Comfort & Encouragement – We Care for Caregivers

Longer life expectancies and a distinct preference for remaining in the comfort of home have created a population of designated primary caregivers. In fact, someone is now responsible for looking after a parent, spouse or other adult in one of every four households. In response to that growing trend, the VNA offers diverse programs with a single goal: affording caregivers the peace-of-mind to take worry-free respites.

VNA services include grant-funded certified home health aide visits for those who qualify; training and consultations under the Caregiver Education Program; and private care services on both a limited schedule and live-in basis.

Caregiving can be a stressful and isolating experience. While keeping pace with the needs of their loved ones, caregivers are often left with little time to focus on their own physical, emotional and spiritual health. Before she reached out to the VNA, Joyce W. was a case in point. After nearly a decade struggling to care for her mother alone, she now enjoys quality respite time.

​Under the Morris County Respite for Caregivers program, the mother and daughter household receives weekly visits from a certified home health aide. 

Pictured at home is caregiver Joyce W. and her mother, Josephine, who requires constant oversight due to short-term memory loss resultant from a brain injury.