If so, consider becoming a volunteer with the Livable Communities Caregivers Coaching (L3C) Program - a new, proactive initiative from the Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS).

A caregiver coach is a volunteer trained by professionals to provide one-on-one support to family caregivers and help them understand their options. As a result, the caregivers are better able to make informed decisions to meet the challenges and responsibilities of caring for an older or disabled person.

L3C aims to develop a corps of volunteers with caregiver coaching skills to be a key part of DSPS’ overall Livable Communities initiative. The initiative aims to make Westchester communities as senior-friendly as possible so older adults can remain in their homes as they age with dignity, independence and civic involvement. Caregiver coaching directly helps to meet that goal by supporting the people who care for seniors.

County Executive Andy Spano said that the county’s caregiver coaching program is the most comprehensive in the country.

“This is yet another way that Westchester is blazing the trail when it comes to pioneering concepts,” Spano said. “The volunteers will help provide a vital community service and enhance their own lives along the way. I encourage everyone to seriously consider taking part in this wonderful opportunity.”

Anyone looking to make a difference in the quality of life for people in their communities in a cutting-edge way can volunteer for the free program. If candidates have caregiver experience it is helpful, but not required. Caregiver coaches are stabilizing forces and sounding boards so the ideal coach should be optimistic, empathetic and non-judgmental.

The coaches will work with – not for – the caregivers. They do not take the place of professionals in the field or do caregiver tasks themselves, nor do they offer medical or legal advice.

Fordham University’s Ravazzin Center on Aging has developed the curriculum for this program, which will be taught by professionals, such as nurses, social workers and geriatric care managers. The training will provide volunteers with basic information such as “Understanding the Aging Process” and “Challenges Caregivers Face.” They will also learn specific coaching techniques such as how to convey factual information clearly.

Caregiver coaching comes under the big umbrella of DSPS’ national award-winning Livable Communities initiative, which has been identified by AARP as one of three model programs in the U.S. Classes will be held at Livable Community Connection sites throughout Westchester.

Classes will take place once a week for three consecutive weeks for a total of about 12 hours. Coaches must also attend monthly conversations where challenges encountered during coaching can be shared, solutions generated and information passed along. The time coaches devote to a family caregiver will vary. Volunteers must make a one-year commitment to the program.

No one is ever prepared to be a family caregiver, said DSPS Commissioner Mae Carpenter. Rather, those responsibilities are often thrust upon people without warning, perhaps if a husband or wife has a stroke or is in an accident. Their spouse may be overwhelmed and the pressures can cause them to feel depressed, angry and isolated.

“At one time families were larger and society was less mobile,” Carpenter said. “That meant there were always adult children and other relatives who could care for aging family members. But today not only are families smaller but the adult children may live in another state.

“As a result, there’s a void that needs to be filled by caring neighbors and people,” she said. “People want to know that there is somebody out there who says ‘I care enough to help you get through this adjustment; to help you get from Point A to Point B’. They will be a calm voice to say ‘Yes, You Can’.”

Carpenter said caregiver coaches are also needed because Westchester has the fastest growing elderly population in the country. Today 20 percent of Westchester residents – one in five people – is 60 or older and more than half of them have disabilities. The county planning department projects that in 2030, people over 60 will represent one-quarter of the population or one in four people.

In addition to DSPS, program sponsors are the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services, AARP, Fordham University’s Ravazzin Center on Aging, Visiting Nurse Services in Westchester and the Volunteer Center of United Way of Westchester and Putnam. For more information or to register, call DSPS at (914) 813-6441 or send an e-mail to cap2@westchestergov.com.