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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: November 7, 2024 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-r <br /> SUBJECT: Family Caregivers Month and Caregiver Day of Care Proclamation <br /> DEPARTMENT: Aging <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Janice Tyler, Director, 245-4255 <br /> Proclamation Kendall McMillan, Aging Transitions <br /> Administrator, 245-4278 <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation recognizing November 2024 as Family Caregivers Month <br /> in Orange County and designating November 16, 2024 as Orange County's Caregiver Day of <br /> Care. <br /> BACKGROUND: November is National Family Caregivers Month, an observance that began as <br /> National Family Caregivers Week in the mid-1990s. Former President Bill Clinton signed the first <br /> National Family Caregivers Month Presidential Proclamation in 1997, and every president since <br /> has followed suit by issuing an annual proclamation recognizing and honoring family caregivers <br /> each November. The importance of family caregivers has gained recognition over the years, and <br /> the National Family Caregivers awareness week has grown into an awareness month due to <br /> former President Barack Obama's proclamation in 2012. <br /> Family caregivers fulfill a variety of roles. In addition to becoming experts about their loved ones' <br /> health, caregivers act as liaisons with healthcare providers, insurance companies, and legal and <br /> financial entities. They prepare meals, perform housekeeping duties, transportation and hygiene <br /> duties, and often provide very sophisticated care, including managing complex medication <br /> schedules. Caregivers sometimes deal with problem behaviors and offer socialization for those <br /> suffering from long-term illnesses. At this time of year, with holidays approaching, families are <br /> often overwhelmed by emotional distress as they cope with losses and memories of past times. <br /> Family caregivers who care (mostly) at home for loved ones with debilitating, long-term health <br /> conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, often do so with little to no <br /> information or training. The Orange County Department on Aging aims to change that by <br /> providing several programs and services catered to family caregivers by appreciating the hard <br /> work they tirelessly do. <br /> In honor of National Family Caregivers Month, the Department on Aging will hold its fifth annual <br /> Caregiver Day of Care event on November 16, 2024, at the Seymour Center from 10:00 a.m. to <br /> 1:30 p.m., in an effort to honor family caregivers for caring selflessly for loved ones. Staff hopes <br />