by Lisa Dawsey Smith
Whitewater Banner Staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Recently my 77 year old mother-in-law came to live with our family after her husband passed. Rather unexpectedly I’ve become a caregiver. An added layer to this situation is that my mother-in-law is living with dementia. Very quickly I’ve realized how vital support is for those who are in this situation and I wanted to share, or re-share some information that I and my family have found helpful as we navigate new challenges that also happen to be in the midst of a global pandemic.

As found in the Seniors in the Park newsletter:

Caregiver Support Groups
Access to support groups is by phone or online.

New! Virtual Event Listing for Caregivers This is a one-stop-shop website for all caregiving support groups, virtual events, memory cafes, etc. at the wisconsincaregiver.orgwebsite. If the link doesn’t take you to the correct page, click on Family Caregiver Support, then Virtual Events for Caregivers.

Additional online resources:

Walworth County Aging & Disability Resource Center

Jefferson County Aging & Disability Resource Center

I’ve heard a lot of advice to make sure that I’m caring for myself so that I can care for my mother-in-law. That is finally hitting home as I realized how quickly I lost weight and found my own health beginning to suffer (it’s only been a matter of weeks!) So I have this website open on all of my computers to remind me how vital caring for myself is as well. And I’d also like to dish that advice back out to anyone who may need it: Please take care of yourself with the same dedication with which you’ve been caring for your loved one.