Caregiver Corner: Resources for Parkinson's Care Partners

Most people agree that a “care partnership” may be the ultimate loving bond of any relationship.  If you are a care partner to a person with Parkinson’s disease (PD) or a person with Parkinson’s who now relies on a loved one (a spouse, partner, child or friend) for support, then you are probably aware that a care partnership can also be quite challenging.

Caregiving can affect your physical and mental health and that of your partner.  Additionally, the new responsibilities put upon a care partner — such as managing finances or seeking home healthcare — can be daunting.

Fortunately, there are resources designed specifically for caregivers to help them care better for themselves and for their loved ones.  Here we present a few of these from our new resource guide (coming in late spring) as ‘starting points’ to direct you to resources in your community.

Caregivers Are Really Essential (CARE)
This listserv — an email communication system that allows you, through a message to a single address to reach all members of the list — will put you in touch with caregivers all around the country.  To learn more or to subscribe for free, email listserv@listserv.muohio.edu.

National Family Caregiver Association
This nonprofit organization offers tips on finding resources in your community and hosts free workshops (online and in-person) on topics such as “Communicating Effectively with Healthcare Professionals.”  To learn more, call (800) 896-3650 or visit www.nfcacares.org.   

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)
FCA is a nonprofit organization that publishes informational publications and provides local and national support programs, including the Family Care Navigator, a state-by-state, online guide to help you locate government, nonprofit, and private caregiver support services.  To learn more, call (800) 445-8106 or visit www.caregiver.org. 

National Alliance for Caregiving
A national nonprofit, the Alliance performs research and legislative work and also helps caregivers to find local resources with its “Family Care Resource Connection.”  To learn more, email info@caregiving.org or visit www.caregiving.org.

Well Spouse Association (WSA)
Specifically dedicated to life partner caregivers, WSA offers an educational newsletter and several peer support options, including a network of general caregiver support groups, an online mentoring program and a round-robin letter writing group.  To learn more, call (800) 838-0879 or visit www.wellspouse.org. 
 
We hope these resources are helpful.  If you need additional resources or have questions about caring for someone with Parkinson’s, call PDF at (800) 457-6676 or Ask the Expert, using our online service.