Vol. 6, # 4 July, 2015
|
The WellMed Charitable Foundation (WCF) will use your tax-deductible donation to support and enhance quality of life for family caregivers,
their care recipients, and seniors.
|
Calendar "At a Glance"
|
A complimentary telephone learning and support program. Select a session right for you.
Click here for more details
We've added something new! Since our TeleConnection participants are nationwide, timezones have been added to simplify scheduling.
______________
Monday, August 10th; 1 pm Eastern; 12 pm Central; 11 am Mountain; 10 am PacificFinancial Planning for Caregivers & Loved Ones with Tena Burrell
______________
Tuesday, August 18th; 3 pm Eastern; 2 pm Central; 1 pm Mountain; 12 pm Pacific Coping with Caregiver Stress with Tam Cummings, PhD ______________
Thursday, August 27th; 3 pm Eastern; 2 pm Central; 1 pm Mountain; 12 pm Pacific When Enough is Enough: Setting Personal Boundaries as a Caregiver with Evelyn Greb, LMSW _______________
Sign Up By Phone,
Email or Online
______________
Register for any scheduled TeleLearning Sessions above by phone at -- 871-7SOS (7767) or 1(866) 390-6491 (toll-free) (Mon.- Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.); by email, or go to our website.
At no cost, these phone-based sessions connect family caregivers with experts and other caregivers in similar situations.
|
Social Media
|
Click below to hear podcasts |
Join Our List
|
(You may select multiple lists.)
|
Carol's Column
|
For those of us who are caregivers or work with caregivers, the focus given to caregiving issues at the recent White House Conference on Aging was exhilarating and a reason to celebrate. Unlike past White House Conferences that dealt with a wide variety of aging issues, this conference selected only four subject areas: caregiving, healthy aging, retirement security and elder justice. This conference also moved the aging conversation to a discussion that included boomers and seniors. No wonder caregiving had to be included.
The biggest issues that came out of the panel, adroitly led by actor David Hyde Pierce, were the increasing need for paid and family caregivers, low pay and marginalization of direct care workers who are asked to support the dignity of our family members every day at a rate of only $13,000 per year, and the need to give caregivers more options and support.
My colleague on the NCOA board, Ai-Jen Poo, talked about the need for a whole new system, to revalue care, and to support good quality caregiving jobs that would give us the sustainable workforce we need to live well. The panel also emphasized the importance of "dementia-friendly communities" that are more aware of the needs of persons with dementia and their caregivers.
The biggest missing issue was the lack of acknowledgement that the United States has no system for long-term services and support at a time when boomers are turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 a day. Most people don't understand that Medicare doesn't pay for care in assisted living or a nursing home. They don't realize that the only options are private pay or to spend down to poverty to qualify for Medicaid.
There is nothing for families in the middle who want to support their loved one in later life, but don't have enough resources to pay for all the care that is needed. The lack of retirement savings for the boomer generation combined with a great amount of debt means the upcoming generation will be the least prepared to face the challenges in later life that require care, and that their families will continue to shoulder that burden without adequate support.
The White House Conference on Aging was a moment to pause, to look around and evaluate the current landscape, and to imagine the future we want to see. When we open the door to the years ahead, I hope we see an integration of health and social services that allow us to get the healthcare we need in a community setting where we want to live. I hope that as a society, we decide to value our loved ones, our families and ourselves enough that we create a path to follow when disease and disability enter our lives with financial, emotional, and physical supports along the way.
The White House is full of the symbolism of, "We the people." If all caregivers were to lift their voices and speak for the future they want for all the generations in their families, from the oldest to the youngest, we would feel the ground shifting beneath our feet creating that new path. It is time.
Carol Zernial,
Executive Director, WellMed Charitable Foundation
|
Key WCF Events in 2015
|
Please mark your 2015 calendars with these important dates:
|
10/12/15
6th Annual WCF Golf Classic,
Oak Hills Country Club, 5403
Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio,
TX 78228
|
11/13/15
2015 Caregiver Summit
in San Antonio;
Whitley Theological Center, 285 Oblate Drive, San Antonio, TX 78216
|
|
Join the Conversation |
Individuals, non-profits and organizations, along with state, regional, and local agencies are encouraged to submit for consideration their information on meetings, educational sessions, or resources for caregivers (of seniors, wounded warriors, and children or adults who have a disability).
