An estimated 600,000 people in San Diego County and 65 million nationally care for a relative with a disabling disease such as Alzheimer's, and the majority does not have financial or family support.
Starting in 1994, the National Family Caregivers Association designated November as a time to thank and train family caregivers and to connect them to vital services.
Locally, the non-profit agency Southern Caregiver Resource Center (SCRC), which provides caregivers with free services, is trying to reach the Latino community through its programs Calma and Unidos Cuidando.
"Our programs help those who care for others function better as caregivers and for themselves," said Roberto Velásquez, the director of multicultural services for SCRC.
"Caring for someone who has Alzheimer's or has had a stroke is a difficult situation; after a while caregivers get a type of depression and they have high levels of stress," he added.
Typically, exhaustion, the feeling of inadequacy and the lack of help combine to wear down caregivers, according to health experts.
"Family caregivers are not doctors or nurses," Velásquez said. "They are in this situation out of necessity."
Through the programs Calma and Unidos Cuidando, Latino caregivers may take Spanish-language classes in a group, with other caregivers, or one-on-one, with a specialized therapist.
The San Ysidro Health Center and La Maestra Community Health Center offer services in Spanish with funding from the SCRC.
The goal is to satisfy the needs of the client and the person who is chronically sick. But mostly the sessions focus on helping clients cope better in their role as caregivers, take better care of themselves, learn stress-management techniques and develop effective ways to communicate with family members.
Martha Rañón, a 36-year-old San Diego resident, said she found the services for caregivers when she needed them the most.
When her 98-year-old aunt with dementia became a widow five years ago, Rañón said she was the only one in her family who assumed responsibility of taking care of her. But that caused her a lot of stress and illness. She felt alone, without support.
"You can read books about how to care of a baby but there is nothing that prepares us to take care of an adult with a disability," Rañón said.
"The counselors helped me control my stress and feel supported. I was no longer alone."
Rañón added that the SCRC also helped her build a ramp that makes it easier for her to transport her aunt every day because she uses a wheelchair.
This story was published in Enlace; editorial@mienlace.com
[sidebar]Help for caregivers
The non-profit agency Southern Caregiver Resource Center (SCRC) provides caregivers with free services. They can be reached in English at (858) 268-4432 and in Spanish at (877) 303.7037 and on the web at caregivercenter.org
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