Executive Summary

Purpose Statement

Create a safe, supportive community for busy adults who are taking on the additional responsibility of overseeing the care and lives of their elderly/aging loved ones. Cohort participants will build skills and identify tools to thoughtfully manage the transition so they can retain satisfying (balanced?) lives while honoring their loved one’s needs. 

Areas of focus will include communication, boundary-setting, time management, conflict resolution, advocacy, self-care, dealing with feelings such as overwhelm, guilt and fear. 

The Need

There are more than 55 million adults who are 65+ in the United States.  As they continue to age, they may require more assistance from informal and formal caregivers. While formal caregivers are dedicated to providing daily assistance, informal caregivers are family members or friends who step in to provide care and support as needed out of necessity. They often help manage day-to-day activities such as shopping, finances, laundry, and transportation to and from doctor’s appointments. 

Informal caregivers take on this demanding role in addition to managing their own busy and stressful lives. The change to their lives can often be sudden. As a result, they often experience overwhelm, frustration, and other emotions that impact their emotional and physical wellbeing. Currently, there is little to no support for these informal caregivers. 

The Solution

We are offering a group coaching opportunity where informal caregivers can explore how they want to deal with their new responsibilities in a safe and supportive environment. 

Cohorts will include 8-10 adults and be led by certified life coaches who have served as informal caregivers in their own families.

Through eight 90-minute sessions, we will explore communication, conflict resolution, self-care, reinforcing the relationship, making hard choices, and self-aging so each caregiver can develop skills and action plans to help them manage their new role.