Colorado Respite Coalition

09/09/2026

The Healthy Balance Lab at Portland State University is conducting a fully remote research study on the work-life balance of dementia caregivers They aim to understand how paid employment and unpaid caregiving impacts psychological and physiological stress. Participation is voluntary and confidential. This study is led by a former dementia caregiver; it has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

The study consists of two 60-minute commitments: a survey and guided measurements and samplings. Full participation is compensated up to $90 via Amazon gift card.

If interested, please use this survey to check your eligibility and access the study consent form (~15 minutes): https://portlandstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6VvQYOuSjsMN5jg

09/04/2026

Did you miss our new toolkit: The Employer’s Guide to Supporting the Working Caregiver?

Even if you offer benefits to family caregivers in your workplace, ask a critical question: How many of our employees actually know these benefits exist?

National benchmarking data reveals a severe communication breakdown: more than half of benefits managers admit that their employees are “not very” or “not at all” aware of the caregiving benefits their organization offers.

Furthermore, information is rarely integrated, as only 50% of employers communicate caregiving resources alongside traditional medical and health benefits on their corporate portals.

For information on how to remedy this, download our guide: https://coloradorespitecoalition.org/learning-center/caregiver-friendly-workplace-toolkit/

09/01/2026

End-of-life planning…. It’s a topic that’s easy to avoid…until it isn’t. 

Re-watch our free webinar, “End-of-Life Planning” which features a diverse panel of speakers: 

🔵 An Elder Law Attorney

🔵 A Long Term Care Eligibility Expert

🔵 A Representative from Benefits in Action

🔵 A Certified Senior Advisor 

🔵 A Caregiver Who Has Been Through It 

Get your questions about getting on Medicaid, getting paid as a caregiver, and more answered by watching this webinar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=099pnacco4I

08/31/2026

5 quick ways for caregivers to take a break! Summer 2026 edition…

Spend five minutes outside in the early morning. Meditate, tend to your garden, have a cup of coffee. Feel the cool air on your skin for five minutes before the day gets hot.

Take an evening walk and call a friend. Even 10 minutes of unloading can go a long way.

Take five minutes at the end of the day to stretch. Take a deep breath and ask yourself, where do I feel sore? Focus on those areas of your body.

Listen to a favorite song or album while you do household tasks. Make the mundane calming or uplifting.

Think of one fun thing to do with your loved one who you are caring for. This can be a game you share, a tv show you watch together, anything really. Make time for that, too.

What are your favorite ways to catch a quick break?

08/28/2026

Caregiving does just create stress, eat time, and add to your mental load – it can have a tangible impact on your finances, too.

One study finds that caregivers spend an annual average of $7,200 on out-of-pocket caregiving expenses. Another finds that one third of caregivers report having less than $10,000 in savings.

The truth is caregiving can interrupt your finances in a lot of ways. It’s often something we don’t prepare for financially. Taking on caregiving responsibilities can reduce the number of hours you are working a paid job, cutting into your potential retirement savings, cause you to take on debt, and impact your ability to pay bills and save.

That’s why it’s so important to know about financial assistance programs and tax credits that exist for caregivers. Here is a guide on managing your finances while caregiving:

How to Reduce the Financial Stress of Caregiving | RubyWell

08/25/2026

Caregiver Events Round Up: August & September 2026!

Join an event that builds caregiver skills, community, or provides respite so you can take a break!

🧠Every Tuesday: Memory Cafe at the Virginia Village Branch Library https://denverlibrary.libcal.com/calendar?t=g&q=memory%20cafe&cid=-1&cal=-1&inc=0 Coming up: Colorado Symphony, The Art of Clifford Still, Ageless Grace, Circle Singing
🤍August 26 Calling All Caregivers End of Life Care with Jane Barton https://cardinalife.com/events
🌟August 27 The Afterglow of Adversity Lunch & Learn with Jane Barton https://cardinalife.com/events
🧠September 10 More than Memory: Understanding Brain Change from the Inside Out with Kay Adams https://www.kaymadams.com/event/more-than-memory-understanding-brain-change-dementia-from-the-inside-out-9/
💡September 16 What’s Your Thing? With Jane Barton and Arapahoe County Libraries https://cardinalife.com/events
💬September 23 Helpful Tools for Communicating with People Living with Dementia with Kay Adams https://www.kaymadams.com/event/helpful-tools-to-communicate-with-people-living-with-dementia/

Check out more upcoming events here: https://coloradorespitecoalition.org/events/

08/21/2026

Here’s something that’s hard to talk about: caregiving and sibling relationships. For those of us who are caring for our aging parents, it often involves working alongside your siblings. Siblings take on different duties when their parents are sick, from providing day-to-day care, to contributing financially, to making healthcare decisions. Siblings can go from seeing each other a few times a year to having to communicate daily. It’s common for one sibling to take on the bulk of the work.

Naturally, this can lead to friction. Add in the stress, grief, and high stakes of the situation, and it’s understandable that siblings struggle to get along while navigating a parents in need of long-term care.

Family counselors and elder care attorneys can be resources here. You and your siblings don’t have to go through it alone.

And if you are navigating complex family dynamics related to caregiving, we see you 🩵

Visit https://coloradorespitecoalition.org/resources-this-way/ for resources.

08/20/2026

It’s National Accessible Air Travel Day! Created by All Wheels Up and nationally recognized, National Accessible Air Travel Day raises awareness about the importance of accessible, safe, and dignified air travel for people with disabilities.

Accessibility in air travel is one of those things you only think about when you have a disability or are caring for someone with a disability. And, it’s something where universal design can be applied to make the experience better for everybody.

The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide accommodations such as assistance boarding and deplaning, assistance with service animals, and interpreters to people with disabilities.

What would you like to see changed in air travel? Whether you’re a traveler with a disability, a caregiver, a family member, an advocate, or simply someone who believes everyone deserves equal access to fly, your voice matters.

08/20/2026

Let’s debunk some myths about caregiving and respite care.

Myth: Only full time family caregivers need respite care.
Truth: Even if you are not a full-time caregiver, you likely need respite care just as much, because it can provide a break from caregiving that allows you to tend to other important things, including yourself!

08/18/2026

Resources this way! And this time, it’s for what’s at the heart of our mission: helping family caregivers take a break.

“Respite Care” is a fancy way of saying temporary relief for family caregivers. We know that sometimes it feels impossible to stop caregiving, even for a few hours. Here are a few resources that might help you work toward some time for yourself.

➡️Medicaid Respite Programs - https://hcpf.colorado.gov/respite
➡️Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) - https://www.c4a-colorado.org/services/
➡️VA Caregiver Support Program - https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/Respite.asp

Also, check out our respite Resource Finder to find smaller, local programs in your area: https://coloradorespitecoalition.org/resource-finder/