Pima Council on Aging is launching a Friends and Neighbors program for family caregivers to take a restorative break.
Friends and Neighbors is the newest addition to PCOA’s selection of respite care services. Other services offered include traditional in-home respite care and adult day health.
For non-paid caregivers, living in the home of the loved one they are caring for can take much time and energy, leaving little for these caregivers to restore themselves.
PCOA’s Friends and Neighbors program provides a non-paid family caregiver who is caring for a loved one over the age of 60 with a much-needed restorative break by paying for the caregiver to hire another member of the family or a close friend to provide the respite care.
Nationally, one in four adults are family caregivers. Approximately 90% of people who care for loved ones are family members, performing daily chores and providing support to their loved one.
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PCOA’s Friends and Neighbors program helps to provide critical assistance directly to non-paid family caregivers experiencing compounded challenges, especially during these difficult and trying times.
“We are excited to add this to the wide array of services offered to non-paid caregivers in our community,” said W. Mark Clark, president and CEO of PCOA. “As a family caregiver, it is important to take the time you need to complete personal tasks for yourself, whether it is going to the grocery store, church or simply taking a much-needed nap. Our new Friends and Neighbors program allows you to have control of who you have in your home caring for your loved one.”
To learn more about PCOA’s resources for family caregivers, and to see if you qualify for the Friends and Neighbors program, call PCOA’s Helpline at 520-790-7262.
Who is a non-paid family caregiver and what does that look like?
A family caregiver is a person who is taking care of a family member and is not being paid for this service.
- May of us take care of a parent by going shopping, cleaning their home, cooking their meals, helping them dress, or more. These are all examples of caregiving and activities of daily living.
- Women are the majority of non-paid family caregivers, but men are joining the ranks of the millions of family caregivers in the United States.
- Often people either miss work, call out sick, or quit a job to provide care to a family member, reducing the accumulated lifetime wealth of the individual, making them more likely to need help and care during their retirement.