Support for Caregivers at Libraries

Caregivers provide much-needed assistance, whether it’s someone caring for children, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, or the elderly. Caregivers can be parents, guardians, family caregivers, or close family friends. That care can mean the world to the person being cared for. But being a caregiver can be demanding, physically and emotionally. It can require a significant investment of time and energy, leading to the question: Who supports the caregiver?

How Libraries Step In

It’s no surprise that libraries are critical sources of varied kinds of support, and more of them are dedicating programs, resources, and spaces specifically for caregivers. These efforts help reduce stress, build connections, and offer practical tools—just another example of how libraries continue to expand their mission within their communities.

The caregiver community encompasses a wide variety of situations and people, and libraries find ways to adapt to that variety. Many programs support both caregivers and the people they care for, especially those caring for individuals with dementia. Some libraries even have dedicated pages on their websites with links to local resources or lists of books and DVDs available to borrow. Below are examples of how libraries across the country are supporting caregivers.

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Resource Pages and Information Hubs

Library of Congress Caregivers Page

The Library of Congress has a robust page full of downloadable resources for caregivers, covering numerous topics such as The Caregiving Wife’s Handbook, The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer’s Family, Breast Cancer Husband, and Tumbling After: Pedaling Like Crazy After Life Goes Downhill.

Support Groups and Community Programs

Caregiver Café at Hill Library

This New Hampshire library partners with Cornerstone VNA, a home health care and hospice service, to offer monthly meetings for caregivers where they receive support, professional advice, and access to library resources.

Caretaking for the Caregiver

Fayetteville Public Library in Arkansas hosted a presentation by a University of Arkansas Extension Service speaker on the importance of caregivers caring for themselves, along with tips on how to do so.

Large-Scale Initiatives and Grant-Funded Programs

Spotlight on Caregiving Series

Baltimore County Public Library received a $40,000 grant from the local Department of Aging to create Spotlight on Caregiving, a multi-part series of events and resources focused on aging adults and their caregivers. Among them: programs about how to age in place, how to manage the money of the person being cared for, tools caregivers can use to manage stress and build resilience, opportunities to paint flowerpots and place plants in them, and health and wellness kits that can be checked out with everything from pulse oximeter kits and portable pedal exercisers to track marble mazes.

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Memory Care and Dementia Support

Visit Kits

Dakota County Libraries in Minnesota compiled a set of resources called visit kits, which caregivers can use to stimulate memory and spark conversations with people with dementia and memory loss. The kits include music headsets with preloaded tracks, items to touch, and books for caregivers to gain a better understanding of dementia.

Memory Care Kits

Bloomington Public Library in Illinois offers a number of memory care kits for caregivers coping with dementia and related conditions. Kit themes include gardening, music and movies, animals, home, tools, and patriotic. The library also provides reading lists appropriate for dementia patients themselves and for the people in their lives, whether adult caregivers or children.

Reminiscence Kits and Caregiver Backpacks

Mercer County Library System in New Jersey offers two different resources available for checkout. The MEternally Reminiscence Kits are filled with items caregivers can use to ask questions and start conversations for people with dementia and related conditions. They contain a DVD, photo/activity cards, a busy bottle, and a coloring kit. They also offer Caregiver Backpacks in partnership with the Mercer County Department of Human Services and the Aging & Disability Resource Connection. The backpacks are filled with materials and resources to provide caregivers with information and support, including lists of helpful websites, book titles, and DVDs.

Tales & Travel Adventures

The Champaign Public Library in Illinois not only has a lengthy resource page on its website but also offers a Tales & Travel Adventures video series created in partnership with the Krannert Art Museum and the Urbana Free Library Archives. The videos are meant for caregivers and their adult charges to spend about ten minutes watching a video and share moments of learning and joy, lasting up to thirty minutes. Topics include great cats around the world, the hidden history of African Americans in Champaign County, and a gardening series.

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Caregiving Across All Ages

Caregivers at Any Stage

Canton Public Library in Michigan offers programs and resources for caregivers supporting people at any stage of life, including storytimes, a Friends Adventure Club for people with cognitive disabilities to have a chance to socialize with peers, and a centralized gateway to community organizations.

Youth Caregiver’s Services

Stoneham Public Library in Massachusetts has compiled a wide range of materials for those caring for children or young adults, with topics ranging from infancy to caregiver support to neurodiversity and health.

How to Find Support at Your Library

Are you or someone you know a caregiver? Check with your local branch to see what programs, support groups, or other resources they may have available. Or, if you’ve been a caregiver, consider volunteering at your library to help with caregiver resources and programming.

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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