(Elje 'P o rtlan d © b seru er
January OI, 2003
Page AS
Giving
P H o io s B v W ynde D yer Z
T he P ortland O bskkv rr
Resources help
the helpers
continued
from Front
on fire or take the car and pass out
behind the w heel. H er m em ory is
fading and she has a hard tim e
keeping nam es straight.
"S om etim es she gets difficult
and 1 have to get rough,” he said.
“ It hurts me to have to do it - 1 feel
bad and I d o n ’t w ant to hurt her,
but I d o n ’t w ant her to hurt h er
self either."
T hree years ago, M oore de
cided to relieve the stress o f
caregiving by enlisting the help
o f M etropolitan Fam ily Services,
a respite care provider group de
signed to help older adults live
independently and give prim ary
caregivers a break.
Em m a Johnson, a retired nutri
tionist w ho is a senior herself,
com es and visits C laudia from
noon to 4 p.nt. each T hursday as
a part o f the gro u p ’s Side-by-
Side program. On W ednesday and
Friday, Johnson takes C laudia to
T rinity D ay Care C enter so she
c a n s o c ia l iz e w ith o th e r
hom ebound seniors.
M oore said those few hours a
day, three days a week, are enough
to keep the w alls from closing in.
It gives him a chance to get o u t
side, do som e w ork in the yard
and visit w ith old friends like he
did before C lau d ia’s operation.
“I t's w onderful to have a p er
son like her,” M oore said. “It’s a
real relief. I get to do the things 1
used to do and go the places I
used to go.”
Johnson w ill take C laudia to
her hair appointm ents, on shop
ping trips and visits to her sister’s
hom e. O ther tim es they w alk
around the block or spend the
afternoon in Irving P a r k - o r they
stay inside so C laudia can teach
Johnson how to play the piano.
“She likes to entertain m e,”
Johnson said. “ I really learn a lot
from my clients.”
Johnson said it is her pleasure
to do the w ork she does. She
considers h erself blessed to be in
good health at her age and said
she will care for old er seniors for
as long as she can.
S he h o p e s th e p o p u la rity
grow s for Side-by-Side and sim i
lar programs like Senior C om pan
ions or Health at Home, a program
that provides skilled nursing and
personal assistance to help se
niors keep their independence.
"S o m any people d o n ’t realize
o u r pro g ram s are o u t th e re ,”
Johnson said. “So many people
feel like they d o n ’t have anybody
and I feel sorry because we all
need som ebody.”
For information on receiving re
spite care through Metropolitan
Family Services, call programcoor-
dinator Cynthia Cohen at 503-232-
0007, extension 201 or stop by the
box office at 1808 S.E. Belmont St. Claudia Moore (left) and Emma Johnson work on a scrapbook while Claudia 's husband, Thomas cleans the house.
Programs for Caregivers
SeniorCompanion
Older Adults who need assistance to live independently receive
companionship-based services provided by older adult volunteers
Side By Side
Side By Side supports the independence of older adults and people
with disabilities through companion-based services. The program
also provides part-time employment for older adults.
Health at Home
Integrated home care services are provided to older adults and people
with chronic health conditions or disabilities. These services help
them live independently and include nursing care, medication man
agement, personal care and homemaking.
LivingSkills Coaches
Coaches provide individual and parent skill development, respite
care, mentoring and community integration for families and individu
als with mental, emotional or behavioral disorders.
Project Linkage
Thomas Moore serves as his wife s primary caregiver. ‘I think it's harder on the giver o f the care
than the receiver,' he said.
This program helps seniors and people with disabilities remain
independent in their own homes. Volunteers provide services that
include rides to medical appointments, grocery shopping, yard work,
home repairs, friendly visiting and telephone reassurance.
When the pressure is too much
For more information on any o f the program s above, contact
Cynthia Cohen o f Metropolitan Family Services at 503-232-0007,
extension 201 or by email at cynthiac & met family, org. M etropoli
tan Family Services can also be visited in person at 1808 S.E.
Belmont or on the web at www.metfamilv.ore.
MMHMMMMMNMMMNi
continued
from Front
herself, Dorothy has difficulty
cleaning the apartment and it’s
virtually impossible for her to
lift her husband from his chair
to his bed.
