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Caregiving Conference 2021
Pierce County Caregiver Conference 2021
May 8 and May 15
Presented by Aging and Disability Resources and the Health Care Providers Council of Pierce County
Join us Saturday, May 8 and May 15 from 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. for presentations that offer information, support and encouragement for in-home family caregivers. Click 'schedule + presenters' below to review workshop topics and schedule.
Challenges in Caregiving
- May 8 - Giving Care
- Focus on the care recipient
- May 15 - Taking Care
- Focus on the care giver
Easily Register Online
- Click here to register.
- Instructions to join the conference will be emailed after registration
- Registration is free
Call the ADRC
Need help with registration? Call the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Monday through Friday during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 253-798-4600.
Continuing Education (CE) Credits
Paid caregivers seeking continuing education (CE) credits must register with your email address and use the same computer for viewing. Your online presence will be tracked. Credit (half-hour) will be given for each workshop attended. Two credits will be given for an entire day (4 sessions); four credits given for both days (8 sessions). To receive credit you must attend the entire workshop session. Credit given only for sessions attended on that day – no recordings. Certificates will be e-mailed upon completion.Caregiving takes many forms. Many of us help older, sick, or disabled family members and friends every day. We know we are helping, but we don’t think of ourselves as caregivers. We are glad to do this and feel rewarded by it, but if the demands are heavy, over time we can also become exhausted and stressed. We think we should be able to handle caregiving roles on top of busy work and family schedules and begin to feel guilty and depressed as our stamina wanes.
Who Are Caregivers? The short answer is most of us, at some point in our lives. Caregivers are daughters, wives, husbands, sons, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, partners and friends. While some people receive care from paid caregivers, most rely on unpaid assistance from families, friends and neighbors.
Caregivers manage a wide range of responsibilities. In your family, for example, are you the person who buys groceries, cooks, cleans house or does laundry for someone who needs special help doing these things, helps a family member get dressed, take a shower and take medicine, transfers someone in and out of bed, helps with physical therapy, injections, feeding tubes or other medical procedures, makes medical appointments and drives to the doctor and drugstore, talks with the doctors, care managers and others to understand what needs to be done, spends time at work handling a crisis or making plans to help a family member who is sick, is the designated “on-call” family member for problems. Quite a list!
Here is a profile of caregivers:
- Sixty percent of caregivers are women; 40% are men.
- Most caregivers are married or living with a partner.
- The majority of caregivers are middle-aged (35-64 years old).
- Most caregivers are employed, working full or part-time.
- Ethnic minority caregivers provide more care than their white counter-parts.
- Nearly 1 in 5 provide more than 40 hours of care per week.
- Most caregivers live near the people they care for. Eighty-three percent care for relatives, 24% live with the care recipient, 61% live up to one hour away, and 15% live a one or more hour drive away.
Source: Family Caregiver Alliance
Day 1: Giving Care
May 8, 2021 | 9 a.m. - Noon
Focus on the care recipient
| 9:00 a.m. | Information Resources |
| 9:30 a.m. | Session 1: "When a Loved One Resists Care" Presented by: Laura Vaillancourt, Eldercare Counseling and Guidance Services Caregiving can be a thankless task. But when a loved one pushes back on receiving needed care, it can cause feelings of stress and defeat for the care giver and hastens the decline of the care receiver. Learn what resistance means and how to cope with the stubbornness that can be the most painful part of caregiving – and come away from it as a stronger and better care giver. |
| 10:00 a.m. | Break |
| 10:05 a.m. | Session 2: "Using the Gift of Music" Presented by: Cheryl Zabel, Certified Music Practitioner There is nothing better than music to touch our hearts. It’s often said that when all else fails put on a record. Research suggests that listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with any number of chronic health conditions. Key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by disease. Music can relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression and reduce agitation for the care receiver. Music can also benefit caregivers by reducing anxiety and distress, lightening the mood, and providing a way to connect with loved ones — especially those who have difficulty communicating. |
| 10:35 a.m. | Break |
| 10:40 a.m. | Session 3: "Virtual Connections: Keeping Families in Touch" Presented by: Carole Velez, Shelton Stile Whether it’s because of COVID or distance, sometimes personal visits by caring family members and friends just isn’t going to work. Of the 34 million Americans who care for family members, roughly 15 percent are long-distance caregivers who live at least an hour’s drive from their loved one. Many caregivers also work and some are raising children at the same time. And others juggle all three roles. This presentation will help caregivers visualize options for staying connected with their loved one while still proving essential care and support. |
| 11:10 a.m. | Break |
| 11:15 a.m. | Session 4: "Sharing Purpose and Responsibility" Presented by: Kelsie Asaturoz, Kris Dowling, Pierce County ADRC Along with the loss of independence, the hardest things for people who receive care are the loss of purpose and responsibility. What am I good for? Why am I here? What is my role now? There are many things caregivers can do and say to help their care recipient regain a sense of helping, of contributing to family life and giving back as much as possible. Learn some practical examples of care recipient tasks and chores that can re-instill important values of purpose and responsibility. |
| 11:45 a.m. | Informational Resources |
Day 2: Taking Care
May 15, 2021 | 9 a.m. - Noon
Focus on the care giver
| 9:00 a.m. | Information Resources |
| 9:30 a.m. | Session 1: "Caregiver Stress, Frustration and Guilt" Presented by: Lisa Doyle, CayCare Caregiving is an emotional roller coaster. Each day can be filled with high points and low points, often just minutes apart. Add to this a multitude of emotions and caregiver stress, frustrations and guilt can be “off the chart.” Knowing that those emotions are more or less “normal” and how to successfully cope with them is key to maintaining a healthy balance when caregiving. |
| 10:00 a.m. | Break |
| 10:05 a.m. | Session 2: "When to go to the E.R and When not to" Presented by: Dr. Ari Malka, Medical Director, Dispatch Health There is no instruction book that comes with caregiving. But starting day-one, caregivers are expected to be experts in everything from house chores and hygiene to physical therapy and medication management. One of the major issues caregivers face is calling 911 for assistance or rushing a loved one to the Emergency Room – or doing nothing in the hopes that the crisis will pass. Learn what a physician has to say about making those instantaneous decisions on behalf of the person you care for. |
| 10:35 a.m. | Break |
| 10:40 a.m. | Session 3: "Involving the Whole Family" Presented by: William Martin, Deer Ridge Memory Care Family caregiving can be more intensive, complex, and long lasting than in the past and caregivers rarely receive adequate preparation for their role. One huge pitfall is trying to do everything on your own. Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help. Other times family dynamics can make it difficult to get the help that’s needed. Learn about identifying tasks that others can help with and how to ask for their help – even with challenging family dynamics. |
| 11:10 a.m. | Break |
| 11:15 a.m. | Session 4: "Assembling The Book and the Bag" Presented by: Bryana Cross Bean, Elder Law Attorney and Minta Andreve, Rehmke Law A critical piece of homework for every caregiver is to gather all the legal and medical documentation into one place – “The Book” – to have at your disposal for times when it will be needed. Who has power of attorney; what are the advance directives; what are the final wishes. A second critical piece is “The Bag” for emergency situations, for those unforeseen times when disaster may strike and you would have to leave your home on very short notice for several days. “The Book” and “The Bag” go hand-in-hand for caregiving. |
| 11:45 a.m. | Informational Resources |
Day 1: Giving Care
May 8, 2021 | 9 a.m. - Noon
Focus on the care recipient
| 9:00 a.m. | Information Resources | |
| 9:30 a.m. | Session 1: "When a Loved One Resists Care" Presented by: Laura Vaillancourt, Eldercare Counseling and Guidance Services | |
| Break | ||
| 10:05 a.m. | Session 2: "Using the Gift of Music" Presented by: Cheryl Zabel, Certified Music Practitioner | |
| 10:35 a.m. | Break | |
| 10:40 a.m. | Session 3: "Virtual Connections: Keeping Families in Touch" Presented by: Carole Velez, Franke Tobey Jones | |
| 11:10 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:15 a.m. | Session 4: "Sharing Purpose and Responsibility" Presented by: Kelsie Asaturov, Kris Sawyers-Dowling, Pierce County ADRC | |
| 11:45 a.m. | Informational Resources |
Day 2: Taking Care
May 15, 2021 | 9 a.m. - Noon
Focus on the care giver
| 9:00 a.m. | Information Resources | |
| 9:30 a.m. | Session 1: "Caregiver Stress, Frustration and Guilt" Presented by: Lisa Doyle, CayCare | Download presentation: coming soon! |
| 10:00 a.m. | Break | |
| 10:05 a.m. | Session 2: "When to go to the E.R and When not to" Presented by: Dr. Ari Malka, Medical Director, Dispatch Health | Download presentation: coming soon! |
| 10:35 a.m. | Break | |
| 10:40 a.m. | Session 3: "Involving the Whole Family" Presented by: William Martin, Deer Ridge Memory Care | Download presentation: coming soon! |
| 11:10 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:15 a.m. | Session 4: "Assembling The Book and the Bag" Presented by: Bryana Cross Bean, Elder Law Attorney and Minta Andreve, Rehmke Law | Download presentation: coming soon! |
| 11:45 a.m. | Informational Resources |
Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources
Aging and Disability Resources (ADR) is the designated Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for Pierce County. ADR is responsible for local planning, coordination and administration of Federal and State funds targeted to provide a comprehensive system of long term services and supports (LTSS) designed to address the needs and support community living for frail older adults, adults with disabilities and their caregivers residing in Pierce County.
The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is a program of ADR and serves as the front-door to the local LTSS delivery system, providing unbiased information, community outreach / education, help accessing services and person-centered care planning / care coordination to meet the individual needs of older adults, persons with disabilities and their caregivers.
Health Care Providers of Pierce County
The Health Care Providers Council of Pierce County is a non-profit organization that promotes the highest possible standards of service, care, and well-being for older and disabled adults.
Since 2000, the Health Care Providers Council of Pierce County has grown to over 200 individuals who represent various organizations committed to providing exceptional services to seniors in our community. Our members enjoy monthly breakfasts, networking events, recognition events, promotional opportunities, employment opportunities and educational events.