Office for the Aging Honors Caregivers

During the month of November, the Ulster County Office for the Aging, along with numerous national organizations, major corporations and community-based groups around the country, will celebrate National Family Caregivers Month 2006 (NFC Month) to thank and support our nation’s family caregivers.

According to the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), in any given year over 50 million people provide some level of caregiving services. Those services are valued at more than $306 billion dollars a year. Family caregivers provide more than 80% of all home care services. Of today’s family caregivers, 40% provide some level of nursing support. American businesses can lose as much as $34 billion each year due to employees’ need to care for loved ones 50 years of age or older.

“Our organization is pleased to have this opportunity to formally recognize and celebrate the valuable role they play,” said Evelyn Flynn, Coordinator of Caregiver Support Groups. The mission of these groups, which are called “Coffee & Conversation Groups for Caregivers,” is to provide caregivers with an empathetic, safe and confidential environment; a place where they will be refreshed, they will be able to laugh, to cry, to share their stories and be unconditionally accepted; a place where they can find hope and emotional support; a place where they will become aware of the resources in the community that can help with their caregiving responsibilities.

Meetings are held at the Office for the Aging, 400 Stockade Drive, Kingston, at 12 Noon on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month and at 5:30 PM on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

The National Family Caregivers Association, is a grass roots organization whose mission is to improve the overall quality of life of family caregivers and their loved ones, organizes NFC Month each year. “Our goal for NFC Month is to move from awareness to action,” said Suzanne Mintz, NFCA president and co-founder. “This year we are encouraging people to protect their own health. We see this as the greatest gift you can give your loved one because family caregivers report having a chronic condition at more than twice the rate of non-caregivers.”
To learn more about “Coffee & Conversation Groups for Caregivers,” please call the Ulster County Office for the Aging at: (845)-340-3456 or NFCA at: (800)-896-3650 or you can visit www.thefamilycaregiver.org.