The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2022 - 21

Caregiver Nation
This Facebook group
offers family caregivers
support, information,
and resources.
Community
Resource Finder
This combined project of
AARP and the Alzheimer's
Association provides
access to Alzheimer's
and dementia resources,
community programs,
medical services, and local
long-term care options.
Dementia Friendly
America
This group offers support
for those with dementia
and their caregivers.
Featured are a list
of resources and
toolkits for becoming a
local advocate.
Department of
Veterans Affairs
This agency serving
military veterans also has a
Caregiver Support Program
that offers caregiver
training programs, a
helpline, mentoring, and
peer support.
Family Caregiver
Alliance
This site from the National
Center on Caregiving
provides resources for
caregivers providing care
to people with a variety
of health conditions and
disabilities. The Dementia
Caregiver Resources section
offers guides, tips sheets,
and caregiver stories.
Federal Resources
for Caregivers
This is a collection
of resources from
federal agencies.
U.S. Department
of Health &
Human Services
Caregiver Resources
and Long-Term Care
The Department of Health
and Human Services
provides information on
resources, assistance,
support, and government
health resources.
U.S. Food and Drug
Administration
This agency offers tools
and tips for those caring
for people of all ages.
Just as I was at my
wits' end, my cell phone
rang. It was my younger
son. " Mom! " he said in
a worried voice, " I think
you have a virus! I'm at
your computer and this file
popped open all by itself,
and it just keeps opening no
matter how many times I
close it... "
Whatever the method of
choice, the importance of
finding space to breathe
and time to laugh cannot be
understated.
" Your Loved One Needs
Care, but They Also
Need You "
Lisa Englander is the director
of residential services at
Presbyterian Village North,
a Dallas facility that offers
independent living, assisted
living, and memory support
care. I spoke with her about
recognizing when at-home
solutions are no longer viable
www.ata-chronicle.online
for the care of a loved one
with dementia.
" The first thing is
safety, " she said. " Can
they be left alone without
wandering off? Could they
pose a danger to themselves
or others? Do you find
that all your time is spent
supervising them? "
Second, she pointed to
the need to connect as
yourself. " Your loved one
needs a caregiver, yes,
but they also need you as
you, " she stressed. In other
words, if an adult child's
sole interaction with their
parent is as a caregiver, the
parent-child relationship
may be lost. Not everyone
has access to the same
services or support, but the
more we can rely on the
solutions that are available
to us, the more we are free
to fill the need that no one
else can: our presence as
their loved one.
In the End
As I said before, when
someone has dementia, for
the rest of their lives they will
never not need care.
My father's Alzheimer's
was interrupted by
pancreatic cancer and
he died before he lost
the memory of us. Mom
followed him 11 months later
when her broken heart gave
out. After her funeral, after
sharing precious time with
my siblings, I packed up my
car and-seven weeks after
I'd last slept in my own
bed-drove back to Texas.
My business survived
the years of travel back and
forth, the interrupted nights,
and hectic days. The lessons
in flexibility and adapting
to circumstances helped
prepare me for the pandemic
and its challenges.
If caring for a loved one
with dementia is on your
horizon, please know this:
it's a balancing act, and one
that will be unique to you
and your situation. But in the
end, it can be a gift.
Carol Shaw, CT is an ATA-certified
Spanish>English translator and holds a Texas
Master Court Interpreter license. She serves on
ATA's Professional Development Committee and
on the Interpreters Division's Leadership Council,
managing the division's blog. A believer in associations, she
is also active in the Texas Association of Judiciary Interpreters
and Translators, American Association of Interpreters and
Translators in Education, and Metroplex Interpreters and
Translators Association. Raised in Ecuador, she and her laptop
sometimes spend a few weeks working from her sister's home
in Quito. carol@carolshaw.net
American Translators Association 21

https://www.facebook.com/groups/122999778390804 https://www.dfamerica.org/ https://www.caregiver.org/ https://www.hhs.gov/aging/long-term-care/index.html https://www.dfamerica.org/ https://www.caregiver.org/ https://www.hhs.gov/aging/long-term-care/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/aging/long-term-care/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/aging/long-term-care/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/aging/long-term-care/index.html https://www.communityresourcefinder.org/ https://www.communityresourcefinder.org/ https://www.caregiver.va.gov/ https://www.caregiver.va.gov/ https://www.fda.gov/consumers/womens-health-topics/caring-others-resources-help-you https://www.usa.gov/disability-caregiver https://www.fda.gov/consumers/womens-health-topics/caring-others-resources-help-you https://www.usa.gov/disability-caregiver http://www.ata-chronicle.online

The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2022