Please email details and documents (as a pdf or MS Office document--Word, Publisher, PowerPoint or Excel) promoting the item, along with a contact name, email address, and phone number to: Sue Ellen Lewis, Editor, Caregiver SOS Signals Newsletter/eMail Blasts; email: [email protected]; Voice: 210-637-5116.
|
|
|
Greetings!
Ms. Zernial Goes to Washington:
Participates in White House Conference on Aging President Barack Obama Welcomes Attendees
Past National Council on Aging (NCOA) Chairs Rich Browdie and Monseigneur Charles Fahey, join current Board Chair Carol Zernial (Executive Director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation) and NCOA Executive Director James Firman at the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) on July 13th. Carol is one of 200 professionals in the field of aging nationwide invited to attend.
___________________
Hispanics Focus Of Alzheimer's Town Hall Series
Discussions in Spanish included Emmy Award-winning
Spanish-language documentary on caregiving shown throughout South Texas
It's no secret there is a great deal of fear, confusion, shame and stigma attached to Alzheimer's disease especially among Hispanic families. For many of them, an Alzheimer's diagnosis brings with it blame, guilt and many complex questions.
But thanks to a series of special Spanish-language Town Hall Meetings on Alzheimer's and Caregiving in the Hispanic community - and a special showing (Read more.)
|
MIND, BODY, SPIRIT
|
Highlights from the
2015 White House Conference on Aging
What an amazing conference!
The 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) took place at the White House on July 13, 2015. The Conference was truly a national conversation.
In addition to the older Americans, community leaders and advocates at the White House, there were more than 700 watch parties in every state of the Union. Our hashtag, #WHCOA, also lit up social media with nearly 10,000 Twitter users contributing to the dialogue.
|
LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD
|
We Need to do a Better Job Caring for 40 Million Family Caregivers Family caregivers are invisible. Those children, spouses, or other relatives who provide personal assistance to loved ones with physical or cognitive limitations are often taken for granted or even ignored. But without them, our system of long-term supports and services would collapse. Frail elders and younger people with disabilities would get sicker. Hospitalizations would increase. Medicare and Medicaid costs would explode. (Read more.) |
WANT TO FEEL BETTER?
|
The Stress-Busting Program (SBP) for Family Caregivers is an evidence- based program that provides support for family caregivers of persons with chronic disease or illness. It is designed to: - improve the quality of life of family caregivers who provide care for persons with a chronic disease(s) or illness(es)
- help caregivers manage their stress and cope better with their lives
The nine-week program consists of (Read more.) |
CONCERNED ABOUT MONEY?
|
Financial Planning Tips for Caregivers
Caregivers are often so focused on managing their parent's health and financial needs that they don't even think about their own future needs. Although your focus is on providing care for your loved one, it's important to think about and prepare for your own future financial and caregiving needs. If you haven't done it already, now is the time to start planning for own your retirement.
"It's hard to find the time, but planning for your financial future is a necessity," says Erika Mielke, a Wells Fargo Private Bank senior wealth planning (Read more.)
|
HEALTH SAVVY
|
Caregivers of Older Adults:
Boundaries of Caregiving
There is a line in the poem Mending Wall by Robert Frost that reads, "Good fences make good neighbors." Now the poet may not have had caregivers in mind, but this analogy certainly gives plenty of food for thought when it comes to the caregiver and the care receiver. Boundaries, just like fences, are often crossed or neglected especially in the often hurried and what seem never-ending hours of caregiving. As a caregiver, whether you are caring for a family member, a pastoral caregiver or a professional healthcare provider, (Read more.)
|
Caregiver SOS: On Air
| Caregiver SOS: On Air is an hour-long weekly program that airs at 6 p.m., Sundays on NewsTalk 930-AM KLUP, San Antonio, TX.
Links to listen to recent shows via podcasts or download from iTunes.
|
|
TeleConnection Session Details
|
Register for any TeleLearning Session by phone: (210) 871-7SOS (7767) or 1 (866) 390-6491; Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; by email, or visit our website.
August TeleConnection Session Schedule
Features Important Topics, Including: --Dealing with COPD
--Dementia and the Brain
We've added something new!
