(Appleton) There are days that seem to meld one into the other. When you are faced with some challenges as a family caregiver, you might want to invest in yourself and your energy! Check out the AARP Caregiving website to get ideas on a wealth of topics. There are topics on Health and Wellness, Social Security and Medicare; Family Caregiving, Work and jobs, Taking Action and Having Fun.

A recent post, “How Caregivers Can Balance a Loved One’s Safety and Dignity” gives hands on ideas of how to respect your loved one’s goals in life, but also encourage safety. Many caregivers struggle to find a balance between preserving a loved one’s safety and their dignity. This might include taking over finances and chores and things their loved one may want to continue doing. The website provides key ideas of what you can do to help you loved on with topics such as: Talk about the change; Put Safety First; Never Sacrifice Dignity.

The articles on the AARP Caregiving website are research based and often link to other resources that you can check out for more information. Other topics include We Need to Talk: Family Conversations with older drivers; What to do when cultural styles clash during caregiving; 16 ideas for recharging your caregiving energy in 15 minutes.

For more information go to http://www.aarp.org/caregiving/.  You can select a number of articles and resource pieces on a variety of topics. You do not need to join AARP to read many of the topics. You can join AARP if you want.

If you have any questions about how to connect with a local Family Caregiver group, contact your UW-Madison Division of Extension office, or your County or Tribal Aging Unit or your County Aging and Disability Resource Center. For additional questions, contact Life Span Educator, Karen Dickrell, UW-Madison Division of Extension, Outagamie County.