Caregiving

The film Nine to Ninety challenges the taboo of talking about death through the family of 89 year-old Phyllis Sabatini as she wrestles with tough decisions in her search to grow old.

To recognize her work in supporting family caregivers in New Hampshire, AARP honored Governor Maggie Hassan as a 2015 Capitol Caregiver. AARP’s 2015 Capitol Caregiver represents a bipartisan group of state legislators, lieutenant governors and governors from 25 states.

The New Hampshire Senior Leadership Program is now taking Senior Leadership Application 2016 for the 2016 class. A collaboration among AARP New Hampshire, Center on Aging and Community Living at UNH, and Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging, the program is designed for older adults, caregivers, family members and friends who want to advocate for older adults in New Hampshire. Application deadline is February 25.

Throughout 2015, AARP New Hampshire has been fighting for you and your family, focused on key issues you’re facing in your daily lives. Because of this work, the 173,000 family caregivers in New Hampshire have more support!

During the busy holiday season, family caregivers – over 173,000 right here in New Hampshire – already feel overwhelmed with daily responsibilities, leaving them vulnerable when the stress of the holidays arrive. Turning to unhealthy behaviors – drinking more eggnog, eating more sweets, getting fewer hours of shut-eye, and forgoing exercise – is not the answer.

Help for caregivers is on its way January 1, 2016!

November marks National Family Caregiving Month, a time to recognize the 40 million Americans – and 173,000 in New Hampshire – who help older parents, spouses and other loved ones live independently at home, where they want to be. The unpaid care they provide – managing medications, cooking meals, driving to appointments, performing complex medical tasks and more – is valued at over $2.2 billion in the Granite State alone.

AARP New Hampshire released a survey today that shows what’s important to Granite Staters 50-plus.

We often joke about memory loss but what happens when it becomes more than a senior moment? What is the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia – on the person, the caregiver, society, and the economy? And what can we do about it?

The following information is being reprinted -- with permission -- from New Hampshire Union Leader’s Senior News column (April 6, 2015).