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Newsletter Credits
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Editors
A.J. Dugay
Andrea Orvik
Michelle Venegas
Contributors
Kathleen Kelly
A.J. Dugay
Andrea Orvik
Lana Sheridan
Michelle Venegas
Graphics/Production
Andrea Orvik
Executive Director
Kathleen A. Kelly
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Board of Directors
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Directors
Ping Hao, President
Herman S. Brown
Katy Thomas Fike
Moira Fordyce
Jeff Kumataka
Jacquelyn Kung
Mark Lachman
Dan Lieberman
Michael Malewicz
Rajiv Mehta
Kathleen Raffel
F. Burns Vick
Deborah Wolter
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The holiday season is officially upon us. This is a time for giving, spending time with loved ones and taking stock of why you are grateful. Caregiving for a family member may be even more stressful during this busy time. It's important to keep in mind that you are not alone and there is help available to you. In this issue of Connections, you will find several articles and upcoming events that will hopefully provide insight and hope during this holiday season.
You may notice that this issue of Connections has a different look and feel. We would appreciate any feedback that you have for us. Please email me directly at adugay@caregiver.org.
Sincerely,
AJ Dugay
Education Coordinator, Family Caregiver Alliance
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 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Help us match a challenge grant to extend service for families in 2015!
Family Caregiver Alliance has received a challenge grant of $12,000 to match with contributions from our supporters by the end of the year.
Dick Essey, FCA Board alumnus, has pledged this challenge grant to extend our direct services to family caregivers. Dick has experienced caregiving on a personal level with the diagnosis of ALS of his wife and through many years of care for her as her illness progressed. Dick has been a tireless advocate for families and the primary underwriter of FCA's annual Caregiver Retreat giving family caregivers an opportunity to refresh and renew over a weekend retreat.
Donate online or by contacting us by phone at (800) 445-8106 x326.
__________________________________________ You are invited to attend the 2014 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards Reception The reception will held at the 2015 Aging in America Conference on Wednesday, March 25th from 6:00pm to 8:00pmWhere: Hyatt Regency Chicago151 East Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60601This reception honors the recent winners of the Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards. These programs focus on improving the lives of adults with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers through creative expression programming, targeting diverse/multicultural communities, and organizing for advocacy and policy changes. The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and the National Center on Caregiving of Family Caregiver Alliance and are pleased to host this reception and invite everyone to attend. ____________________________________________ Caregiver Support Group in Alameda County
FCA would like your feedback on having a caregiver support group held in Alameda County.
Please click HERE for the survey, thank you!
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FCA launches new program: FCA+(plus)
Beginning January 1, 2015 FCA+(plus), our new signature program, offering fee for service care management, will begin accepting clients.
Click HERE for more details!
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BETTER CAREGIVING, BETTER LIVES: Real Life Strategies and Solutions
The 2014-15 John A. Hartford Foundation Story Contest:
Are you a family caregiver of on older adult or a health care provider who works with caregivers? Share your story about challenges and solutions and help others achieve better caregiving and better lives. Click HERE for more information. |
| LEAD ARTICLES FOR CAREGIVERS |
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Brain's dementia weak spot identified- BBC News
A UK Medical Research Council team carried out a study with MRI brain scans that depicts the brain area involved with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia develops late in adolescence and degenerates early during aging. The findings allude to a potential way to diagnose those at risk earlier...
5 Game-Changing Tech Tools For Caregivers- The Huffington Post
Living independently as we age is a challenge. Fortunately, there are several new tech devices and Apps that can help seniors and their caregivers...
"You can do anything, but not everything."
- David Allen, productivity consultant
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A sibling's guide to caring for aging parents - PBS Newshour Caring for an aging parent alone is complicated. When your brothers and sisters are also involved, and when care, medical and financial decisions must be arrived at together as a team, caregiving can become even more complex. Your siblings can be enormously helpful and your best support. But in many families, they can also be a source of stress. No two families are ever alike...
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
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The Real Reason Why Caregivers Are Stressed- Next Avenue
Balancing errands and hands-on-care may not be the only reasons caregivers are experiencing burnout but also their unique set of internalized values and expectations they have about themselves, their relationships and their lives...
"It is not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it."
- Lena Horne, singer
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Seeing the 'Invisible Patient'- The New York Times
Often healthcare professionals overlook the caregiver as a patient themselves. With caregiver burden becoming such a prominent issue, it's vital that physicians assess the health and well-being of family caregivers as well as the care receiver...
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CAREGIVER INFORMATION
| | Caregiving and the holidays: from stress to success!- Family Caregiver Alliance
For many caregivers the holiday season gives rise to stress, frustration and anger, instead of peace and good will...
Alzheimer's Caregiving Tips: Travelling Overnight- National Institute on Aging
It can be quite stressful to plan an overnight trip for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. It is best to plan ahead. Here are some tips...
