Purdue News

November 20, 1998 Caregiver resources featured at governor's conference WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Caregiving is hard work, and while that may be no surprise to some, the failure to plan for it can tear a family apart, according to a Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service specialist. Barry Delks, director of the Purdue's Breaking New Ground outreach program, was to address caregiving at the Indiana Governor's Planning Council for People With Disabilities Conference on Monday (11/23), the second day of National Caregivers Week. Delks' presentation was to cover caregivers' need for resources to help them adapt to their new roles, especially when disease or disability affects the more isolated rural farm families. "We saw that disabilities were impacting the entire family," Delks said, "and we wanted to create a resource to help the caregiver. When a farmer is disabled, the chores and tasks around the farm, the planning and the daily routine, even down to feeding the cattle, all of this falls on the spouse and children. So there is a lot of stress." The caregiver resources available from Purdue include a brochure and a videotape, which features interviews with five rural caregivers. The video addresses how to accept changing roles in the family, renew the commitment to marriage, and foster family communication, among other issues. The brochure, "To Everything There Is a Season," accompanies the video. It includes exercises for families to do together and a directory of tools for caregivers. The latest addition includes a Leader's Guide, available in December. Accompanied by overheads, it shows Extension professionals and rehabilitation specialists how to teach and prepare rural caregivers for the work ahead. Delks plans to present it at an Indianapolis conference on assistive technology in April. The National Council on Aging recognized the entire resource package with its Innovations in Independent Living 1997 Caregiving Award. In addition to presenting the resources at the governor's conference, Delks planned to stress the importance of teamwork and communication when a family member is disabled. Asking for help can be a struggle for independent-minded rural residents, he said. "It just gets overwhelming," Delks said. "You or I have people at the office who can fill in for us if we can't work. Guess who fills in for the farmer? The family has to get the tasks done and provide the care. It's a double whammy. If you don't ask for help, it won't get done." The Breaking New Ground Outreach Program was founded in 1979 when a severely disabled farmer asked the Purdue University Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering to assist him in modifying his tractor. Since then the program has been internationally recognized as the primary source of information on rehabilitation technology for agricultural worksites. For more information about resources for farmers with disabilities and their caregivers, call the Breaking New Ground Resource Center at 800-825-4264. CONTACT: Delks, (765) 494-1221 Compiled by Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415; E-mail, sig@ecn.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page