Help for the Caregiver: Websites and Blogs About Caregiving

There are nearly 54 million caregivers in the U.S. today providing elderly care or looking after the chronically ill. Many are baby boomers who have been tagged "The Sandwich Generation", because they find themselves taking care of their own children, as well as having to take care of their elderly parents.

If you have found your way to this article, you are most likely already one of those caregivers, perhaps dealing with a new crisis or question about your loved one's care. Or you are about to become a caregiver, and you have no idea where to turn for help. I hope that the websites and blogs that I have listed below will be of some help or comfort to you. There is a a lot of help for the caregiver on the Internet. You are not alone.

Several excellent webpages and blogs providing help for the caregiver are part of the Healthcentral.com website. Unfortunately, there seems to be no simple way to navigate from Healthcentral.com's home page to some of these blogs or webpages, so you should bookmark them separately if you find them helpful to you.

CAPS - Children of Aging Parents

As they state on their homepage, CAPS is "a nonprofit, charitable organization whose mission is to assist the nation's nearly 54 million caregivers of the elderly or chronically ill with reliable information, referrals and support, and to heighten public awareness that the health of the family caregivers is essential to ensure quality care of the nation's growing elderly population." The site contains a wealth of information and help for the caregiver, as well as support groups, quarterly newsletters, and caregiver research.

Dr. Campellone's Blog

Alzheimer caregivers must deal with a special set of issues. This is an Alzheimer caregivers blog, with questions about the disease, treatment, and management of Alzheimer patients being answered by Joseph Campellone, M.D.

Caring, Aging and Alzheimer's

Another excellent Alzheimer's caregiver blog, this one is written by artist and writer Lynn Taetzsch. Her latest book, The Bipolar Dementia Art Chronicles, is a memoir about her experiences as primary caregiver for her father and ex-mother-in-law.

The Caregiver's Voice

Though the blog has not been updated since March of 2006, this site still contains a lot of excellent information and resources about Alzheimer's caregivers and Alzheimer's caregiving.

AARP's website on Caregiving

What other organization knows more about elderly care: their needs, their crises, and their advocates?

Caregiving - Caring Connections

This website is provided by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and contains sections such as: Introduction to Caregiving, Services Available to Assist Caregivers, and Caring for the Caregiver: Acknowledging You Need Assistance.

Third Age Blog on Caregiving

Part of the excellent Third Age.com website, this section is authored in part by Jacqueline Marcell, the author of Elder Rage, and host of the Coping With Caregiving Radio Show, which can be heard at: http://www.wsRadio.com/CopingWithCaregiving

Alzheimer's - Lynne's Caregiving Blog

Another Alzheimer's caregiver blog hosted by Lynn Taetzsch, this is also part of the HealthCentral.com website.

UnLtd Blogs - caregivers

Help for caregivers in the UK.