SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department on Aging is raising awareness of support services available to unpaid family caregivers during National Family Caregivers Month, an observance spearheaded by the Caregiver Action Network and celebrated every November. Unpaid family caregivers are a primary source of support for older adults and persons with disabilities; however, many caregivers experience conflicts between providing care and competing responsibilities, such as work, raising children and caring for 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 placement of the care recipient in a long-term care facility.
“Most everyone has been, or will be, a caregiver at some point in their life,” said IDoA Director Paula Basta.
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