Close at Heart but Far Away: Help for Long Distance Caregivers

Are you are helping a family member who is dealing with illness, disablity or the effects of aging? Do you live at least one hour away from your loved one?

If you've answered "yes" to both of these questions then you are a long distance caregiver.

While many long distance caregivers do live one hour or so from a loved one, the average long distance caregiver lives nearly 500 miles away from the family member whom they are trying to help.

Like all caregivers, long distance caregivers face the challenges of keeping current regarding their loved one's health needs while also trying to set up and manage care and services from afar. 

Here  are a few of the many resources which can provide some help to long distance caregivers who are seeking to navigate the caregiving journey with more ease and less stress:

ElderCare Locator, a service of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has a free state-by-state, easy-to-resource guide which helps to identify various services, programs and benefits by the state in which the care receiptent lives. Visit www.eldercarelocator.gov or phone 1-800-677-1116

Visit the Family Care Alliance to find a free downloadable PDF handbook which addresses concerns such as paying for care, treading on the tough topics such as a move or giving up driving as well as how to balance work/life responsibilities with being a caregiver. The handbook can be found at http://www.caregiver.org

All caregivers, near or far will benefit from the use of  Lotsa Helping Hands, www.lotsahelpinghands.com   where a free calendar and messaging system allows  select individuals to post updates, share information and photos, organize visits and safely store vital information. It's an especially invaluable tool when trying to coordinate services and visits from afar or when there are multiple people involved in helping.

Seek out help from the Council on Aging (the senior center) in the  town or city where your loved one lives. You'll probably be surprised to learn the extent of services available at no or low cost or available based on income.

And don't overlook the possibility of hiring a geriatric care manager. Visit the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers,  www.caremanager.org to learn how a geriatric care manager can help navigate and coordinate services as well help to be an advocate and presence for your loved one between visits.

When it comes to being a great caregiver, it all boils down to love and helping - no matter if your loved one lives around the corner or across the country.