Families
Family Members
Savvy Caregiver is recognized nationally as a leading evidence-based dementia family caregiver training program.
Savvy programs are designed to provide the most relevant dementia knowledge, skills, and mastery to support family members as they provide care for their relative or friend living with dementia. Savvy Caregiver programs have been proven to decrease family caregiver distress, burden, and depression, while increasing caregivers’ sense of competence and confidence in their care role.
Savvy Caregiver provides person-centered, active-learning programs in a variety of formats that integrate core principles and insights from gerontology, nursing, family systems, and occupational therapy. Families learn strategies to enhance their own self-care as well as day-to-day time with their person.
With the vast majority of daily long-term care is provided by family members, Savvy Caregiver programs offer an array of programs across the U.S. Culturally-sensitive adaptations and translations continue to be developed and tested to serve families in diverse communities.
SAVVY CAREGIVER® FORMAT
Savvy Caregiver was originally developed and validated for in-person, community-based delivery in 6 weekly sessions. In-person classes remain the most popular format, but Savvy has expanded to include other formats and delivery methods such as a 3-week program, advanced content, and a tele-delivered version. Savvy presents easy-to-understand information, skills, and strategies so that family caregivers can deal more effectively with the demands of dementia caregiving. The program emphasizes knowledge of dementia diseases and promotes caregiver self-care.
Each session uses a combination of instruction, interactive exercises, and home assignments for participants to learn Savvy concepts and apply them to their own caregiving situations. Our goal is for family caregivers to feel confident and competent in their care role so that they can make the most of their time with their person who is living with dementia.
Our Programs
Our 6-Week, Express, and Advanced programs are all offered in a small-group format. Our licensed Savvy Caregiver partners can deliver the programs either in-person or via video conference (e.g. Zoom).
6-Week Program
The original and most widely delivered version of Savvy Caregiver® is held over 6 weeks. The program enables caregivers to learn, develop and gain care strategies.
Express Program
Savvy Caregiver Express® is a shorter version of the original Savvy Caregiver program delivered over a period of only 3 weeks. This is an option for those with limited time.
Advanced Program
Savvy Caregiver® Advanced is a 4-week course. The training includes added focus on skills, knowledge, attitudes, later-stage choices, and end-of-life decisions.