How To Find A Caregiver Support Group

Caregiving for a loved one can feel like a tireless job. There are over 53 million informal caregivers in the United States, with 40% to 70% saying they struggle with symptoms of depression or stress due to their caregiving responsibilities.

However, caregiving for a loved one doesn't have to be all-consuming. Caregiver support groups are an excellent outlet for caregivers to connect with like-minded individuals, seek advice and coping mechanisms, and relieve stress.

This article discusses what caregiver support groups are, why they're beneficial, and how to find a group near you.  

What Is A Caregiver Support Group?

A caregiver support group is a safe place for informal or family caregivers to discuss their struggles and connect with others in similar situations. These groups are often facilitated by professionals who can help guide the conversation and offer advice or support. 

Caregiver support groups are for anyone caring for a loved one, usually an older adult, parent, or spouse. There are millions of caregivers across the country; you are not alone in your experiences. This is the whole point of caregiver support groups: to help family caregivers feel less alone and find a community of like-minded people with shared experiences. 

Support groups offer a safe, private environment to receive emotional support, advice, and discuss the hardships of taking care of a loved one. There are several different types and formats for caregiver support groups, which will be discussed later in this article.    

5 Benefits of Caregiver Support Groups

There are many benefits to joining a caregiver support group. These groups not only help individuals find community, but they can also help them learn coping skills to manage the stress caused by caregiving. Below, we'll discuss five areas caregiver support groups can help with. 

1. Caregiver Support Groups Can Help You Learn

One of the biggest advantages of caregiver support groups is the opportunity to learn. Healthcare experts, such as social workers or counselors, often facilitate support groups, helping to guide conversations with opportunities to learn more about caregiving and coping skills. 

These professionals can offer resources and education about how to be a better caregiver for your loved one, including resources on specific health conditions, advocating for your loved one, and providing care more effectively. 

In addition, they can offer stress and burnout management coping mechanisms to help you take care of yourself despite your caregiving responsibilities.   

2. Support Groups Provide Emotional Support

Caregiving can stir up emotions like anger, sadness, frustration, guilt, or even grief. Whether you're mourning the gradual loss of a loved one with dementia, feeling the strain of lost personal time, or just overwhelmed by responsibility, your feelings are real and need to be heard.

Support groups offer a safe place to not only share that distress but also realize that you're not alone or in the wrong for feeling upset with your situation. Caregivers come to support groups to vent, cry, listen, and share their stories with others who they know will get it. 

Listening to others and receiving validation and advice for your situation can be transformative. Caregiving is a job that cannot be done alone. Everyone deserves support, and a bit of emotional support can go a long way. 

3. Opportunity for Social Connections 

Beyond the support aspects, individuals often meet others in similar situations, helping to create bonds and connections that could last a lifetime. These friendships can help you in moments of need but also provide an opportunity for consistent connection, which many of us lack as we age. 

Even for those who aren't looking for more friends, regular social interactions are healthy and have been shown to improve mental health and help with stress management. 

Getting out of the house or out of routine regularly can help individuals disconnect from the stresses of caregiving and act as an outlet for relief or even relaxation. 

4. Advice and Perspective from Other Family Caregivers

The advice we get from doctors, online, and professionals can be very helpful in the caregiving journey, but the professional perspective can only take you so far. 

This is where other caregivers come in. These caregivers have unique perspectives and problems with unique solutions. Listening and talking to other caregivers may provide you with humane advice. 

Other caregivers aren't afraid of liabilities or taking risks that many doctors or online experts may be fearful of. These people can offer you solutions or validation that wouldn't be possible in a traditional setting, often approaching caregiving topics from an emotional perspective rather than a clinical one.  

5. Improved Mental Health

Above all else, caregiver support groups offer a combination of connection, education, and support that often leads to better mental health. Whether it's help with stress management techniques, coping mechanisms, or even reduced isolation.

Many caregivers struggle with their mental health, especially as their caregiving responsibilities increase. Caregiver burnout is a very real condition, and any normal person deserves relief and support through the caregiving journey. 

Caregiver support groups can improve mental health by offering a release of energy and access to resources and social connections. Over time, these opportunities can help make a difference in the lives of those feeling overwhelmed by caregiving stress.  

Do You Need a Caregiver Support Group?

It's safe to say that anyone can benefit from caregiver support groups, but many people feel apprehensive. It’s hard to admit when we need or want support. 

