TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

A new, free, caregiver respite program has successfully completed its first full year in Rockland. The program pays for a weeklong stay in a licensed adult home for individuals 60 and older. Thirty plus families have taken advantage of the new free program for caregivers of older adults. The Rockland County Office for the Aging utilized some of the funding available under Title III-E of the Older Americans Act to create this new service program to support caregivers. This particular respite program allows a break in the daily routine for both the adult providing assistance to an older person and for the older person him or herself.

Marilyn Wekar, who is coordinating the program for the Rockland County Office for the Aging, said that people had a difficult time believing that a week stay in a lovely, safe and secure environment is totally free. Some adults do not think of themselves as caregivers and are not aware that they and the older adult they help might qualify for this respite program. The older participant has a private room in a licensed facility, meals and personal assistance as needed during the week stay. This allows the caregiver time for herself or himself to go away or to just relax. The costs are completely paid by the caregiver program. The program does ask for an evaluation of the program and affords the participant an opportunity to make an absolutely voluntary donation.

Anyone interested in additional information on this useful program is invited to contact Marilyn Wekar at the Rockland County Office for the Aging at (845) 364-3444.