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This viewer asks, "Are there any programs out there that provide free services to caregivers?"
You know caregivers today are providing, in-kind, $400 billion of care in our country. And family
caregivers are gonna be very much responsible for long-term care and taking care of loved
ones. They are the solution, if you will. But today many people can not afford, of course,
the cost of behavioral care or medical care. Or access home health care. So this is a fabulous
question, are there free services? This may be the one place that I can totally say, yes.
That if you are a proactive family caregiver, and you take really control of your family
and this process. First by taking care of yourself, but then by availing yourself of
all the resources that are out there, you can really have success. I mean today, you
can go to the National Family Caregiver Alliance, the Family Caregiver Associations, AARP, the
Area Agency on Aging, even the VA now, if you're a veteran, has wonderful, wonderful
caregiver services that you can access. But in addition to that, hospitals in your community
are providing great outreach. For them, caregivers are extraordinarily important. They know that
the families are gonna produce better outcomes, better care, deal with care transitions in
the way that that we desperately need them to do, given the health care environment.
So, hospitals are very much on board and they have programs all throughout. And never forget,
that the financial piece and the pieces around it, again, the do not resuscitate, the advanced
directives, what we call the five wishes, which are things to do with end of life, they
too are offered free by hospitals and by residential facilities. So, it's a very competitive space
out there. And you're gonna find out through non-profit agencies, through national organizations,
through hospitals in your communities, there's gonna be a whole potpourri of services to
access. Now then, you have to ask yourself , are you motivated to show up in your life
to access them? Because they're there. So, make sure you that you make yourself aware
of all of these. If you have any problems after this particular video, go to the Area
Agency on Aging, they too will be able to direct you to great free services. So, don't
make that an excuse in your life. Go out and take a look what's out there. Google it, if
you need to. And I betcha you're gonna find great success. Thank you so much for that
question.