HELPING ROGER CARE FOR HIS MOTHER

Roger* works as a nurse three days a week and spends the rest of his week providing round-the-clock care for his mother who suffers from frontotemporal dementia. Roger also hires and manages all her other caretakers for when he is at work. 

Roger is unable to take breaks and doesn't get much sleep when he is caring for his mom because of the level of care she requires. Between working full-time and caring for his mom full-time, Roger is exhausted. 

He heard about Hospice SLO County from the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. They put him in touch with our care manager, Kim Chartrand. He learned he could receive regular care management support in addition to having a Hospice SLO County volunteer for respite. Kim also told Roger about other community resources available to help. Between Hospice SLO County and other community agencies, Roger now has 8 hours of respite a week, free of charge. 

Roger joined Hospice SLO County's Caregiver Support Group which meets every Friday afternoon via Zoom. He is so happy that he does not need to leave his mother to attend. By connecting with others who are also family caregivers, Roger has learned some great ideas and workarounds to ease the burden of caregiving. 

Roger is thankful for Hospice SLO County's services that were deployed without the burden and delay of proof of insurance or medical billing. He understands how lucky SLO County is to have a non-medical, volunteer hospice and community grief center offering services at no charge. 

*Client names and photos changed to preserve their privacy.