National Family Caregiver Support Program

The Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000 established the National Family Caregivers Support Program to help families fulfill their roles as caregivers. In 2004, the federal Administration on Aging allocated $1.9 million to to establish the program throughout Kentucky. The 15 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) receive funding through this program to meet local needs.

The program serves family members caring for relatives older than 60 and grandparents and other older relatives caring for children younger than 18.

The services include:

• Information and assistance in finding and obtaining services for caregivers;
• Caregiver counseling;
• Local support groups;
• Caregiver training to help with problem solving and decision making;
• Respite care to give caregivers a break from daily pressures of caregiving. Some forms of respite care include in-home services, adult day care or, occasionally, a residential setting; and 
• Services to help improve care being provided.

The AAAs offer needs-based programs to caregivers in their service areas. This allows each region to focus resources on providing the programs and services caregivers need. For this reason, some programs and services may not be available in all regions.

For more information about the caregiver program, contact your local Area Agency on Aging.