The Lifespan Respite Care Program provides funding to help unpaid family caregivers of individuals with special needs, across all ages, pay for respite services. This program, established by Congress in 2006, aims to support family caregivers and improve their well-being by providing temporary relief. We need an army of advocates. Here’s how you can help:

Save Lifespan Respite
Save Programs Under the Older Americans Act
Join our Advocacy Committee

Worry Over Last Month’s Revamp of Health and Human Services Department

The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) is deeply concerned about the recent restructuring of the US Health and Human Services Department, especially about the effect it may have on family caregivers.
Read NAC’s statement on this recent move

NYSCRC, in partnership with the New York State Office for the Aging and the Association on Aging in New York, are happy to bring the two remaining Caregiver Forums to White Plains and Queensbury next month. These are FREE events and space is limited. Please extend this invitation to your partners who work to support caregivers. Caregivers are also welcome!

The Impact of Respite on Caregivers and on Those Who Provide It:
The Newly Released Documentary on the Respite for All Model

Like most family caregivers, those caring for a beloved family member or friend with a Dementia diagnosis often face an unmeasurable amount of stress and, as a result, rarely have time for themselves. A Respite Ministry at a church in Montgomery, Alabama planted the seeds for what has now grown to respite programs in 11 states, meeting what has become a social need in our communities. Watch this inspiring documentary.

Spreading the News in the North Country

Caregiver Wellness and Respite Center Outreach Specialist Colleen Salisbury will be presenting at The Conkling Center on Tuesday, May 13 from 11AM-12 PM. She will be focusing on the needs of family caregivers in the North Country and supporting informal caregivers by helping to address gaps and barriers around respite and caregiver services. Program features include: training and education, community resources, support systems, care navigation, and family consultations. Reservations required by calling Tricia at 518-793-1494 or emailing tgolden@theconklingcenter.org

April Webinar Series: Week 1 Now Available on YouTube

Mary’s recent webinar series, Navigating Multiple Care Systems for Your Loved One, covered very relevant topics for family caregivers and for those in fields related to caregiving or older adults. The first webinar in the series, Laying the Groundwork and Financial Planning, is now availble to view on our YouTube channel. We will continue to post these webinars as recordings become available. Watch Laying the Groundwork and Financial Planning.

• Navigating Alzheimer's: Effective Caregiving Approaches for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms is a new course being offered by the Caregiver Action Network. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be challenging, particularly when handling agitation, anxiety, and depression. This course provides strategies to improve your quality of life and your loved one’s well-being. Learn more

• It’s no surprise that when caregivers feel supported and have knowledge about where to turn for help, they are more effective at caring for their loved ones. States are now doing a better job of supporting the more than 53 million caregivers in the US. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) explains how.

• Lifespan of Greater Rochester is offering a Grief After Dementia Caregiving virtual support group held the third Friday of each month, beginning May 16 from 11 AM-12 PM. The group is specifically for former caregivers whose care partner with memory loss or form of dementia has died and provides an opportunity for sharing experiences, feelings, and coping strategies with others. The group is facilitated by trained Finger Lakes Caregiver Institute staff. Learn more and register.
  

• You’re invited to the Kinship Care Conference designed for kinship caregivers and professionals! This free event features three insightful speakers: Rae Glaser on the NYS Kinship Navigator, Margaret Cardona on Trauma-Informed Care, and NYSCRC Director Doris Green with an inspirational keynote. Friday, May 16, 2024 from 9:30 AM-2:30 PM in Rochester. Learn more and register here.
  

• The final two Caregiver Forums are coming to White Plains and Queensbury in June. This is your chance to hear about gaps in services for caregivers and to help affect policy to address them. Visit the NYSCRC events page to register. Space is limited.

Would you like to add your organization to the NY Connects
Resource Directory? 

Please use this link to request that your organization be added to the Directory. Please note, the entity must provide a service to caregivers, including but not limited to respite care. There are additional inclusion/exclusion criteria—your request will be reviewed by the local NY Connects program for inclusion in the resource directory. To learn more, call: 1-800-342-9871 or visit www.nyconnects.ny.gov

This project was supported, in part by grant number # 90LRLI0043, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201, through the NYS Office for the Aging. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.