Calling on Resources

Services to help caregivers have grown to embrace the Baby Boomers. This is a generation that was socialized to accept outside services, says Fisher. They've learned to turn to therapists and community services for help through troubled times, and those services have expanded in response.

"Nevada is forward-thinking and innovative in this department," says Fisher. "The state has dozens of services to help caregivers." One of them is Nevada 211, a non-profit center established for referrals (reached by dialing 211).

The Nevada 211 specialists match callers' needs with services available, says Mary Ellen Sanchez, a Nevada 211 certified information and referral specialist. Often, specialists also help identify solutions.

Even Baby Boomers, so adept at sifting through mountains of information, both in libraries and on the Internet, can find it difficult to locate the services they need to help them through this period. Indeed, says Fisher, many are not even aware of alternative scenarios possible beyond simply clearing out the spare bedroom and moving parents in.

Nevada's boomers have access to several services that were not available to previous generations. Some provide respite to caregivers; others provide direct help to those in need of care. A new field of study and support has grown up around geriatric specialties.

Through her work with the Nevada Caregiver Support Center, which provides education and practical solutions to those caring for older adults with dementia, Fisher often meets with families in this situation. She helps find solutions and resource, many of which these caregivers didn't know existed.

"Every situation is individual, and there is no how-to for it," says Fisher. Being a caregiver to an aging parent is never an easy job. It is difficult and it is emotional. The best solutions find ways to nurture both the aging parent and the care-giving adult child.