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National Elderly Caregivers Support Group Expands
July 1, 2004 - A program aimed at linking
caregivers for the elderly with an aging network of assistance providers
has added several new physician specialty groups. The effort is
supported by the U.S. Administration on Aging and managed by the
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
(n4a) has expanded Making the Link: Connecting Caregivers with
Services through Physicians by establishing partnerships with the
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American College of
Rheumatology (ACR), and the Society of Geriatric Cardiology (SGC). These
organizations are joining medical associations representing primary care
physicians, internists and geriatricians who are supporting family
caregivers across the U.S. by serving on the Making the Link
Advisory Board.
Making the Link, which is supported by a
grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging, brings together two
distinct but complementary systems the aging network and health care
providers for the benefit of family caregivers across the country.
Now in its second year, Making the Link
connects approximately 200 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and Title VI
Native American aging programs with physicians in their communities. The
goal is to increase awareness among physicians about the important
health care role that family caregivers assume as well as the
significant impact of caregiving on the health of the caregiver.
Making the Link helps to make physicians aware of the vital role of
local area agencies on aging (AAAs) in providing support to caregivers,
including individual counseling, respite care, adult day services, home
modification, and assistive technology. As a result, physicians are able
to easily refer caregivers to these local agencies for assistance.
The need to support caregivers is immense.
According to a 2004 survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving and
AARP, 16% of the population, or nearly 34 million adults, provide unpaid
care to an individual age 50 or older. These caregivers need access to
resources and services in the community that help make caregiving
easier, and physicians and their staff quickly see the value of knowing
where to refer their caregiving patients. As one AAA Making the Link
participant commented, Everyone I came into contact with was, in a
sense, starving for this information.
The new partnerships will heighten awareness among
ophthalmologists, rheumatologists and geriatric cardiologists about the
needs of caregivers who are either their own patients or family members
of patients. As members of the Making the Link Advisory Board,
representatives of the AAO, the ACR, and the SGC are working with n4a to
promote Making the Link to their respective membership through a
variety of communications vehicles. In addition, specialized brochures
are being developed for AAAs to provide to cardiologists,
ophthalmologists, and rheumatologists in their communities.
We are confident that these new partnerships will
lead to an expanding network of physicians who are teaming up with local
AAAs to enhance the well-being of our nations caregivers and to support
them in this critical role, observes n4as CEO Sandy Markwood.
> The National Association of Area
Agencies on Aging (n4a) is the umbrella organization for our nations
655 area agencies on aging (AAAs) and the representative body in
Washington, D.C, for the interests of 240 Title VI-Native American aging
programs. For more information about n4a, visit
www.n4a.org.
> The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
is the largest national medical association of Eye M.D.s. Eye M.D.s or
ophthalmologists are medical doctors who provide comprehensive eye care,
including medical, surgical and optical care. For more information about
AAO, visit
www.aao.org.
> The American College of Rheumatology (ACR)
is the professional organization of rheumatologists and associated
health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing
disability, and curing more than 100 types of arthritis and related
disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and
bones. For more information about ACR, visit
www.rheumatology.org.
> The Society of Geriatric Cardiology (SGC)
represents health care professionals with an interest in geriatric
cardiovascular medicine, including cardiologists, cardiac surgeons,
internists, general and family practitioners, geriatricians, exercise
physiologists, other doctoral level scientists, physical therapists,
cardiac rehabilitation specialists, and nurses. For more information
about SGC, visit
www.sgcard.org.
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