New caregiver resource available to the community

HIGH POINT —    Hospice of the Piedmont has launched a new caregiver resource through its caregiver initiative, Caregiver Advocates. 

A publicly accessible web and mobile resource, Caregiving Companion offers educational and supportive solutions for individuals who are providing unpaid care for a family member, friend or neighbor.

“In hospice, we work with caregivers each day,” says Trent Cockerham, CEO, Hospice of the Piedmont. “Over the last 40 years, we’ve learned that many caregivers’ needs are universal whether you are taking care of someone at the end of life or someone who is at the beginning stages of an illness or just simply aging.”

Although created by a hospice organization, Caregiving Companion is available to caregivers at any stage of their caregiving journey for free. This high-functioning, interactive website is accessible at www.caregivingcompanion.org. 

Caregiving Companion offers practical and encouraging resources from performing hands-on care tasks and planning for a doctor’s appointment to exploring emotions that are common for caregivers and learning more about how to take care of their own wellbeing. 

Information is presented in a blog or article format with audio and video components throughout the site. 

“We are particularly excited about the interactive functionality of Caregiving Companion,” Cockerham said. “Caregivers have the chance to tailor their content based on a simple onboarding process and then explore the content through a series of learning opportunities and activity offerings.”

Activity badges like Mindfulness Maestro, which guides users through a seven-day progression of mindfulness exercises, help caregivers create self-care habits. 

Another badge is Planning Ahead Foundations, which teach caregivers about advance directives through a series of articles and videos.

Encouraging engagement through badge achievement gives caregivers a variety of ways to learn and engage with the information.

Caregiving Companion is the culmination of years’ worth of work by Hospice of the Piedmont to address the growing health crisis around caregiving. 

According to AARP in 2020, there were 53 million Americans providing unpaid care for someone else. Sixty-one percent of caregivers are employed and performing care duties on top of their jobs. Finding ways to support caregivers sooner in their care role will remain a key consideration as the number of caregivers in the US is set to continue to grow. Hospice of the Piedmont will continue to focus on solutions for identified caregiver needs in the community.  

Kat Gibson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Hospice’s Vice President of Clinical Services, says that “our launching this readily-accessible resource to caregivers provides them with much-needed support, including helping them learn more about resources available to them within our local communities.”  

“In our engagement with caregivers, it is our hope that our organization will become a trusted partner, or companion, in their journey,” Cockerham said.

Caregiving Companion is made possible through funding from the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation and the Dr. John A. Lusk Fund for Hospice and Palliative Care Education. 

Hospice of the Piedmont and its affiliate, Hospice of Randolph, provide medical, emotional and spiritual support for those with life-limiting illness and their families — as well as solutions for caregivers through Caregiver Advocates. The organization serves eight counties of the Piedmont Triad: Randolph, Guilford, Davidson, Forsyth, Montgomery, Moore, Chatham and Alamance. For more information, visit www.hospiceofthepiedmont.org.