The PA Care Kit is a collection of tools, information, and different resources to support informal, unpaid caregivers.

So, families, friends, neighbors that are helping to provide care for an older adult, a person with a disability, any sort of relationship there.

It's an excellent, excellent kit.

What happens is when you go on to the site, there's a questionnaire that says, more or less, tell us about your needs.

And there's 18 questions there.

And you complete those 18 questions, and after you're finished with those 18 questions, you will get an email response tailored specifically to your needs.

The PA Care Kit, to me, is a resource that we've been waiting for in Pennsylvania for quite some time.

It is a one-stop shop for caregivers.

The convenience of having everything in one space, it's a time saver.

It's a place where caregivers can connect with each other.

It offers that peer mentoring, that peer support, which is really essential in just, you know, maintaining someone's own well-being.

You really don't know what you don't know.

And by going on the site, it really enlightens you to what's out there.

So even if you're not in the process now of being a caregiver, it's something just to keep in your back pocket that someday you may be a caregiver.

We have a first five-step framework where people can go through and evaluate the entire system or aspects of their care situation.

Where do they fit in this situation?

What kind of care are they providing?

What does their support system look like?

How are they looking forward to long-term care needs or making a long-term plan?

And then how are they taking care of themselves?

So keeping those five steps in mind as someone can, you know, work through the frantic day-to-day, I need to do this, then this, then this, more thinking about the care situation more holistically.

Well, what I like about the Care Kit is actually what it doesn't do.

And what it doesn't do is assume that everybody's caregiver experience is the same.

Based on what's happening in my life and talking to others, everybody's caregiving situation is very, very different.

And I have to applaud the content providers of this Caregiver Kit because it really does cover a multitude of situations that you may come across.

In the Care Kit, there's very specific information about the eligibility process for the Caregiver Support Program and what the area agencies on aging across the state are able to provide as far as expense reimbursement for most expenses that are involved with providing caregiving to anyone in the family.

Adult diapers or specific respite care that's involved with caring for an older adult.

Those are two things that I know are pretty regularly asked for.

So with the PA Care Kit, we also have a number of worksheets.

And these are really our most practical tools that are meant to help with a specific task.

So things like doing a budget and tracking our expenses, our income, or things like evaluating the housing situation.

Is the current living situation the best to support the needs of the care recipient and the caregiver?

And we also have worksheets for things like hiring a home health aide.

What kind of questions do I need to ask in an interview to make sure that the person that's coming into my home is someone that's responsible, that I can trust, and that I really think will do a good job of providing care for the person I love?

We also have an important documents worksheet.

So how am I keeping track of the sensitive information and sensitive paperwork that I need as the person I'm caring for becomes more dependent, or that I need to keep track of for long-term planning, end-of-life planning, or things like power of attorney and things like that?

We also have the medication management worksheet.

So how do I just get organized around medication?

Keeping track of the prescription regimens at one time.

Prescription regimens change all the time.

I get one medicine, I lose two, I add two more, and three go away.

So keeping track of what those pills look like, when I'm supposed to take them, how often I'm supposed to take them.

No matter what your situation is, there is a worksheet for you, and that really ties back into those 18 questions.

And again, those worksheets, more than anything, they'll just trigger questions and thoughts in your mind.

They're very effective.

So caregivers across the state at any time can go to pa.gov slash agencies for the types of supports and reimbursements that are offered for caregivers in Pennsylvania.

I think that it provides more stability in an older adult's life when the people around them that care for them on a regular basis, that they rely on, feel more supported and connected and provided with resources.

If you provide resources to the caregiver, you are providing resources to an older adult.

My personal journey with caregiving is a loving one, but it's also one filled with challenges and bumps in the road.

And I really think the PA Care Kit will help smooth out the road and make that journey so much more pleasant.