AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving estimate that 4.3 million adults in California provide unpaid care to an adult relative or friend. The total value of caregiving is estimated at $276 billion, clearly demonstrating the importance of this underrecognized and uncompensated act of love. Caregivers usually do not quit their jobs, or leave their personal relationships, to offer care to their relatives. They simply add the responsibility of caregiving to their lives. Unfortunately, t he caregiver often suffers physical, emotional and financial hardships as a result of this important decision to provide care.

Bet Tzedek recognizes the special needs of caregivers and, for more than a decade, has had a full-time attorney, Janet Morris, as the Director of our Family Caregiver Project. Working with paralegal Kim Williams, Morris serves caregivers throughout Los Angeles with education, referrals and legal services. Morris and Williams serve over 300 clients each year. Morris is regarded nationally as one of the outstanding advocates and trainers in this area, and she makes educational presentations to over 2,000 family members, social workers, and other service professionals annually.

Recently, the Amgen Foundation provided a grant to pay for the creation of The Caregiver Companion, a unique consumer guide. The Caregiver Companion will use an easy-to-comprehend, “plain English” approach to the complex laws and regulations governing benefits available to caregivers and their disabled family members. Using a question-and-answer format, the 50- to 60-page Caregiver Companion will address the most frequently encountered problems and issues and answer the most common questions faced by family members caring for aged and infirm seniors, including:

• Who can help me pay for long-term care for my family member?
• How do I avoid a MediCal estate claim?
• How can I make health decisions for my loved one if she is incapacitated?

The Companion is now available in PDF and print format. Please click here to download. We thank the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging for their contribution of funds to pay for the printing and distribution of the guide.

Advance Directives for Health Care in California >>

With funding from the State Bar of California and the Archstone Foundation, Bet Tzedek operates self-help Conservatorship Clinics at several Los Angeles courthouses. Click here for information about the Clinics >>