Hope Grows Think Caregiver – New Program for Caregivers
Hope Grows Honors Caregivers With Launch of Think Caregiver During National Family Caregivers Month
In honor of caregivers and National Family Caregivers month, Hope Grows is launching an exciting new program called Think Caregiver to bring support services and resources right to caregivers’ fingertips in the comfort of their own home or wherever they happen to be.
Through this new program, caregivers can opt in to receive check-in calls from Hope Grows staff where emotional support is provided as well as resources and referrals if needed. Once the caregiver opts in, Hope Grows will call within 48-72 hours and again at two weeks. Subsequent follow-up calls will be made at a minimum of three and six months, or monthly if the caregiver desires.
Although Think Caregiver is officially a new program, Hope Grows has been making calls to caregivers for the past year just to check in, say “hello,” and see if there is anything they need. Now, with the help of funding from UPMC, Hope Grows is able to focus staff time on this project and put a formal system in place for such support, as well as a volunteer training module.
And there’s more! Think Caregiver provides online support through a social interactive platform that enables and promotes the sharing of simple self-care suggestions for and by caregivers. Through Hope Grows’ social media platforms, caregivers can conveniently find suggestions and put them to use in short snippets of time during their day wherever they are. They can tune in each week for suggestions and inspiration posted by Hope Grows and other caregivers using hashtags: #ThinkCaregiver, #MeditateMonday, #WalkItOffWednesday, and #FeelGoodFriday. Simple suggestions and posts will focus on the mind, body, and spiritual wellness of the caregiver. The online platform also offers a place where caregivers can share their experiences and where anyone can honor and pay tribute to a caregiver they love.
One of the caregiver challenges Hope Grows continues to hear about is the difficulty caregivers have with getting out for support. With Think Caregiver, Hope Grows can bring the support to them directly and conveniently.
While this program is in no way intended to replace counseling for depression and medical attention when needed, it does offer a trained ear to listen for signs that may warrant that kind of referral. Caregivers in need of counseling can look to Hope Grows as the organization offers counseling by way of a licensed professional counselor and a variety of peer to peer support groups and educational components focused around self-care as well as time and life management.
Hope Grows looks forward to having caregivers participate in Think Caregiver for support and to having non-caregivers join in as well to share and post about caregivers they know and love. All are invited to #ThinkCaregiver during National Family Caregivers month and beyond!
Thank You Caregivers!