Berthoud Weekly Surveyor | Covering all the angles in the Garden Spot

Care and companionship for caregivers and families

By: Sue Arnott | The Surveyor | February 10, 2022 | Local News

Give me a break! The silent or maybe not-so-silent plea of anyone caring for a struggling loved one. As jobs go, the pay is nonexistent, the demands high, the worries endless. It’s what we do for and out of love. But it’s what we don’t do that may hurt us and our loved ones the most. When the caregiver weakens, the entire system collapses. In addition to high stress, what weakens caregivers are the missed doctor appointments, the time for self-care, the necessary breaks. A few hours of respite each week may sound small to some, but they can mean the world to those carrying the world’s weight on their shoulders. Enter Volunteers of America Colorado, a nonprofit organization with many programs serving the vulnerable in our state. Here in Berthoud, their Caring Companion program works to connect local volunteers with local caregivers to provide caregiver relief in the form of two-hour weekly visits

“We’re here to provide support to those individuals to make sure their own health is good,” said program manager Diane Cohn who along with program specialist Kayla Evans works with up to 50 volunteers in Larimer County. “Caregiving doesn’t decrease. The needs get greater and greater. Whether the caregiver lives with or away from their loved ones does not matter. Families are intensely stressed even if they are not in the home providing 24/7 care.”

According to statistics from SeniorCare.com, Evans said, “Sixty percent of seniors in Berthoud live with family members.” To explore this situation more deeply, she said, “I’ve been meeting with people here to understand the [Berthoud] culture and locate and address the need.” As part of her efforts, Evans meets with members of Berthoud Matters, a local group committed to quality of life for all Berthoud residents.

“We know there’s a lot of need,” Cohn said. “This is our first year in working toward engaging volunteers. We want to get the word out. A few weeks ago, VOA received a grant from Berthoud Community Fund. Berthoud is its own community, its own culture, separate from Loveland and Longmont. We are supporting Berthoud as it is, and how it wants to be—a neighbors-helping-neighbors community. We want to help foster that. We want to make sure the senior center and churches know about us.”

To ensure everyone’s health and safety, the program follows strict protocols that allow for home visits. By now, we all know the routines–wellness checks, hand sanitizers, masks for clients and volunteers. “We could engage remotely,” said Cohn, “but honestly, respite is about in-person care. It’s always surprising how little time is takes to make a big difference.”

To get the best match for volunteers and clients, Cohn records a client’s social history and his or her interests and activities so that volunteers can make a connection and a companion. Based on several shared letters of gratitude, her efforts pay off.

As one caregiver whose spouse has Parkinson’s wrote:

Thanks to you for sending (volunteer) to our home to communicate with (spouse).  They have a lot in common, both being engineers and having worked and lived overseas. Also (volunteer) lives fairly close by… (Volunteer’s) visits have been very enjoyable for (spouse) and me. (Spouse) has never been a “talker” and I was amazed at how much (volunteer) could get out of him. (Volunteer) has been able to establish a very good connection thanks to his kindness, patience and genuine interest in what (spouse) has to say, sometimes with great difficulty.

A few guidelines: the weekly visits are for care recipients 60 and older living in Larimer County who can go without medical care or restroom assistance during the visit.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or in need of respite from caregiving, go to www.voacolorado.org

 

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