Caregiver Education
Enjoy these free, self-paced, education topics to help family caregivers and older adults.
Caregiver Education
Enjoy these free, self-paced, education topics to help family caregivers and older adults.
Caregiver Education
Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias
Being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias is challenging!
Some would say it’s the hardest, unpaid job on the planet, for which there is no training. Learn more about dementias and caregiving tasks.
Behavior and Emotions of Aging
Learn about the behavior and emotions of aging, including common changes that may take place in later life and the importance of cultivating a positive attitude for successful aging. Included is a review of what you can do as a caregiver to support and encourage healthy and independent aging.
Communication and Relationships
Is communicating with your care recipient challenging? Could your relationship be better? In this education module, we review ways to help you communicate more effectively and also strengthen your relationships.
Caregiving in the LGBTQ+ Community
While all caregivers can benefit from supportive services, not all caregivers are the same. Those who belong to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer (LGBTQ+) community have much in common with other caregivers, but also have unique experiences and needs.
How to Talk To Health Care Providers
When communicating with health care providers, it’s important to plan ahead so you can be organized and get the most out of your visit. You might even consider preparing a medical binder to take with you.
Depression and Anxiety
As a family caregiver, you may be experiencing depression and/or anxiety due to the complexity of caregiving. Learn about the causes and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and what successful treatment looks like.
What To Do When A Person Dies
Do you know what to do when a person dies? A death leaves behind many details that caregivers must take care of and the job of handling those personal and legal details may fall to you. It’s a stressful, bureaucratic task that can take a year or more to complete, all while you are grieving the loss. This list will help you accomplish many of the things that need to be done immediately after someone dies, within a few days, and within a few weeks.
Fasting for Blood Work: A Guide for Caregivers
As a caregiver, understanding the necessary preparations for your loved one’s blood tests is essential. This guide will explain why fasting is often necessary and provide helpful tips for ensuring a smooth experience.
End of Life Planning
While it may not be easy to think or talk about dying with your loved ones, it can bring peace of mind and decrease stress for everyone involved when you are knowledgeable on the subject. In this education module, we review the major aspects of end-of-life-planning, end-of-life care terminology, and what to expect.
Financial Planning for Family Caregivers
What You Need to Know About Protecting Your Money and Retirement
This module looks at the financial challenges facing today’s family caregiver and provides information, tips, and resources to help caregivers keep their own finances on track while caring for another.
Housing Options for Older Adults
How to Build a Medical Binder
Legal Issues for Caregivers
Long Distance Caregiving
Managing Grief, Loss, and Change
Kitchen Safety for Seniors
Safety and Independence: Assisted Technology for Communication
Self Care and Stress Management for Caregivers
Caring for a family member or friend who has a disability or a chronic illness can be rewarding. But it’s also demanding. Research shows family members who provide care to individuals with chronic or disabling conditions are themselves at risk.
Sensory Loss in older adults
Sensory loss is common in older adults – learn about sensory changes including vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. While aging can affect all the senses, usually hearing and vision are most affected. A decline in senses can decrease quality of life by preventing us from enjoying activities and communicating with and staying involved with people, which ultimately can lead to isolation.
Strategies for Working Caregivers
For the average caregiver employee, caregiving is similar in hours to having a demanding, non-paying, part-time job in addition to a paying full-time job.
In this module, we’ll explore effective strategies tailored to working caregivers, offering insights into managing workload, navigating workplace dynamics, and prioritizing self-care.
Substance Abuse Among Older Adults
Although the rates of Substance use disorder (SUD) and the use of drugs and alcohol are generally lower among older adults than the general population, aging itself presents specific risks for harm when considering even minimal amounts of substance use among older adults. Risk factors include age, medical co-morbidities, current medications, and health history.
VIDEO: Caregiver Quick Tips
Watch to learn hundreds of no / low-cost ideas that provide unique and easy solutions to common problems older adults face while doing everyday activities. A licensed Occupational Therapist approves each tip!
Video Training for Caregivers
The Caregiver College Video Series Educational Resource for Caregivers with videos produced by Family Caregiver Alliance for YouTube.
Topics include: Transfer Skills, Nutrition, Dental Care, Bathing and Dressing, Toileting and Incontinence, Behavioral Issues, and Self Care.
Wellness and Chronic Illness
State and Health Care Planning Documents
Durable Power of Attorney
While it may not be easy to think or talk about dying with your loved ones, it can bring peace of mind and decrease stress for everyone involved when you are knowledgeable on the subject. In this education module, we review the major aspects of end-of-life-planning, end-of-life care terminology, and what to expect.
POLST
If you are caring for a loved one with a serious illness or advanced frailty, you may have heard the term POLST. It stands for Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. While it sounds clinical, it is actually one of the most powerful tools you have to ensure your loved one’s dignity is protected during a medical emergency.
Revocable Living Trust
As a caregiver, you are already managing a million moving parts—medications, doctor appointments, and daily comfort. The last thing you want to deal with is a complicated legal battle over your loved one’s home or bank accounts. That is where a Revocable Living Trust comes in.
Revocable Transfer on Death
This Revocable Transfer on Death is a hidden gem for caregivers. Many people think they need a complex, expensive trust to keep a home out of probate, but the Revocable Transfer on Death (TOD) Deed is a simple, effective alternative that can save families months of legal headaches. For many families, the family home is their most significant asset. As a caregiver, you may worry about what happens to that home down the road. Will it get stuck in probate court for months? Will the legal fees eat up the inheritance?
The Living Will
This Living Will is arguably the most emotional one for a caregiver. The Living Will isn’t just a legal form—it’s a gift of “permission” from their loved one that removes the guilt of making agonizing medical decisions during a crisis. As a caregiver, one of the heaviest burdens you may face is standing in a hospital room, forced to decide on life-sustaining treatments for someone you love. “What would they want?” is a question that can haunt families for years. A Living Will (also known as an Advance Directive) is the answer to that question.
Transfer of Deed
This Transfer of Deed brings everything together. It is the “finishing touch” of your series—it’s the physical act of making sure all the planning you’ve discussed is actually recorded and official. You’ve done the hard work. You’ve discussed the Revocable Living Trust and the Transfer on Death options. But there is one final, critical step that often gets overlooked: the actual Transfer of Deed.
