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Resources for Caregivers

This is a stressful, uncertain and difficult time for everyone. Caregivers especially are faced with caring for a loved one that may be living with a life-altering diagnosis (and often children as well), without much-needed respite and support from organizations like Joy’s House.

We hope the following resources can be helpful in navigating this difficult time and keeping your own self-care and mental health at the forefront. It’s important to continue to care for yourself while also caring for those you love.

We will continue to update these resources, so please check back often!

Be safe and be well, friends.

Information

  • Join the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the Alzheimer’s Association for their annual Memory University, an educational program aimed at providing updates and valuable information for those interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s Disease research. All programs are virtual, free of charge, and open to everyone (however, registration is required). Find more information here.
  • Be Well Indiana – A website with information and resources compiled by the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction designed to help Hoosiers stay connected and maintain their well-being.
  • Indianapolis Bar Association: In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Indianapolis Bar Association (IndyBar) has launched the “Virtual Ask a Lawyer” online legal advice chat service, where community members can chat in real time with an attorney who is prepared to assist with basic legal questions. To begin the chat, simply visit indybar.org/chat. All correspondence is confidential. The chat service will be manned from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). For individuals without access to the internet, phone-based assistance is also available by calling 317-269-2000.
  • 2-1-1 is a free and confidential service that helps Hoosiers across Indiana find the local resources they need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dial 2-1-1 to connect with a navigator or visit https://in211.communityos.org/
  • A video about the scam alert from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Inspector General regarding scams and fraud schemes targeting Medicare beneficiaries and others during the COVID-19 pandemic (watch below):
  • AuntBertha.com – Search for free or reduced-cost services like medical care, food, job training, and more.
  • Caregiver Finances – information guiding caregivers through questions and topics, including Financial Questions to Ask your Aging Loved Ones, and Managing Your Parents’ Finances, Step by Step

Nourishment

  • Home-Delivered Meals from CICOA to those at least 60 years of age, those with a spouse who is at least 60 years of age, or somebody with a disability and receiving services through CHOICE, SSBG, or Medicaid Waiver.
  • Food Assistance Map: a statewide, interactive map that will help Hoosiers seeking food assistance find what they need. There are two types of organizations shown on the map: food pantries and meal sites. Food pantries are locations where Hoosiers can pick up groceries to prepare and use at their homes. Meal sites serve packed meals, ready to take home and eat.
  • The Chef at Nameless Catering Co. has created frozen family meals that can be delivered to your door! Free pickup is also available. Stock up now and take the stress of cooking and preparing a meal off your mental table. Click here to view meals and order.
    • You can also sponsor a meal through Nameless Catering Co. to be delivered to healthcare workers on the front lines. Email Jeremy to send meals to our hospitals.
    • They can also ship meals to the entire state of Indiana! The meals will arrive via fed-ex in boxes with disposable insulated liners, the ice packs keep everything in a frozen state. The meals go straight from your freezer to your oven.  They cook in 45-75 minutes depending on the meal. Use the promo code “shiphappens” at check out for free shipping. Shop now.

Activities

  • Virtual School Activities: A huge collection of sites to live webcams, virtual tours/trips, and other miscellaneous fun educational sites.
  • Jigsaw Puzzles: Click here to see options for people looking for simpler puzzles, ones designed for Alzheimer’s or dementia, puzzles for people with impaired vision, and even ones made from your own photos. All with links for direct shipping to your door!
  • Love Phrases: Use these phrases as a conversation starter, as a fun game to see who can use them in a sentence, or to see if your loved one can finish the phrase!
  • Indoor Scavenger Hunt: Use this list to start a scavenger hunt for fun and interesting items throughout your home!
  • Old-Fashioned Words: Can you and your loved one guess the meaning of these words that are now rarely heard or used? Can you try and use them in a sentence?
  • #COVIBOOK by Manuela Molina – A short downloadable book (available in multiple languages) to support and reassure children during the pandemic. Perfect for caregivers with inter-generational families.

Services

  • COVID-19 Indianapolis Response Volunteer Group: this group identifies healthy young adults (whose risk level is relatively low) who are willing to be paired with an elder or immunocompromised person now in order to coordinate delivery of essential supplies if/when needed and check in with them by phone or other electronic means. Please register your contact info here if you would like to participate by either volunteering or receiving help.