Shore’s Center for Family Caregivers offers a wide range of virtual and in-person free support resources. Our focus is helping people who are - or will be - caring for someone with a chronic condition or disability, but we also provide other support groups and resources that can improve your health and overall quality of life. Please review our full menu of resources below, and please feel free to contact the Caregiver Center at 609-653-3969 to learn more.
- Family Caregivers Resources & Coaching
Do you provide regular, consistent support to an adult with a chronic condition or disability? If so, then you are a “Family Caregiver” and may benefit from support from a Caregiver Coach with Shore’s Center for Family Caregivers. As a caregiver, you may be so caught up in the challenges of caring for someone else that you aren’t caring for yourself. Our Caregiver Coaches will listen and support you so that you can overcome the emotional and day-to-day challenges of caregiving, and better care for yourself, too.
Our coaches are available Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in person, via phone at 609-653-3969 or by email at thecenterforfamilycaregivers@shoremedicalcenter.org. The Center for Family Caregivers is located adjacent to Shore Medical Center’s main lobby.
It is important for friends and family of caregivers to realize that often, caregivers will not ask for help. Reaching out and offering help in concrete ways can help lighten the burden.
Ways to help caregivers include:
- Offer to be the liaison to other family members, communicating details about their loved one’s condition.
- Send a text or a card letting them know you are thinking of them, making it clear you don’t expect a response.
- Make a homemade meal for them in a container they don’t have to return.
- When you’re heading to the grocery store or pharmacy, ask if you can pick up anything for them.
- Let them know that if they are having a hard time, you are there to listen and support them.
- Monthly Support Groups
- Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Groups – 2nd Tuesday each month, 4-5pm: Are you caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia? Do you need support to help you overcome some of the challenges that can arise as a caregiver, family member or friend of someone with dementia? Then join us for a monthly support group facilitated by experienced volunteers and staff with the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter.
- Caring Together, Living Well – 2nd Wednesday each month, 3-4pm: Are you looking to enhance your overall well-being? Are you interested in connecting in a supportive environment with other people facing similar life challenges, especially those that can arise as we age? Each month, “Caring Together, Living Well” tackles a specific topic that can help improve your overall well-being. Sessions are facilitated by social workers or other trained experts from Shore or partner organizations.
- Vet 2 Vet Café – 1st Wednesday each month, 1-2pm: Are you a veteran eager to connect with others for support and to share stories from your time in the service? Sessions are led by Veterans Outreach Coordinator John Prutting of Angelic Health. As a veteran himself, John understands the unique support needs of veterans.
- Cancer Support
- Cancer: Thriving & Surviving: Shore Cancer Center, in partnership with the Cape Atlantic Coalition for Health, offers a six-week, evidence-based workshop series that focuses on how to manage the many challenges faced by people with cancer, survivors and caregivers. Originally developed by Stanford University, the program is offered throughout the country and covers topics including fatigue management; exercise and fitness; managing pain; healthy sleep; living with uncertainty; problem solving; communication; and dealing with difficult emotions. Each session builds upon the previous session, so it is recommended that participants attend as many as possible. To find out when the next session begins, contact Angela Bailey, manager of community cancer outreach, at 609-653-3992 or by email at abailey@shoremedicalcenter.org.
- Meditation for People with Cancer, Survivors and Caregivers: Shore is proud to offer free virtual meditation sessions for people affected by cancer to help reduce the stress that can come with a cancer diagnosis. Sessions are led by certified meditation instructors and are approximately 20 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes for questions and answers, discussion or just to speak with the instructors. Times may change each month and will require monthly registration. Register at https://pages.berni-k.com/shore-medical-meditation/. For more information, contact Angela Bailey, manager of community cancer outreach, at abailey@shoremedicalcenter.org or call 609-653-3992.
