Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network servesthe needs of caregivers who provide care to adults. Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network services allow caregivers to communicate with one another, to share tips and resources, and to build a support network with people who understand the burdens and triumphs that caregivers experience every day.
Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network services are free. We are a 501(c)(3) organization.
Who is a caregiver?
Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network defines a caregiver as someone who provides emotional, mental or physical support services to a loved one, family member, friend or partner. Care needs could be the result of mental illness, chronic disease, long term disability, aging, cognitive impairment, terminal illness or birth defect. The care that is provided can be supportive, in-home or long distance.
The Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network Mission
The mission of this organization is to care for the caring by fostering social networks for caregivers in Allegheny County. We serve as a resource to all forms of caregivers.
Our target population includes, but is not limited to,
adult children caregiving for parents, parents caregiving for adult children with disabilities, siblings care giving for special needs siblings, extended family networks caregiving for their loved ones, and partners caregiving for their significant others
Vision
The Pittsburgh Caregiver Support Network is a community resource that empowers caregivers through community networking, education, and emotional support services.
PCSN also serves as information broker teaching caregivers how to navigate community and health systems. PCSN will offer support services and support group networks to allow an emotional outlet and to foster a support network for the caregivers.
Some Information About Caregivers
Illness, disability, aging and mental health issues all contribute to the need for caregivers.
A caregiver can be a professional or unpaid loved one, family member or friend who has assumed responsibility for some aspect of an individual’s well being. This can include help with day-to-day tasks, nursing them through illness, emotional support or financial management.
Caregivers cross every economic, cultural, ethnic and religious category. Caregiving responsibilities are equal opportunity. If you don’t become a caregiver, you might be cared for or care about someone else who is a caregiver. So, it is crucial that everyone knows how to access support and to be a support.
Statistics from AARP portray the average caregiver as a female in her mid forties. She is often part of the sandwich generation who cares for children at home at the same time that she serves a caregiver for someone with health concerns. Please note that the number of male caregivers, including adult sons providing nursing care for their parents (including mothers), is growing.
The National Family Caregiver Alliance lists the number of caregivers per year as 50 million.
The National Family Caregiver Alliance lists Pennsylvania as the 5th largest state in terms of caregivers with over 1, 263,393 caregivers.
According to the Pennsylvanian State Department on Aging, 20% of PA’s population is age 60 or older. In 2020, 25% of the population in Pennsylvania will be aged 60 or older.
(http://www.aging.state.pa.us/aging/cwp/view.asp? a=560&Q=254754&PM=1)