Seniors Safer at Home

Family Caregiver Workshop Format- Please allow 3-4 hours

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                Session 1:  Caregiving Statistics and Identifying the Gaps in Support

This session dives into who the caregivers and recipients of care are in the US, how caregiving can negatively impact caregivers, recognizing the gaps in caregiving resources, how to fill in the gaps through identifying assistance and resources, and finally, self-care.  An extensive list of resources will be provided, including a list of all citations used in the presentation.

                Session 2:  Preparing for Caregiving

Preparing for Caregiving considers the common activities which caregivers provide assistance- both Activities of Daily Living and Independent Activities of Daily Living.  A guide to implementing a Care Plan, developing your “Care Team”, and the importance of performing a financial assessment and obtaining advance directives is also reviewed.  We end this session with a discussion on important questions to ask when hiring a caregiver. 

                Session 3:  Unique Concerns Associated with Caregiving for the Elderly

Our 3rd session has us taking a deeper look into unique issues associated with caregiving for the elderly and how many of these are intertwined and interdependent.  These topics include- considering the services of a geriatrician, how falling can be detrimental to the elderly, identifying and correcting signs of dehydration, assessing the intake of multiple medications for adverse effects, deciphering levels of frailty in the vulnerable, recognizing ways the elderly are at higher risk when they are admitted into the hospital and suicide rates in our elderly population.

                Session 4:  Caregiving at End of Life

Our final session is dedicated to caregiving at the end of life.  Advantages of both palliative and hospice care will be discussed, and a brief history of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and the Stages of Grief will be provided.  The nature of the dying process and what we may expect both physically and cognitively, hosting visitors for the dying person and creating our loved-one's dying environment, addressing the fear of dying for both the caregiver and their loved-one, and what to do and how to feel after your loved one passes, will all be covered.  

We will leave time for open discussion about grief support, caregiver fears, frustrations and anything else.  No topic is off-limits.

Outline Credit BrianEkeland.com