAA provides for homemaking and personal care. An assessment is required, and the care recipient must be age 60 and older. These 20-hour grants are more a temporary solution and the person applying must hire a licensed caregiver (usually from an agency) who will accept the $20/hour grant payment. The caregiver or agency might ask the recipient to pay what the grant doesn’t cover and must provide a care plan.
SJBAAA offers resources for people age 60 and older or on Medicare. For further information, please call me at 264-0501, ext. 1 or send an email to adrc@sjbaaa.org.
