Caregiver Wellness

While many caregivers’ primary focus is caring for their loved one, it is critical that caregivers care for their own physical, mental and emotional health. The resources on this page are intended to assist caregivers in assessing their capacity to continue caregiving, reduce stress and burnout and balance competing demands.

Caregiver Assessment

• TCARE: Available at no cost through a local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), TCARE is a caregiver assessment tool that identifies stressors and helps prevent burnout through personalized tools and resources.
  
  
• Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Originally developed and tested by the American Medical Association, Health in Aging offers this free tool to help caregivers look at their own behavior and health risks.
  
  

Managing Stress as a Caregiver

• Savvy Caregiver®: Available at no cost through a local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), the Savvy Caregiver® program is designed to provide the most relevant dementia knowledge and skills to support family caregivers. The program is available in-person or online.
   
• Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers™: Available at no cost through a local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), this program is designed to provide support to family caregivers of persons with dementia or a chronic illness.
  
  
• Support Groups: Available at no cost through a local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), support groups allow caregivers to share their experience in a trusted, supportive environment, learn from peers and increase confidence as a caregiver.
  

Respite: When you need a break from caregiving.

• Available at no cost through a local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), caregivers may access respite resources when they need a break from caregiving. Reasons for respite vary and may include the need for a caregiver to attend an appointment, short travel for work or personal reasons, time to run errands or attend to other daily needs. Respite services provide trusted, reliable care inside or outside the home when caregivers are not available.
  
  
• Adult Day Service (ADS) is a type of respite for family caregivers, especially those who are employed outside the home, in which older adults routinely attend day-long programming at a community site. Services offered include health monitoring, medication supervision, personal care, recreational/therapeutic activities and community outings. Nutritious lunches and snacks are served and special diets are provided. Several centers may specialize in providing care to clients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders while others target specific ethnic populations. ADS is a service available under IDoA’s Community Care Program (CCP) and for private-pay consumers. To find a CCP ADS provider in your area, use IDoA’s map tool here.

Caregivers & the Workplace

• In Illinois, The Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAWA) allows workers to earn up to 40 hours of paid leave from work each year. Workers can use paid leave for any reason and employers may not require workers to provide a basis for their time off request. Workers earn one (1) hour of paid leave for every 40 hours they work. If an employer has an existing policy, certain exceptions may apply. There are certain categories of workers that are not subject to the law. Learn more here.
  
  
• The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. It also requires that their group health benefits be maintained during the leave. FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. It also seeks to accommodate the legitimate interests of employers and promote equal employment opportunity for men and women. FMLA applies to all public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. Learn more here.