We may feel guilty for wanting to reach out or believe that support groups are a waste of our already dwindling free time as caregivers. Some of us may feel like we’re overreacting or that our situation isn’t that bad.

However, beneath the doubts and fears of it going wrong, deep down, many of us feel tired, overwhelmed, alone, sad, or afraid. If any of those sound like you, a caregiver support group can help. 

Caring for a loved one is not easy, no matter how it looks outside or how much you tell yourself it’s fine. It’s often a thankless job that deserves support. Think about it this way: you would do anything to support your loved ones if they were struggling, so why deprive yourself of the same benefits? 

What To Look for in a Support Group

Everyone is looking for something different out of a caregiver support group. Deciding what kinds of benefits you'd like to see and the type of support you'd like is the first step in finding the best support group for you.

There are a few different purposes for caregiver support groups, including:

• Receiving advice.

• Learning about caregiving techniques and education.

• Resources on how to care for a loved one with a specific condition.

• Forming new, meaningful social connections.

• Venting and discussing your struggles.

• Listening to others and feeling less alone.

Choose the topics that are most important to you, and from there, you can choose a support group that works for you. There are a few different support group types, which we'll discuss below.

• Specific disease groups. Groups focused on specific conditions, like dementia or Parkinson's. These groups can offer advice that caters to your loved one’s specific condition.

• Education-focused groups. These groups, often run by professionals, guide conversations towards caregiving techniques and other educational topics, helping caregivers learn how to provide more effective care and ask questions.

• Groups for spouses, children, or other groups. There are caregiver support groups specifically for caring for a spouse, an adult child, or a parent. These groups can offer advice specific to your relationship with your loved one.

• Virtual support groups. In today's day and age, meeting online has become more of a norm. Online support groups offer the same type of care in a flexible format. These groups often offer more anonymity, but may not be able to provide the same strong, social connections that an in-person support group could.

How To Find A Caregiver Support Group

There are a few ways to find caregiver support groups, including:

• Ask your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA).

• Ask your loved one’s care team for recommendations.

• Look for local groups online or on social media like Facebook.

• Ask your friends or family members if they know of any caregiver support groups.

• Reach out to local non-profit or social services groups.

• Search for large-scale resources online.

In addition to the options above, the list below contains caregiver support group directories, which you can use to find groups near you. 

• Alzheimer's Association. The Alzheimer's Association offers a search tool for memory support-related events and support group meetings. These are ideal for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease.

• ALZConnected. This is a page within the Alzheimer's Association that offers more resources for caregivers to connect.

• Find your local chapter. The Alzheimer's Association has chapters across the country that provide additional support and resources.

• Lewy Body Dementia support. The Lewy Body Dementia Association provides caregiver support resources for those caring for a loved one with LBD.

• ALS support groups. The ALS Association hosts a directory for caregiver support groups for those caring for a loved one with ALS.

• Military and Veteran Caregiver Network. The American Red Cross runs support groups for veterans and military-affiliated caregivers.

• Eldercare Locator. The Eldercare Locator is a nationwide search tool to help you find caregiving, long-term care, and aging-related resources, including caregiver support groups.

• Family Caregiver Alliance. This organization is dedicated to family caregivers, offering caregiver support groups as well as beneficial caregiving resources.

Caregiver Resources Beyond Support Groups

If you’re looking for care facilities or services for your loved one, LTC News can help you find a high-quality provider. The LTC News Care Directory contains thousands of care providers from every part of the country. You can type in your location and desired care service and match with the best facilities in your area. 

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In addition, LTC News has several resources on caregiving, long-term care, and Long-Term Care Insurance, acting as an educational hub for all things on aging, long-term care, and more. Here are a few recommendations: 

• How to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver – Many family caregivers support their loved ones financially. But did you know it might be possible to get paid for your caregiving services? This article discusses options to get compensation through Medicaid and other financial resources to look into. 

• What Is Respite Care and How to Find Respite Care Near You – Respite care is when a professional caregiver steps in temporarily to give family caregivers a break from their responsibilities. This article discusses what respite care is, why it’s beneficial, and how to find respite care services near you.

• How To Balance Caregiving Responsibilities and a Career – Between caregiving, family, and work balancing it all can feel impossible. This article offers tips and tricks on juggling your career while caring for a loved one.