Legal Aid Helps Launch

San Mateo County Caregivers Collaborative

Family members are frequently thrust into the role of caregiver during a crisis. With lives suddenly changed by either an accident, a decline in health of a loved one, or changes due to chronic long-term illness, too many caregivers are unaware of support services available that can help them throughout difficult times.  Lack of awareness can make a family’s situation even worse.  Factor in this uneasy era of widespread government service cutbacks, and it becomes especially important and timely that an awareness campaign be launched so that all caregivers will know about – and have easy access to – the full range of caregiver support services and programs offered by dedicated San Mateo County non-profits.  

In order to educate caregivers and their families about the support services available throughout San Mateo County, seven non-profit organizations have formed the San Mateo County Caregivers Collaborative.  The Collaborative organizations include: Alzheimer’s Association, Seton Medical Center Coastside, Mills-Peninsula Senior Focus, Rosener House Adult Day Services, Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, Family Caregiver Alliance and Pathways Home Health, Hospice & Private Duty.  

The San Mateo County Caregivers Collaborative has received a limited one-time grant from the County of San Mateo for this initiative to educate and inform individual caregivers within San Mateo County about aging and adult support services currently available to them.

"The role of a caregiver within a family can be overwhelming and isolating,” said Lisa Mancini, Director of Aging and Adult Services of San Mateo County. “The non-profit organizations that are members of the San Mateo County Caregivers Collaborative provide crucial services to the senior and adult community of the San Mateo County region.”