Livestream RECAP

Watch this month's livestream - we explore the importance of nutrition in caregiving, learning about the risk of malnutrition, nutrients of interest, food safety and tips on how to make mealtime more manageable for caregivers.

iCarePortal Content

March is TBI Awareness Month! In this livestream, produced in collaboration with the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, we discuss safety, prevention, and resources to learn ways we can better care for a loved one with TBI.

Explore all of our past caregiver classes, workshops, and more in English and Spanish on SCRC's YouTube and Facebook.

How does caregiving affect women specifically, and how can we best support them?

Households often rely on women for many responsibilities, including caregiving. The burden of these duties only increases when there are children in the family.

The physical, emotional, and mental labor carried by women caregivers can lead to feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and burned out. If these emotions persist for too long, they may culminate in more serious conditions like clinical anxiety or depression.

This is why families should evaluate the care receiver’s needs and consider how to offer support to the women caregivers in their lives. I encourage families to adopt the following mindset: “My [mom/sister/aunt] CAN take care of [care receiver], but she’s not the ONLY one who can do it.”

Practice acknowledging the work that the caregiver does and look for ways you can help:

• “Mom drives Grandma to her doctor’s appointment every Friday. I have every other Friday off – I can volunteer to take Grandma to the clinic on those days.”
• “My sister buys and drops off groceries at our parents’ house every two weeks. Maybe we can switch off so we each go once a month. That way, I can help contribute financially and she gets a break.”

Southern Caregiver Resource Center’s library of caregiving classes offers extensive advice on relieving the burden of caregiving responsibilities. Videos like It Takes a Village: Assembling Your Care Team and Holding a Family Meeting will be especially eye-opening to caregivers and their family members. Female caregivers in particular will benefit from watching The Sandwich Generation and Caregiver Relaxation Guide.

We are hiring! SCRC is the leading provider of caregiver support services in San Diego and Imperial Counties. We encourage qualified applicants to apply for the positions listed. Visit www.caregivercenter.org/careers for more information.

SCRC's Education and Outreach team is looking for passionate volunteers to help connect family caregivers to vital services. If you possess the following qualifications:

• Familiarity working with community and social service agencies
• Self-directed, willing to take initiative, and detail oriented
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with community members

…come work with us and support family caregivers in your community! For more information, scan the QR code above or email Leonor Garrison, Community Engagement Coordinator, at lgarrison@caregivercenter.org.

Introducing Caring4Cal, a workforce training program funded by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI)

Caring4Cal is a workforce development program created to expand, enhance, and strengthen California's Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) through free training, coaching, and incentives paid up to $2,750.

This initiative works to increase access to health services for rural communities, children with complex medical conditions, individuals with disabilities, and care for older adults.

Licensed or certified healthcare providers who would like to work in-home and those who would like to start a career providing care in-home and community settings have access to the following services:

• Hundreds of no-cost training courses that boost care provider skills and accelerate careers
• Free personal coaching to help set goals, develop an action plan, and stay on track
• Paid incentives of up to $2,750 for eligible care providers

Caring4Cal supports Californians in developing the skills and knowledge essential to starting or growing a career as a licensed or certified healthcare provider in the home and community.

Visit caring4cal.org to learn more!