Are you or someone you know taking care of an older adult or someone with a disability? If you answered yes, you might be or might know an informal caregiver. An estimated 2.7 million informal caregivers live in Texas. These caregivers help seniors and individuals with disabilities manage daily living tasks such as bathing, dressing, transportation, and household chores. Their care and assistance enable loved ones to remain at home by providing the support they need to maintain their health and wellbeing.

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) has launched a new website with resources to support informal caregivers. Take Time Texas (www.taketimetexas.org) is the first statewide clearinghouse of information for respite services – services that allow caregivers to take a temporary break to restore or strengthen their ability to continue providing care for a child or adult with functional needs. The centerpiece of the website is the Texas Inventory of Respite Services, a searchable database of more than 900 respite care providers across Texas. Caregivers can search for providers in their area by name, county, type of respite provided, age group served, or type of provider.

The website also provides educational information for family caregivers, such as self-assessment tools, information on managing stress related to providing care, disease-specific information, and educational programs. In addition, the website offers training and outreach materials service providers can use to increase their professional skills, raise awareness of respite care, and reach out to caregivers.

TakeTimeTexas was created in partnership with the Texas Respite Coordination Center, a grant-funded program of the Texas Association of Regional Councils, in collaboration with the Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

Information in this post was originally printed in the Employee Retirement System of Texas News About Your Benefits on September 5, 2012.