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Beyond the Blues: When Sadness Becomes Depression (Free Webinar)- Easter Seals How do you know if you just have the "blues" or if it's something more serious? And what can you do about it?...
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| FCA PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS | |
December 17, 2014; 1:00pm - 2:00pm (PST) - ONLINE
How to Prevent Falls in Aging Adults- Webinar
Worried about falls in an aging adult?
In this webinar, geriatrician Dr. Leslie Kernisan will discuss practical approaches that you can take, to help an older person reduce the chance of a serious fall.
*This webinar costs $15 (please purchase ticket at least 24 hours before this webinar). You have the option to register to view it live OR as a recording. CEU's are available through the Board of Behavioral Sciences (MFTs, LCSWs, Ed. Psychologists, & Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors)
To Register: Click HERE
January 14 and 21, 2015; 12:00pm-1:00pm (PST) - ONLINE
Two FREE Webinars on use of Technology in the Home by Family Caregivers January 14: Current Technology Trends and Emerging Products for Caregivers in the Home This webinar will explore the current technology trends in making the home environment safer and more efficient for family caregivers. Learn about what is emerging on the market for products and services as well as what is in the pipeline for the future. This webinar will provide a practical overview on technologies to consider using for care purposes. Click HERE to register. January 21: New Technology Products and Services: Making the Match for Caregiving Families As the market expands with new technology products and services, caregivers can face a confusing array of options. This webinar will highlight how to find and evaluate new technologies now on the market. Practical tips and checklists will be offered to help guide decision making. Click HERE to register.
____________________________________________ January 28, 2015; 1:00pm - 2:00pm (PST) - ONLINE
The Normal Aging Process and How it Affects the Body- Webinar
FCA presents a webinar on how aging affects the body and suggestions on healthy aging. Our bodies are miraculous, over hundreds of miles of nerves, tendon, muscles and veins. Mix in the water, minerals and brain matter and we have a life. An average life span for 2014 is now 80.4 years in California. (More or less for race). As our bodies age each body system goes through changes. We will discuss each of the 11 body systems and how they may be altered by age. We will also look at ways we can either slow or repair those changes.
*This webinar costs $15 (please purchase ticket at least 24 hours before this webinar). You have the option to register to view it live OR as a recording. CEU's are available through the Board of Behavioral Sciences (MFTs, LCSWs, Ed. Psychologists, & Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors)
To Register: Click HERE
_______________________________________________ Check out FCA's upcoming webinars for 2015
_______________________________________________ January 29, 2015; 5:00pm - 7:00pm in San Mateo Taking Care of SoMEone Else A dynamic 2-hour workshop for YOU, the caregiver! The caregiving of your family member may extend over many years, and the tendency may be to set your life aside during this time. You are invited to stay open to change, to think about other ways you might be handling your caregiving situation, and how you can take action on YOUR OWN behalf by learning a few tools to help YOU take care of YOU! Where: Mission Hospice and Home Care 1670 S. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 300 To Register: Contact Lisa Deal at Ldeal@missionhospice.org or (650) 554-1000 ___________________________________________February 19, 2015; 1:00pm - 4:00pm in San Rafael There Must be a Better Way Than This!
Communicating with a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease or another dementia can be frustrating and disheartening. However, a few simple strategies can make caregiving easier and help you continue to feel connected to your loved one. In this interactive half-day workshop we will discuss how dementia affects a person's ability to understand and communicate. Participants will be coached on the best ways to handle troubling behavior and how to speak with and respond to a person with memory loss. Where: Whistlestop
930 Tamalpais Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901
To Register: Contact the Education Coordinator at 800-445-8106 ext. 313 or email adugay@caregiver.org with your name and the title of this class.___________________________________________ February 20, 2015;
8:30am - 4:30pm in San Francisco
Preparing for the Changing Horizon: Dementia Awareness and Caregiving for LGBT Older Adults in Diverse Communities Conference
The Stanford Geriatric Education Center, Family Caregiver Alliance, Openhouse, Alzheimer's Association, UCSF NorCal Geriatric Education Center, Institute on Aging and The San Francisco Department of Aging are hosting a 1-day educational program on dementia care and caregiving for diverse, (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) older adults. Come join leading experts and community leaders at this anticipated event designed specifically for the LGBT community, their famillies, friends and partner caregivers, as well as healthcare/social service providers and policy makers.
Where:The Milton Marks Conference Center, Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building, Lower Level
455 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102
To Register: Click HERE
Click HERE to view brochure.
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EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY
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December 18th; 6:00pm-8:00pm in San Francisco
"Towards a Universal City"
San Francisco has unique characteristics that have to be addressed to allow people of all ages and abilities to live here. In this presentation, Cathy Spensley will give an overview of findings of the workgroup and will invite ideas for the universal future of our City.
