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Family caregiver survey under way

JANESVILLE — What is a family caregiver?

What kinds of assistance do they give?

What challenges do they face?

Those are among the questions being asked by the Rock County Family Caregiver Coalition in its countywide family caregiving survey now underway.

Through the 10-minute survey, the coalition will be gathering a snapshot of:

-- Who the family caregivers are in Rock County.

-- What services and resources family caregivers use or need.

-- How family caregiving is affecting Rock County residents.

-- How the family caregiver coalition can assist caregivers.

Responses will be kept anonymous and results will be shared in written reports or presentations, said Julie Seeman, certified information and assistance specialist for the Rock County Council on Aging.

The council formed the caregiver coalition in June with a $5,000 grant from the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources.

The intent, Seeman said earlier, “is to inform, educate and support family caregivers in our county then to educate the community—nonprofits and businesses—on what is and who is a caregiver.’’

More than 50 million Americans provide care—including transportation to grocery shopping—for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member of friend. Yet many family or informal caregivers don’t identify themselves as such, Seeman said.

“They tend to see themselves as just doing what they are supposed to do as a spouse, adult child or parent,” she said.

That’s why, Seeman said, “family caregivers voice and experiences are paramount to this endeavor.”