Parent and Caregiver Support Resources
American Heart Association: 10 tips on refreshing yourself as a caregiver. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Caregiver_UCM_001103_SubHomePage.jsp
Family to Family Health Information Centers: Offer help for families of children with special healthcare needs seeking objective, family-friendly healthcare information. F2F HICs are staffed by parents who understand the issues that families face, provide advice, offer resources, and tap into a network of other families and professionals for support and information, Parent to Parent of NYS. 518-359-3006, toll free: 800-305-8817. http://www.parenttoparentnys.org/Family2Family/familytofamily.html
National Family Caregivers Association Tips and Tools: This is a list of resources for you to help deal with the emotional and practical sides of care giving. The site has links and tools offering specific help with issues such as locating senior housing, communicating with family and friends, or information on Medicare drug plans. http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/caregiving_resources/tips_and_tools.cfm
Parent to Parent of NYS: An essential New York State resource operated and managed by parents of children with developmental disabilities. P2P will match parents/caregivers to another parent/caregiver with a similar disability or special healthcare need to provide support. They also offer online training for parents on various topics: Advocacy Skills; Home Medical Care, Health Care Record Keeping, How to Work with Professionals, Health Care Financial Resources. http://www.parenttoparentnys.org/
Special Resources to Support Families
Caring Bridge: Free, personal and private websites that connect people experiencing a significant health challenge to family and friends, making each health journey easier. The site helps families of children with medically fragile conditions to stay connected with friends and family, not only during significant health challenges, but on an ongoing basis. It saves families from having to tell updates one at a time. The family can post update messages to their group, and friends and family can post messages of support. http://www.caringbridge.org/
Dream Foundation: The first national wish-granting organization for adults 18 years of age or older. They have granted thousands of dreams to adults who are emotionally, financially and physically devastated by terminal illness. They help chronically ill adults as well as those with shortened life expectancies. http://www.dreamfoundation.org/