Our industry is a crucial player in helping to resolve this crisis. Yet, all too often, family members fail to raise their hand and call out for help. There is a young organization out there changing this situation. The Caregiver Relief Fund was founded by a young man who faced just such a family caregiver crisis.

We had an opportunity to interview the founder, Michael TS Lindenmayer.

Q:  How did you come up with the idea?

A:  It all started with a visit to my parents that changed my life. Up to that visit, I was living the life in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Life was fun, adventurous and healthy. All that changed when I saw the impact that 12 years of caregiving for my grandfather had had on my parents. They were totally burned-out. I  stayed to help. I lived in shock and awe for a year as a caregiver for both my parents and grandfather in a small Midwest town. I was confronted with the caregiver crisis tidal wave first hand. It inspired me to create the Caregiver Relief Fund.

Q:  What kind of planning do you suggest to family caregivers?

A:  We encourage families to build a care team as soon as possible.  Families need to build a team mixed with both informal family members and professional service providers. And the earlier they talk about it, plan for it and implement it, the better positioned they are to weather the storm. 

Q:  What is an effective care team from your view?

A:  Clarity, commitment and collaboration are the bedrocks of a strong team. All too often families are stuck in crisis mode, commitment levels erode and conflict emerges. We call on families to enter into courageous conversations, commit to caring for both the caregivers and care receivers and we ask them to build strong care teams.

Q:  How are at-home care agencies participating in the program?

A:  At-home care agencies want to demonstrate their thought leadership, corporate social responsibility and culture of care. The Caregiver Relief Fund offers them an exceptional opportunity to do all three. Our at-home care agency partners leverage their marketing dollars towards vouchers which are awarded to family caregivers. This is a powerful experience for the family caregiver and opens up a dialogue with the at-home care agency about how they can be a care team member.

A:  Sign up and become partners in our effort. It is a simple and fast process at our website, www.cgrelief.org. We encourage the at-home care agencies to donate hours and to showcase their role in their community. We hope that each award recipient opens up a meaningful and helpful dialogue with our at-home care agencies. It is time to let family caregivers know they are a national treasure.

Michael is the founder and Chairman of the Caregiver Relief Fund. Prior to founding the Caregiver Fund, Michael worked with a family office to build a $100m investment portfolio in Brazil. Before pursuing an entrepreneurial path, Michael was with Morgan Stanley in their institutional equities division in their New York and London offices. Michael is committed to results oriented social ventures. He was an early adopter of the Grameen Bank and Room to Read, which have each reached milions of people in need. He speaks 6 languages and is based in Chicago. For more information visit www.cgrelief.org.