“I just wish I could get up
and walk by myself,” Dorothy
said. "But I can’t so I’ll just
have to deal with the prob
lem.”
Family and friends some
times pitch in to give Denise a
chance to rest, but most times
she hardly has a chance to
change her clothes before get
ting back to her parents. The
only substantial relief she gets
is from Leslie Hollinquest, a
respite caregiver from Senior
and Disabled Services who
visits her father three days a
week.
Hollinquest comes from 9
a.m. to noon but Denise said
they need her there more. In a
few weeks, Hollinquest will
be able to spend four hours a
day with Willie, five days a
week. Denise said if that isn’t
enough to relieve the stress,
they would look into finding a
live-in caregiver.
“So far we haven’t found
any body but we arc weighing
the options,” Denise said. “I
would never want to see my
for caregiving resources by
connecting caregivers with
services and support groups
and curb caregiver stress and
burnout.
According to L ifespan’s
Stephanie Spann, the group is
a reso u rce c e n te r for
caregivers of all ages caring
Our goal is to promote dignity and choice
fo r family caregivers. Caregivers are at a
high risk fo r mental and physical health
problems because o f the stress on both
the body and the mind.
- Stephanie Spann of Lifespan Respite Care of Multnomah County
parents in a home.”
It is because of sentiments
like these that Lifespan Re
spite Care of M ultnom ah
County formed in 1997 with
legislative support to helpeld-
erly people maintain their in
d ep e n d en c e and to give
caregivers a break. Lifespan
attempts to be a clearing-house
for loved ones of all ages.
Services through more than
30 Lifespan partner agencies
are available for all people re
gardless of age, income, race,
ethnicity, special needs or situ
ations.
“Our goal is to promote dig
nity and choice for family
c a re g iv e rs ,” Spann said.
“Caregivers are at a high risk
for mental and physical health
problems because of the stress
on both the body and the
mind.”
She added that many times
caregivers loose connection
with the healthy, balanced life
they once had. They often live
in isolation with those that they
care for and have the idea that
they have to carry this respon
sibility on alone.
“At the end of the day they
don’t have time for them
selves,” Spann said.
By connecting caregivers
with other caregivers in sup
portive environments, hooking
them up with respite options
and looking into financial sup
port for caregivers. Lifespan
hopes to lift some of the bur
den of giving care and reduce
some alienation.
For more information on
Lifespan Respite Care, con
tact Stephanie Spann at 503-
988-4790.
Lifespan Respite Care
Lifespan Respite Care gives prim ary caregivers a break by connect
ing fam ilies with resources like support groups and respite care
providers. The following list includes some o f Lifespan's 30 partner
agencies that offer caregiving help fo r fam ily members o f any age,
income, race, ethnicity, special need or situation. The Lifespan
Respite Program can be reached by calling 503-988-4790.
Caregiving Alliance: 503-233-2398
Legacy C aregiver Services; 1015 N.W. 22nd Ave; 503-413-7706
East P ortland Com m unity C en ter and YW CA M id County Senior
Services P rogram ; 74OS.E. 106"' Ave; 503- 988-6073
DHS Child W elfare non-needy c a re ta k e r relativ e project;
3965 S.E. Powell; 503-731-311 1, extension 235
Home Instead; 4415 N.E. Sandy Blvd, Suite 203; 503-335-0626
M ultnom ah County ADS Family C aregiver S upport Program
and Client Em ployed P ro v id er P rogram ; 421 S. W. 6"’ Ave, Suite
300; 503-988-3620, extension 26263
V olunteers of A m erica V elm a ,|oy B urnie C enter;
537 S.E. Alder St.; 503-335-9980
Alzheimer’s Association; 1311 N.W. 2 1"; 800-733-0402
ArcofM ultnomah County; 6 19S.W. 11th A ve,Suite234;503-
223-7279
GILsan S treet C enter; 5600 N.E. Glisan St; 503-215-2220
N ational Alliance for the Mentally III. 503- 228-5692
N ational MS Society: 1650N.W. Naito Parkway,Suite 190;
503-223-9511
call 503.288.0033
or email: ads@portland observer.com
P aren tsfo r A lternate S upport Solutions. 503-262-9322
I'nited Cerebral Palsy: 783OS.E. Foster R d ; 503-777-4166