Caregiver Support & Resources

Caregiver Services in Central Minnesota

Being a caregiver for loved one is exhausting but endlessly rewarding. As a caregiver, you need help and support, too.

Home Health and Hospice’s primary role in providing high-quality patient care is educating and supporting the patient’s caregivers. We know that caregivers play a crucial role in all aspects of the patient’s care.

Our staff also can offer guidance on other local services that might assist your loved one’s care at home.

Call us at 320-259-9375 or 800-835-6610 (toll free) if you have a loved one who may need and benefit from services. Most services are covered under Medicare or private insurance. The first home visit is free to assess your loved one’s needs.

Who Are Caregivers?

Family, friends, partners and neighbors may all be caregivers. Most do not identify themselves as a caregiver but identify with the primary role they have with patient.

Tips for Caregivers

  • Be an advocate for your loved one.
  • Oversee his/her care as a care coordinator.
  • Write down observations of situations.
  • Hold a family conference/create a family care team.
  • Tell others what you need.
  • Keep good records (physician appointments, medications, medical history of patient and financial).
  • Establish a daily regime or schedule.
  • Use a communication notebook for family or staff involved in patient care.
  • Get to know any staff involved in the patient’s care.
  • Search “caregiver” on the web for a wealth of information.

How to Avoid Caregiver Stress and Burnout

  • Tune into your own feelings.
  • Understand symptoms of stress and burnout (withdrawal, general irritability, feeling blue or hopeless, changes in appetite or sleep, emotional or physical exhaustion).
  • Know when to seek help from professionals.

Caregiver Burnout Prevention

  • Talk about your feelings.
  • Create realistic goals.
  • Be realistic about your loved one’s disease.
  • Realize some things are uncontrollable.
  • Take advantage of respite from family or area services.

Discover the Gifts of Caregiving

  • In the busyness of the day, try to find the small joys and inspirations of caregiving.
  • Celebrate even the small successes.
  • Laugh — remember to include humor to lighten everyone’s stress.
  • Take time to just sit and visit with your loved one — to not always be “doing.”
  • Help your loved one discover his/her legacy.
  • Talk about the stresses and joys in both your roles as caregiver and care receiver.

Helpful Web Resources

  • Minnesota Area Agencies on Aging
    Includes planning and service areas, and information about caregiver support services such as caregiver consultants.
  • Live Well at Home
    This resource tool for older adults and the people who help them takes a risk management approach to supporting older adults in their own homes. The site includes the Rapid Screen, a long-term care cost calculator, and a helpful Family and Friends page.
  • Caregiver Link
    This online public information and referral portal provides resources for caregivers of older adults and professionals within MinnesotaHelpinfo. Consumers and professionals may search for a particular service in their community.
  • Senior Linkage Line
    Minnesota’s toll-free information and assistance service for older adults and families can be reached at 800-333-2433. The Eldercare Locator also is available for family caregivers of older adults living outside Minnesota at 800-677-1116.
  • Minnesota Board on Aging
    The Family Caregiver page contains resource brochures such as balancing work and caregiving and tips for conducting a family meeting.

This caregiver awareness campaign is provided by the Amherst Wilder Foundation.