The Caregiver

The most common type of caregiver is the family caregiver — someone who takes care of a family member without pay. A family caregiver can be a spouse, a partner, an adult child, any relative, friend, or neighbor who provides care and assistance to a loved one due to aging, chronic illness, or a disability, and they are usually not paid for what they do.

Caregiving involves a broad understanding of many topics, such as everyday care; health care; safety issues; assistive technologies; finances; legal issues; support groups; respite programs; handling care at a distance; and knowing how to access government benefit programs and community resources.

The National Institute on Aging provides a comprehensive guide to Services for Older Adults Living in the Home that can be helpful for caregivers who are just getting started. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides a list of caregiver resources available from several federal agencies.

Caregiver Checklists

The Checklist for Family Caregivers: A Guide to Making It Manageable, published by the American Bar Association and AARP, offers easy-to-personalize to-do lists to record and update the myriad details for the family caregiving team. It answers the question about what services caregivers can offer you when you have a chronic medical condition or need help with daily activities such as bathing and showering, personal hygiene, dressing, toileting, mobility or operating a personal device.

Caregivers Handbook. This National Institute on Aging guide is for anyone who provides care for family members or friends who need help with daily living.

The Family Caregiver Alliance offers a thorough guide to hiring a private contractor to assist with in-home help.

County Support

Fairfax County Family Caregiver Support offers online resources such as links to webinars and videos on relevant topics that can be helpful to anyone in a caregiver role. You can also sign up for a newsletter specifically for caregivers on this page.

ElderLink, a nonprofit partnership between Inova and the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging, offers free one-hour caregiver consultations. At this phone number, a caregiver can also find out about respite programs that can provide some relief from the day-to-day job of taking care of someone.

The help-line can also assist Fairfax County caregivers by connecting them with county services such as in-home care, case management, transportation, Meals on Wheels, recreation and wellness programs as well as community engagement opportunities. (703) 324-7948 TTY 711

State Support

No Wrong Door Virginia. This is a state-wide network of partners supporting older adults and their caregivers as well as for those seeking long-term care services and support.

Virginia Navigator. The navigator not only includes caregiving resources, but also other services such as housing and transportation help.

Respite Care

Respite care allows family caregivers to take a well-deserved break.

The County has two major programs that can help. The Elderlink Respite Program offers up to six hours per week of in-home personal care services, companionship and supervision for eligible clients. There are copays that depend on a client’s functional status and income level. To learn more about the program, call the ElderLink Intake Line at (703) 324-5375 TTY 711 of visit the website.

Vetted volunteers can provide support through regular phone calls to family caregivers through the Virtual Social Visitor Program. Call (703) 324-5406 TTY 711 to connect with a volunteer.

Some local assisted living facilities offer short-term respite care.

Financial Caregiving

If your loved one is having trouble managing money because of health or memory issues, it may be time to seek a financial caregiver. There are informal and formal financial caregivers. To learn more, read the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s helpful information sheet Considering a Financial Caregiver? Know Your Options.

The American Banking Association also has a number of resources to help caregivers understand what this entails.

Long-Distance Caregiving

Eleven percent of family caregivers live an hour or more away from their aging or ailing loved one, according to a 2020 study by AARP and the National Alliance of Caregiving.  Long-Distance Caregiving: 5 Key Steps to Providing Care addresses a range of related issues, from establishing information channels and determining emergency fundamentals to making best use of technology. Sometimes you may want expert advice on how to figure out what’s needed and when. A certified senior advisor may help and their professional organization provides a directory. Similarly, a geriatric care manager (see below) may provide the extra help a caregiver may need.

Fairfax County’s Fairfax County Family Caregiver Support  line can also help navigate the issues and connect you with appropriate resources. (703) 324-7948 TTY 711

Care Managers

A geriatric care manager, usually a licensed nurse or social worker who specializes in geriatrics, is a sort of "professional relative" who can help a family caregiver or long distance caregiver to identify and meet the caregiving needs of a loved one.

Care managers will do an in-home assessment, coordinate care, find community programs or alternative housing arrangements, and can act as central communications hub for families or relatives, especially those who live far away.

The Aging Life Care Association provides listings of geriatric care managers locally and across the country as well as questions to ask a potential manager.

Technology

Technology tools, sometimes referred to as assistive technology, can offer assistance to caregivers and families and enhance their lives through caregiver apps, tech products, telemedicine and software. AgeSpace provides good information on assistive technology such as medication reminders and communication aids for home safety and security. To read more and find ways to get what you need, visit our technology section.

Other Resources

To learn more about family caregiving issues, visit both the Family Caregiver Alliance and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Both provide unbiased information on a variety of related topics.

Jewish Social Services Agency of Northern Virginia. The agency helps neighbors of every religious background, race and ethnicity in navigating aging in place, including elder care consultation with care managers for a fee, as well as therapy and counseling. 240-800-5772