Promoting the overall physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of family caregivers through counseling, education, emergency respite, and caregiver and family supports.
What is the Caregiver & Family Wellness Initiative?
Caregivers and their families are a population at high risk for emotional, mental, and physical health problems. Alabama Lifespan Respite established the Caregiver & Family Wellness Initiative to promote overall wellness through a variety of services and supports to family caregivers, their care recipients, and other family members statewide. Read below to learn more!
Caregiver Education
Caregiver Education is offered online weekly and onsite regularly in community settings statewide. Topics specifically designed to support caregiver wellness include Mindfulness Practices, Suicide Prevention for Caregivers, Exploring the Connection Between Nutrition and Mental Health, Coping Strategies for Lifelong Care, Recognizing and Coping with Anticipatory Grief, and more. Caregiver Education is also recorded and available online HERE.
Respite stipends are available to enable caregivers to participate in education opportunities while a respite provider cares for their care recipient, or to take a respite break at another time. Stipends are limited to one caregiver education opportunity per month and are $25 each.
Click on Attend Events for more information and to register.
Caregiver Support Group
Our monthly online support group provides an opportunity for caregivers to connect, participate in fun activities, and engage in meaningful conversations with other caregivers on similar journeys. Click on Attend Events for more information and to register.
Free Mental Health Support for Your Family
We offer complimentary individual and group counseling with a licensed on-staff provider to help you navigate the challenges of caregiving. Whether you prefer in-person sessions at our Huntsville office or tele-health from anywhere in the state, support is available for:
- Family caregivers
- Care recipients
- Any family members impacted by the caregiving dynamic
Emergency Respite is specifically for caregivers enrolled with any ALR reimbursement program who are experiencing an *emergent situation and need immediate respite assistance to provide care for their loved one while they personally undergo and recover from a sudden illness, accident, surgery and/or rehabilitation, have experienced a death in the immediate family, or are experiencing a mental health crisis related to caregiver stress and burnout.
*An Emergency is defined as an unplanned event that results in the unavoidable absence of the Primary Caregiver and/or threatens the health and safety of the Care Recipient or the Primary Caregiver thereby placing the Care Recipient in danger.
Emergency Respite gives caregivers peace of mind while attending to their own physical, emotional, and mental health needs.
Qualified caregivers who receive Emergency Respite may only apply once every 12 months. Regular respite reimbursement funds must be exhausted. The completion of an application does not guarantee the awarding of financial assistance from Alabama Lifespan Respite. Additional documentation may be required.
Caregivers experiencing an emergent situation may apply online for Emergency Respite reimbursement. Apply here: https://forms.gle/oiKUAbuPemTghdAR9
More Information
For more information about the Caregiver Wellness Initiative (CWI), contact ALR Caregiver Wellness Advocate/Therapist Jenny Stang at jstang@ucphuntsville.org or 256-859-8300.
Alabama Lifespan Respite’s CWI is grant-funded by the Administration on Community Living/Administration on Aging Federal Lifespan Respite with grant oversight by the Alabama Department of Senior Services. Past grant support includes The Daniel Foundation of Alabama (FY21) and the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund.