COAACH Offers Tips, Resources for Caregivers During Holidays

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Dec. 12, 2025) – The Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s, Aging and Community Health (COAACH) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is continuing its mission to ensure community members feel seen, supported and equipped while serving as caregivers to their loved ones.

The holiday season can be filled with joy and festivities, and can also be challenging and overwhelming, especially for caregivers who are supporting family members with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

“I think people know that it’s challenging work, but it’s important to name it. It’s like acknowledging grief,” said Sharon Napper, COAACH’s Outreach and Research Program manager and a professional educator with the Alzheimer’s Association. “There’s so much to do, but in the end, the moments are more important than the movement. With caregiving it’s important to remain in the moment and realize the joy that’s there.”

More than 63 million Americans are providing ongoing care to adults or children with a medical condition or disability. According to a 2025 report released by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, of those Americans, 59 million care for an adult, and 16 million are categorized in the sandwich generation, which means they are taking care of adults and children simultaneously.

Here are some tips Napper has for caregivers:

• Take a breath.
• Accept help. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you’re wise.
• Understand you’re doing the best that you can every day.

On the heels of National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Caregivers Awareness Month, COAACH is offering multiple events, training and research opportunities in the weeks ahead to support and engage the community:

• Lunch and Learn: Combating Loneliness and Seasonal Depression, Friday, Dec. 12, noon-1:30 p.m., at COAACH. Register here.
• Caregiver Support, Friday, Dec. 19, 1-2 p.m., at COAACH, 2105 Yanceyville St., Greensboro, N.C. 27405. Register here.
• “Noon Zoom” on Reset and Refresh, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, noon-1 p.m. (virtual)
• Caregiver Support, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, 1-2 p.m., at COAACH
• “AARP Does What” Lunch and Learn, Friday, Jan. 30 at COAACH
• Free health screenings the second Fridays of each month, noon-2 p.m., at COAACH

Additionally, Napper encourages community members to participate in studies that would help researchers better understand brain health.

The African American Caregiver Pilot Sleep Research Study will start in January 2026. Eligible participants are African American men or women older than 40 who serve as an informal caregiver for a loved one and are willing to complete memory and thinking tests and take-home sleep study devices. To learn more, contact Ashley Sanderlin, Ph.D., at ahsanderlin@ncat.edu or (336) 285-2209.

The Black American United Memory & Aging Project (BA-UMAP) is a project that will help researchers learn more about factors contributing to memory loss in Black American populations and what may serve as protection against the disease. The BA-UMAO team is looking for community members who have not been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease to participate.

The NC Registry for Brain Health is for people across North Carolina interested in news and research to improve brain health and advance the treatment of dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. By joining the registry, community members will get helpful information to keep their brains working at their best and to learn about research that may improve treatment options in the future.