Where: Offices of IDEO
Pier 28 Annex, The Embarcadero
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January 8, 2015; 11:00am - 12:00pm (PST)- ONLINE
Breaking the Barriers to a Healthy Relationship: Couples Intimacy and Communication- Free Webinar
Military relationships are difficult under normal circumstances. A wound, illness or injury can significantly change your relationship. During this session, you will learn how to improve your relationship through communication, better understand each other's needs, resolve conflict and find renewed hope. Individuals are hardwired differently and therefore can cause emotional needs to not be met in a relationship due to a lack of understanding. We will learn how to identify emotional needs and how to meet their partners' emotional needs.
Click HERE to register.
____________________________________________________ January 27, February 3 & February 10; 10:00am-12:00pm in San Francisco Living With Alzheimer's: for Persons with Alzheimer's (Early Stage) & Living With Alzheimer's: for Care Partners (Early Stage) Both groups meet simultaneously, in separate rooms When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, friends and family have many questions.What does the diagnosis mean? What kinds of plans need to be made? What resources are available to help? As the disease progresses, new questions reflect growing needs for skills, programs and services. Living with Alzheimer's for Caregivers is a series of education programs that provide answers to the questions that arise in the early, middle and late stages of the disease.Hear from those directly affected and learn what you need to know, what you need to plan and what you can do at each point along the way. This program will cover information for caregivers of people with Early-stage, Middle-stage, or Late-stage Alzheimer's disease. Where: CPMC California Campus, San Francisco,CA REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Joanne Robinson Teran 800.272.3900, or jrobinson@alz.org ____________________________________________________ January 31 & February 7, 2015; 10:00am - 1:00pm
(Participation in both parts is required) in Burlingame Dialing Down the Pressure: Strategies for Caregiver Survival Are you overwhelmed by taking care of your elderly relative or friend that you have neglected your own needs? This free two part self-care class will teach you practical tips for improving your mental and physical well-being. Where: Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
1501 Trousdale Drive, Burlingame
(Conference Room H, First Floor Conference Center) To Register: Call (650) 696-3660 to register or for more information. Registration required; Register by January 28, 2015
Click HERE for more information. |
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU
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PROFESSIONAL LISTINGS: Life Enhancing Activities for Family Caregivers (LEAF) Researchers at the University of California San Francisco are testing a program for family caregivers of people with dementia. Six positive emotion based skill-building sessions are delivered one-on-one via videoconferencing on study-supplied tablet computers, so caregivers can take part from anywhere in the USA. This study consists of six weekly hour-long sessions, nightly home practice, and online surveys. To be eligible, you must be the primary caregiver of someone with any type of degenerative dementia, and you must have consistent access to a reliable wifi connection for your weekly sessions. For more information, please access our website: HERE, email us at: leaf@ucsf.edu, or call (415) 514-2935. __________________________________________ Caregiver Health-eBrain Study: Research to Improve Brain Health Are you one of the 15 million caregivers looking after a loved one with Alzheimer's or other types dementia? Help scientists understand how the caregiving lifestyle impacts brain performance. Join the Caregivers' Health-eBrain project and participate in an online study to assess your cognition. 30 minutes of your time is what's required. For more information or to join the study, Click HERE ______________________________________ Age Differences in Health-Related Behaviors of Family Caregivers Researchers are seeking to learn about health and self-care behaviors of family caregivers. Eligible participants must be a primary caregiver to a relative 50+ with a chronic illness, disability, or terminal illness, provide 10+ hours of care per week, and have been a caregiver for at least 6 months. Information will be collected through an online survey which is estimated to take 20 to 25 minutes to complete. Following completion of the survey, participants have the option to receive a University of Kentucky promotional item. If interested, contact Natalie at natalie.pope1@uky.edu or access the anonymous survey using the link: HERE
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| GIFTS FROM THE HEART | 
A thank you to our donors and supporters
We would like to take a moment to extend a warm thank you to the many generous supporters who make the work we do possible through thoughtful donations to Family Caregiver Alliance.
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For over 30 years, Family Caregiver Alliance has offered programs to support and sustain the important work of families and friends caring for loved ones with chronic, disabling health conditions. FCA offers programs at national, state and local levels. The National Center on Caregiving was established at FCA in 2001 to advance the development of high-quality, cost-effective services and policies nationwide. A wealth of caregiving advice, resource listings, newsletters, fact sheets, research reports, policy updates and discussion groups are available free on the FCA website. Visit www.caregiver.org or call (800) 445-8106 for more information.
© 2013 Family Caregiver Alliance. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this newsletter may be reproduced without the express permission of Family Caregiver Alliance.
785 Market Street, Ste. 750, San Francisco, CA 94103
www.caregiver.org | 415.434.3388
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