At any given time, about 200,000 residents of Salt Lake County are caregivers. They are grandparents subbing in as parents for their grandchildren, spouses or children of older or disabled adults, people who watch out for neighbors with Alzheimer's disease.

County Aging Services workers figure they are assisting only about 5,000 of them, usually when they are in crisis, through the caregiver support program.

To reach out, Aging Services has crafted a six-page survey to measure caregiver needs and evaluate the available services. The survey period ends Sept. 30, and after the results are evaluated this fall, the county will use the information to seek out new resources and streamline what it already does.

Aging Services wants to hear from current caregivers, former caregivers and people who expect to eventually be caregivers.

"We've never measured the needs in this valley," said training specialist Kathy Nelson. "We want to know what they need."

It's all about keeping another person safe while also taking care of yourself, says Christine DeBlasio, one of two Aging Services workers who take calls on the county's Caregiver Helpline.

The help line started 11 years ago with a federal grant, backed by the understanding that it is less expensive to care for an older or disabled adult at home than in a long-term care facility.

Though the expense may be lower, shifting the responsibility to family or friends has other costs. As the saying goes, when one is sick, two need care; too often, the stress of caregiving ruins health and finances.

"Most of the time, people [who call] are in crisis," DeBlasio said. "They just don't know what to do, where to go. There are a lot of things out there that people are totally unaware of."

Sometimes it's enough to know help is out there to reduce that stress.

Aging Services can steer county residents to available respite services, including adult day care, home health aides, in-home companionship and emergency response systems.

Other services available include help acquiring medical supplies and home repairs to address health and safety.

There is always a waiting list for the limited resources that must be spread across a large population. Aging Services does an in-home assessment to determine a risk score, which in turn determines a caregiver's spot on the waiting list.

When they hit the top, they are eligible for $1,500 in services — they don't get the actual cash. Seldom does that stretch over a whole year, but after the one-year "anniversary," the caregivers can reapply for a waiting-list spot.

Nelson said that in 2010, more than 4,000 individuals either called the help line or downloaded information from the Aging Services website. Many of those Web visits were in the wee hours.

The county already relies on 65 various funding sources to serve residents' needs.

The survey results will help guide Aging Services to new state and federal funding, Nelson said.

The economy being what it is, though, Aging Services expects deep cuts in its funding. At the micro level, in the caregivers' families, long-term damage may be occurring.

"Generational poverty can be something you're setting yourself up for if everyone is quitting their jobs to be a caregiver," Nelson said. "Families and community members are going to have to step up more."

phenetz@sltrib.comTwitter: @sltribhenetz —

Needs of caregivers to be measured

P Salt Lake County's Caregiver Support Program is seeking information from residents who have taken on caregiving responsibilities for others or who expect to do so.

A six-page survey, available online at svy.mk/nA9kjH, will help Salt Lake County Aging Services learn how the growing aging population, time, technology and other community and economic challenges are shaping the needs of those caring for Utah's aging population.

Paper copies of the survey also are available from Salt Lake County Aging Services, 2001 S. State St., Suite 1500, Salt Lake City.

For more information, call 801-468-3480.