Since our TeleConnection participants are nationwide,
time zones have been added to simplify scheduling.
|
_______________________________
Monday, August 10th; 1 pm Eastern; 12 pm Central; 11 am Mountain; 10 am Pacific Financial Planning for Caregivers and Loved Ones with Tena Burrell What can you do as a family caregiver to start the conversation with older loved ones about planning for current and future financial needs as health and independence changes? Learn tools and participate in a question and answer session with Tena Burrell, Certified Senior Advisor as well as other financial certifications and licensures. Sponsored by the North Central Texas Caregiver Teleconnection. This telelearning session is open to all at no charge. Registration
_______________________________
Tuesday, August 18th; 3 pm Eastern; 2 pm Central; 1 pm Mountain; 12 pm Pacific Coping with Caregiver Stress with Tam Cummings, PhD Therapists estimate dementia family caregivers suffer the highest levels of anxiety and depression of any group of caregivers. In this practical presentation, Tam covers the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and their physical impact on caregivers. She also teaches and practices with audience members a number of proven, easy techniques to control and relieve stress. This telelearning session is open to all at no charge. Registration
_______________________________
Thursday, August 27th; 3 pm Eastern; 2 pm Central; 1 pm Mountain; 12 pm Pacific When Enough is Enough: Setting Personal Boundaries as a Caregiver with Evelyn Greb, LMSW Setting personal boundaries is an important step in managing the stress of caregiving. This session will help participants understand what it means to set boundaries, why it is important to set boundaries, and strategies for setting boundaries. Participants will hear strategies from other caregivers on this important topic and will be able to share their own questions and comments.
This telelearning session is open to all at no charge. Registration
|
Caregiver Connections with Dr. Jamie |
Ask the Expert:
"Financial Help for Family Caregivers"
Jamie Huysman, PsyD, LCSW, CAP, CFT*
Question: Do you have suggestions for easing the financial burden of taking care of an aging parent? Answer: The cost of caring for elderly parents in America is a financial crisis in the making. Your local area agency on aging can help you find financial assistance and resources to ease the burden of family caregiving. Click here to view video.
*Jamie Huysman is a noted psychologist and author of several books on caregiving, including Take Your Oxygen First. He is the Vice President - Provider Relations for WellMed Medical Management.
|
Social Security Information for Caregivers
|
HALF A CENTURY OF HELP WITH MEDICARE
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law with these words: "No longer will older Americans be denied the healing miracle of modern medicine. No longer will illness crush and destroy the savings they have so carefully put away over a lifetime."
For 50 years, the Medicare program has provided essential health care services for millions of people who are age 65 or older, disabled, or have (Read more.)
* Oscar Garcia is a Public Affairs Specialist with the Social Security Administration. You can direct your questions to him at: SSA, 411 Richland Hills Drive, San Antonio, Texas, 78245. You can also email him at [email protected].
|
Resources and References
|
Below are resources you can share with family caregivers this month to help them on their journey. New drug may attack Alzheimer's underlying cause, study finds
More than five million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease. Research coming out from the Alzheimer's Association Conference in Washington looks at an experimental drug, solanezumab. The treatment may attack the underlying cause and slow the devastating illness' progress. Dr. David Agus joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the effects of the drug. (Read more.)
Women's Brains Appear More Vulnerable To Alzheimer's Than Men's
There's new evidence suggesting that women's brains are especially vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease and other problems with memory and thinking. Women with mild cognitive impairment, which can lead to Alzheimer's, tend to decline faster than men, researchers reported this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, D.C. (Read more.) There's No Place Like Home - For Growing Old "The stairs are getting so hard to climb." "Since my wife died, I just open a can of soup for dinner." "I've lived here 40 years. No other place will seem like home." These are common issues for older people. And, you may share the often-heard wish-"I want to stay in my own home!" The good news is that with the right help you might be able to do just that. (Read more.) Alzheimer's Caregiving Tips: Traveling Overnight Taking a person with Alzheimer's disease on an overnight trip is a challenge. Traveling can make the person more worried and confused, so it's important to think ahead. Here are some tips. Plan Ahead * Talk with the person's doctor about medicines to calm someone who gets upset while traveling. (Read more.)
|
|
In Closing . . . .
|
W e hope you found this Signals newsletter both useful and informative. Please share it with caregivers you know, your friends, and colleagues by clicking on 'Forward to a Friend'. (Since Signals is optimized for the Internet, forwarding it through your email system very seriously alters the appearance.)
Carol Zernial, Executive Director WellMed Charitable Foundation |
|
|
|