Thousands of Pierce County residents take care of a friend or family member with a serious health condition. While being a caregiver can be a labor of love, it can also be very stressful. On top of normal stress, the isolation created by COVID-19 is still creating incredible challenges for care takers and caregivers’ well-being and mental health.
To provide support, Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources, in collaboration with the Health Care Providers Council, will offer the 2023 Pierce County Caregiver Conference as a half-day virtual event on Tuesday, June 13th. This free conference is open to both paid and unpaid family caregivers. Advanced registration is required, and participants can sign up by clicking here.
The conference will run from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and feature the following 30-minute workshops:
- Specialized Virtual Care
- Hospice
- Assistive Devices
- Legal Planning
- Senior Driving
Handouts, workshop materials, caregiving tools and community resources will be available online before and after the conference. Paid, in-home caregivers who attend the conference may qualify for up to two hours of continuing education (CE) credits from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
“Nearly 900,000 unpaid family caregivers in our state provide 80% of the services their loved ones need to remain in home for as long as possible,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources manager. “These caregivers need support to continue their ongoing caregiver activities and to ensure their own mental and physical health stays intact while coping with related challenges.”
More information can be found online at www.PierceCountyWA.gov/Caregiver. For more information about the presentations or to register by phone, call the Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 253-798-4600 or 800-562-0332.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kari Moore, Public Information Specialist
253-363-0325
[email protected]