About Us

 

Intertwining Lives, Intertwining Services

 

 

History

With the 2001 reauthorization of the Older American's Act came a new initiative, the National Family Caregiver Support Law. This program gives primary focus to the caregiver, not the care recipient. Area Agencies on Aging were given the responsibility to plan, provide and coordinate multifaceted systems of support services specifically designed to support family caregivers.

Triangle J Area Agency on Aging gathered together various local aging services provider groups to discuss how to implement the new program. Everyone agreed that access to information was key. Triangle J offered to develop a website specifically for family caregivers to provide relevant information and easy links to personalized assistance. Fourteen local aging services agencies participated in that discussion and work together (along with others) to provide a comprehensive offering of services and programs to support family caregiving. This website is part of that effort.

Triangle J Area Agency on Aging is part of the Triangle J Council of Governments, an intergovernmental organization for local elected officials within seven North Carolina Counties. The counties served are Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange and Wake. The work of the Area Agency on Aging is linked directly with local aging services providers and the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services to provide information, support and services to older adults and their caregivers.

Triangle J is one of seventeen Area Agencies on Aging in North Carolina, all of whom can assist family caregivers with direct access to beneficial information and resources. For caregivers outside North Carolina, there are Area Agencies on Aging in most states that can assist you in the same way that the Area Agencies in North Carolina can help.

 

 

Current Partnerships

The North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services is the state aging agency. They administer the Family Caregiver Support Program, a national caregiver initiative. A state Caregiver Specialist is on staff and the Division hosts a caregiver section on their website.

In 2002, Triangle J arranged a partnership with the Division related to caregivers. To provide consistent and unduplicated information statewide, it was agreed that even though information for caregivers will be on the Division's caregiver site, the Division's focus would be to provide information appropriate for educators, leaders in the field of aging, legislators and the media. The Full Circle of Care website would provide "hands-on" information chosen specifically to address the practical realities of caregiving. The Full Circle of Care site was adjusted to provide local resource links for the entire state and to provide links to other state Divisions of Aging and Area Agencies on Aging to address the needs of long-distance caregivers.

The Full Circle of Care website has been endorsed as a statewide caregiver resource by the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services, the NC Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the regional NC Councils of Governments.The website is a non-profit governmental resource offered to caregivers nationwide as a resource and source of information.

The site is oriented to provide family caregiver information nationwide. Much of the information is generic - it is applicable to caregivers anywhere in the United States. A new section has been added to provide information for North Carolina caregivers since Triangle J Area Agency on Aging, the host, is located in North Carolina. The NC Division of Aging and Adult Services now provides direct financial support for the website and endorses the site nationwide through conferences, peer-to-peer education, etc. We hope that you find the site helpful as you work to understand the aging network and resources available to you. We welcome suggestions and comments. They help us to serve you better and to respond to your needs.

 

Information provided and links identified are for the convenience of caregivers and do not imply endorsement and/or recommendation. Each caregiver should evaluate the information and make informed choices.

 

Let Us Help You Navigate Your Way

 

Copyright © 2001-2010, Triangle J Area Agency on Aging