Kentucky Partnership for Families
and Children, Inc.
National Family Caregivers Month
Celebrated every November, National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM) is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. It offers an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers.

Many caregivers work and also provide care, experiencing conflicts between competing responsibilities. Research indicates caregiving also takes a significant emotional, physical, and financial toll. With nearly half of all caregivers over age 50, many are vulnerable to a decline in their own health. Studies show that coordinated support services can reduce caregiver depression, anxiety, and stress, and enable them to provide care longer, which avoids or delays the need for costly institutional care.
Click above to download the 10 tips!
  1. Seek support from other caregivers. You are not alone!
  2. Take care of your own health so that you can be strong enough to take care of your loved one.
  3. Accept offers of help and suggest specific things people can do to help you.
  4. Learn how to communicate effectively with doctors.
  5. Caregiving is hard work so take respite breaks often.
  6. Watch out for signs of depression and don't delay getting professional help when you need it.
  7. Be open to new technologies that can help you care for your loved one.
  8. Organize medical information so it's up to date and easy to find.
  9. Make sure legal documents are in order.
  10. Give yourself credit for doing the best you can in one of the toughest jobs there is!
Experiencing Grief
Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away.

Coping with the loss of someone or something you love is one of life’s biggest challenges. You may associate grieving with the death of a loved one—which is often the cause of the most intense type of grief—but any loss can cause grief, including:
  1. Divorce or relationship breakup
  2. Loss of health
  3. Losing a job
  4. Loss of financial stability
  5. A miscarriage
  6. Retirement
  7. Death of a pet
  8. Loss of a cherished dream
  9. A loved one’s serious illness
  10. Loss of a friendship
  11. Loss of safety after a trauma
  12. Selling the family home
Grief can be a roller coaster
Instead of a series of stages, we might also think of the grieving process as a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, highs and lows. Like many roller coasters, the ride tends to be rougher in the beginning, the lows may be deeper and longer. The difficult periods should become less intense and shorter as time goes by, but it takes time to work through a loss. Even years after a loss, especially at special events such as a family wedding or the birth of a child, we may still experience a strong sense of grief.

Source: Hospice Foundation of America
5 Things About Grief No One Really Tells You
National Adoption Month 2021
Every Conversation Matters
We are the teens of the child welfare system, and we each have a story to tell.
 
For some of us, foster care has been our entire life, but in just a few years we may be aging out. The conversation of what's next will be key to us living a stable life—and we want to be included in those conversations!
This month we are raising our voices to share stories from our time in care. Although it's not always easy for us to talk about our experiences, we realize they help shape our permanency decisions. We've also learned that staying silent during these decisions can be much worse.
Are You Listening?
We are the experts of our lives, and we know what we want and need for our futures. We want to share our experiences to help shine a light on areas where we think engagement and the system can improve.
November Is Adoption
Awareness Month
What you should know!

  • Did you know that less than 1/3 of adoptions occur within the first two years of a child entering the foster care system? And, each year, 23,000 children age out of the foster care system in the US.

  • There are currently more than 400,000 children in the American foster care system. As this number increases, there becomes an even greater need for loving foster parents to step forward.

  • November is Adoption Awareness Month, and this is a beautiful time to learn about adoption and adoption services. We also acknowledge all the lives that have been impacted by adoption.

  • Continue reading if you're interested to know more about this event, as well as the process of fostering and adoption.

Different Types of Adoption

Adoption can happen in many ways, usually depending on what the birth mother feels comfortable with. Every child and situation is unique, but there are two main types of adoption; Closed and open.

These terms describe the level of communication between the birth mother and the adoptive parents.

In the past, closed adoption was the norm, but now it is much rarer. In this framework of adoption, there is zero contact between the adoptive family and the birth parents.
Adopted children know nothing about their birth parents and are unable to contact them. This can lead to children struggling with their self-esteem and identity as they grow up. 

Open Adoption
Nowadays, open adoption is far more common. The contact information of the birth mother and the adoptive parents are shared openly.

There are many ways to manage this relationship. The adoption agency can facilitate contact, or the parents can choose to communicate directly. Regardless, the special moments of the child's life can be shared with the adoptive family and the birth mother. It creates space for a vaster support system for the child. 
COVID-19 Vaccination Boosters
for All Kentucky Adults
Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order that qualifies every person 18 years old or older and living or working in the commonwealth to get a COVID-19 vaccination booster six months after their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, or two months after a single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Find Treatment Resources
Substance Use Treatment Locator
Millions of Americans have a substance use disorder. Help is available. FindTreatment.gov.

Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
Find alcohol, drug, or mental health treatment facilities and programs around the country at findtreatment.samhsa.gov.
Disaster Distress Helpline
1-800-985-5990
Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after any natural or human-caused disaster. Call this toll-free number to be connected to the nearest crisis center for information, support, and counseling.
Veteran's Crisis Line
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
TTY: 1-800-799-4889
Connects veterans in crisis (and their families and friends) with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential, toll-free hotline, online chat, or text.
Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime, about any type of crisis.
A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds.
Free and confidential
Disaster Distress Helpline
1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746).