Specialist lends ear, hand to caregivers

Lynn Leighton has always loved detective work. She thrives on ferreting out information and putting the pieces together to solve a problem. Even though Leighton is not a police officer, she has no shortage of sleuthing opportunities as a caregiver resource specialist at Eastern Agency on Aging for the Maine Primary Partners in Caregiving project.

“I love what I do,” said Leighton. “I assist and support the caregivers in any way I can. I give them information, but I also do a lot of research to try to discern what will best help them.”

Some caregivers may be capable of doing the research themselves, but it can be time-consuming, she added. And with so much information available on the Internet, it is important to visit only reputable Web sites.

The MPPC project began as a joint effort between EAA and the University of Maine Center on Aging, in partnership with the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, Senior Spectrum, Bucksport Regional Health Center, Horizons Health Services, Indian Township Tribal Health Center, Norumbega Medical and Rosscare. The goal is to locate and identify caregivers through physicians’ practices.

“The point of the project is to try to get to more rural settings where people may need some services but are unsure where to turn,” Leighton said. “We are present in doctors’ offices because the stress involved in care giving may be related to illness. We want to reach these individuals early, before they get sick. Often doctors deal only with the body and not the mental status.”

A short questionnaire is distributed to patients at participating medical practices. Those who indicate that they provide assistance to an older person can expect to receive a call from Leighton within a few days. She then springs into action. No request is too big or small.

“Sometimes people just need someone to talk to for a while and sometimes they need a variety of services, from determining whether their loved one is eligible for extra government benefits to finding an appropriate support group to attend. Whatever they need, we can usually find it,” she said.

Gladys Knowles, 61, is a good example of someone for whom “just talking” is a great relief.

“My husband had a stroke 14 years ago,” she said. “I cook all the meals and do all the driving now. His personality has changed and so have our lives. We just don’t do the things we used to.”

While her husband had a strong circle of friends prior to the stroke, these relationships have mostly disappeared, she added. The couple attends a stroke support group together, and Gladys relies on her friends and Leighton for respite.

“I have so much more responsibility now and sometimes I am overwhelmed and resentful – never of him but of the situation,” said Knowles. “MPPC has helped me find someone to talk to and I enjoy talking to Lynn. It is so important.”

For Leighton, making the life of a caregiver easier is all that matters.

“The cases where I can do something that has been helpful to a client in a care-giving situation, well, that’s my reward,” she said. “I helped a couple get Meals for Me, and they just love it. For others, it’s getting prescriptions at a reduced price, finding the right information to suit their needs, or just being a caring, confidential ear. And I really love making home visits and connecting with the clients. Those things make me feel good.”

Gladys feels good as well. “If I didn’t have Lynn and the support group, I don’t know what I’d do.”

For information on MPPC, call EAA at 941-2865.

Carol Higgins is communications director at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA call 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.