Show your gratitude during National Caregivers Month

November is National Family Caregivers Month with the theme “Caregiving in Crises.” This month, caregivers are honored for their dedication in taking care of their loved ones. It is important that caregivers know they are not alone in their struggle to help their loved ones.

Family caregivers manage health emergencies, juggle priorities and suffer isolat i o n— and all that was before COVID. The pandemic brings even more challenges for caregivers.

Some of the new challenges facing caregivers are as follows:

Video Appointments. These are great but they come with their own challengers.

Keeping Loved One at Home and Out of Nursing Home. Some loved ones are needing to transition to assistant living or nursing homes, but because COVID has visitations limited, families are reluctant to make that move.

Added Costs. It’s hard

enough to cover the added cost of caring for a loved one at home, but many caregiving families are dealing with unemployment.

Isolation. COVID has limited to visitors to home caregivers causing additional stress and loneliness.

Risk. With COVID, how much risk is too much? A question with which we all are dealing.

The North West Planning Service Area 11 (NWPSA 11) Area Agency on Aging (AAA) has programs that benefit many caregivers in northwestern Oklahoma. To find out about these services, call Kris Patton, NWPSA 11 AAA, at 800627-4882, ext. 127 or 580-562-5027. She can answer your questions.

These services are funded in part by state and Older Americans Act funds from NWPSA 11 AAA and DHS Aging Services. It is policy of NWPSA 11 AAA to serve all individuals who are eligible for its programs without regard of race, national origin, ancestry, color, religion, gender, age or disability.