Caregiving Resources

When a loved one is living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, caregivers find themselves in a 24/7 situation. In South Carolina, 295,000 caregivers provide 336,000,000 hours of unpaid care, totaling approximately $4.1 billion in economic value. Families are often overwhelmed, exhausted, and in need of resources and assistance in making decisions and tackling the day-to-day responsibilities.

The ARK staff partners with families to set care priorities, share caregiving techniques and connect with resources, allowing the person with memory issues to live a quality life at home as independently as possible.

Typically, a family will request a meeting in person or by phone. We listen and learn how the family is dealing with their loved one’s health situation. We discuss the needs of the individual, the caregiver, and the entire family. We help them identify community resources such as respite care programs, non-medical home care, companion/sitter care, and available financial resources. We encourage the family to attend a support group, provide information on a particular type of specialist or doctor for the next steps, or learn about other types of caregiver training and techniques available.

The ARK offers a Powerful Tools for Caregivers class, an educational program designed to help family caregivers take care of themselves while caring for loved ones who have a chronic illness of any kind.