CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF AGING
AND HEALTH 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
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INCREASE GERIATRICS EXPERTISE

1983

AARP Foundation – Professional Partners Supporting Family Caregiving

2007-2012 Some older adults with special needs receive help from home health aides or other direct-care workers, but many rely solely on family members to provide care, even if they have high level needs. A survey by the AARP Foundation and the United Hospital Fund found that close to half of all family caregivers perform complicated medical/nursing tasks for a family member. These may include managing medications, administering tube feedings, caring for wounds, coordinating special diets, and handling various types of medical equipment.

The Hartford Foundation provided funding to the AARP Foundation for the Professional Partners Supporting Family Caregiving project. The goal of this project is to improve the knowledge, skills, and commitment of nurses and social workers to support the needs of family caregivers of older adults.

With additional funding from the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, the AARP Foundation is working with the NICHE program at the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University to educate nurses about how to more effectively interact with family caregivers.

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