Community Assessment Tool

Caregiving

IDENTIFYING YOUR RESOURCES

• What is the current inventory of caregiving services, including:
  • Information, access, and assistance
  • Support groups/counseling
  • Respite services
  • Adult day care services
  • Support services (e.g., meals, transportation, and in-home care)
• Which organizations provide caregiving services? Is this a sufficient number?
• What strategies are used to recruit and retain caregiving service providers? Are these working? How can they be improved?
• Does the caregiver support system adequately address the needs cited by caregivers, employees, and grandparents?
• What type of support do employers in your community offer their employees who have caregiving responsibilities including:
  • Supporting working caregivers: ABC Survey for Community Agencies
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Information and referral to community resources
  • Worksite support groups
• How do caregivers deal with the following issues on a personal level:
  • Stress/coping
  • Managing health care of a family member or friend
  • Access to information and resources
  • Access to support services
  • Affordability of support services
  • Other
• How do employed caregivers in the community deal with:
  • Lost productivity
  • Lost income
  • Limited career advancement
• Do grandparents and other relative caregivers of children struggle with:
  • Ability to obtain information and resources about caregiving
  • Ability to obtain supportive services
  • Affordability of supportive services
• Will the current caregiver support system meet the needs of the projected number of caregivers in five, 10, or 20 years?

BUILDING YOUR COMMUNITY

• What are the primary strengths of the caregiver support system?
• How can caregiver service providers better coordinate their activities?
• What are the primary gaps in the caregiver support system?
• Are informal caregivers aware of how to obtain needed caregiver services?
• How do older adults in your community learn about caregiving support services?
• What are the current methods of outreach to educate caregivers about supportive services?
• How can outreach/awareness be improved?
• Are caregiver services culturally appropriate as defined by:
  • Geographic accessibility
  • Affordability
  • Other
• Are there barriers to caregiver services in your community with regard to:
  • Age-appropriateness
  • Language barriers for non-English speaking residents
  • Literacy levels
  • Race/ethnicity
  • Disability

Back to Step 4: Assess Where your Are Today

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Updated: November 2, 2007