Hurray, the elections are over! I received a call the Sunday before the elections and was asked to be an election judge. The last time I was an election judge was 15 years ago. Anticipating a long day, I agreed only if no one else could be found. Well, no one else agreed to work. The process had not changed in 15 years. We still use paper ballots and need to fill an oval by the candidate’s name. However, now ballots are placed in a machine which gives a computer count of the vote. Fifteen years ago a large election would mean a very late night counting ballots, traveling to the Grand Rapids courthouse and arriving back home in the wee hours of the morning. The entire day was a great experience. I left that evening glad I was called to serve on the election board. It is an experience I would encourage everyone to take part in.

November was National Family Care Giver Month. According to the National Family Care Givers Association, family care giving is the bedrock upon which our country’s healthcare system depends. It is estimated that there are 54 million care givers in the United States. In Minnesota, there are about 500,000 care givers who provide more than 500 million hours of care per year. The financial value of care giving in Minnesota alone is estimated at $4.5 billion. No wonder our country’s healthcare system depends on care givers. Families have always taken care of family members and loved ones as neighbors have helped neighbors and communities care for those in need. However, our world has changed and care givers have moved into the national spotlight.

Grandparents raising grandchildren is an area which continues to grow. In Minnesota, there are an estimated 17,682 grandparents raising grandchildren with grandparents raising approximately 33,975 of the grandchildren. Six million children live with grandparents or other relatives in the United States.

Care giver consultants provide valuable assistance to family and informal care givers. Care giver consultants can help in many ways such as developing a plan to assist with problem solving, link care givers to community services and offer other ways of support. Contact your county to find out about local care giver consultants in your area. 

Minnesota Board on Aging’s Care Well campaign has developed the following materials: “Care Well - Resources for Family Care giver,” “Family Care Giving at Life’s End,” “Parkinson’s Disease and Family Care Giving,” “Stroke and Family Care Giving” and “Family Care givers as Advocates.” These materials can be viewed and downloaded at www.ardc.org/aaa/brochuresandtips.asp