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Notes From Our Caregivers Workshop
This is the final installment from our blog posts on our Family Caregivers Workshop that was held August 15th.
It was a good day. We arrived early, got set up and were ready to greet our speakers and participants by 9:30 AM. The workshop started at 10 AM. Each participant received a Resource Binder that included:
- A list of caregiver resources
- Cobb County Resource Directory for Senior Citizens
- Telephone Tips and Techniques for Caregivers
- 10 Tips for Family Caregivers
- Catalog from The Alzheimer’s Store
- Catalog from the Caregivers Health Mart
We also had giveaways from The Alzheimer’s Store, Angel Companions and Gary Barg of caregiver.com.
Our first speaker, Carrie Springer is the marketing director for Woodland Ridge Assisted Living Facility and Adult Day Care. Carrie is also a gerontologist who cares for her adult brother and her parents who are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Carrie is intentionally soft spoken and has a way of speaking that draws the listener in and keeps their attention.
My notes listed with bullet points
- there are 32 types of dementia – some are reversible
- early 20′s and 30′s are usually the years dementia patients remember
- they like photographs of family and friends – have them blow up
- negative behavior is fear based
- their optic nerve is often altered and causes them to see strange things
- they lose the ability to see certain colors, green is the last color they lose
- carpet and patterned floors are not good for dementia patients – they may see things that are not there
Key tools for working with family/friends with dementia
- humor
- music
- exercise
- healthy environment (order allows the mind to relax)
- adequate rest
- create a schedule and stick to it
- keep vaccinations up to date
- get flu shots
Rest
Carrie also talked about the importance of caregivers having some Me time. Her Me time is Saturdays until 5 PM. As caregivers, we must take care of ourselves. If we keep going until we are exhausted, sick or depressed, we won’t be any good to anyone, including those we care for.
Medicare/Medicaid
Our other two speakers, Jeff Ray and Ronnie Kendrick from WellCare of Georgia fielded questions about Medicare and Medicaid. They were well informed and very adept at answering questions. Our participants said they got a better understanding of Medicare and Medicaid.
The best thing I got from the workshop was a referral for another geriatrician for Gladys. We will be visiting with her real soon.
I hope this synopsis has been helpful. Let me know what you think.
Workshop for Family Caregivers
For the past few months I’ve been planning a workshop for family caregivers. This particular workshop will focus on elder care and dementia issues.
Last year when I became a caregiver, I looked for some sort of local workshop or class that I could attend that would help prepare me for taking care of my god-sister. Considering there are more than 50 million family caregivers in the United States and those caregivers provide 80% of long term care, I thought it would be relatively easy to find some local classes or workshops. Not so!
With that in mind, I decided to host a workshop in the greater Atlanta area. If you are a family caregiver like me, you have probably asked: What are my care options? Where do I find Alzheimer’s resources? How do I keep from becoming resentful or burned out? What are these different Medicare Options? If this sounds like you, please join us for this 4 hour workshop.
August 15, 2009
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Smyrna Community Center
Community Room
200 Village Green Circle SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
Cost: $30 per person Free
Experienced Elder Care Professionals
Each workshop participant will receive a binder with information relating to elder care, dementia and general caregiving issues. A light lunch is included in the workshop fee.
