The Aging Report
Do You Know a Caregiver Who Could Use Some Help?
The term "caregiver" refers to anyone who provides assistance to someone else who needs it. Whether it's a husband, sibling, mother, father or friend, family care giving is very common, especially as people get older and their parents begin to experience health problems.

The Family Caregiver Support Program provides valuable resources for those who are giving unpaid care to adults age 60+ and for those with Alzheimer's disease or a related illness.

The program includes:
  • Caregiver Resources that will assess your situation and help connect you to programs to assist you
  • Respite Services which provide alternatives to take a break from caring for your loved one
  • Legal Services to protect the caregiver's legal rights and/or the rights of the relative raising a child. This program also provides legal advice and education concerning caregiver rights and responsibilities.
  • Gap-Filling Services that provide options to obtain support in unforeseen circumstances and cover a variety of things for you
  • Caregiver Counseling Centers to coach/counsel you through difficult times
  • Support Groups to share experiences and to understand that you are not alone
Photo by Eldercare Locator
The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois provides Caregiver Support Programs in DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.
Building Dementia Friendly Communities
The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois is working hard to make our communities more inclusive for people living with dementia and their support systems. Too often, people living with dementia feel alone and unheard. The Agency on Aging is working to engage multiple community sectors to think of ways to make our communities more friendly to people with dementia.

During North Chicago Community Days, Mayor Leon Rockingham declared August 4 & 5 as Dementia Friendly days in the city of North Chicago. Thank you to Mayor Rockingham, Jennifer Hartmann, Pat Taylor and Chris Damon of the North Chicago Advisory Committee for their support of this very important initiative!

Riverside Senior Life Communities held the first ever Memory Cafe in Kankakee for their residents. A Memory Cafe is a safe, comfortable place where caregivers and their loved ones with memory loss can socialize and enjoy one another. The next Memory Cafe will be on August 28th from 10-1130 AM at the Perry Farm Gazebo in Bradley, IL.

The first Memory Cafe in Elgin was held on Tuesday, August 14th at Colonial Cafe. The Memory Cafe invites people with mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers to socialize with others experiencing the same challenges. The cafe events were created through a partnership between the Elgin Library, Senior Services Associates, The Sheridan at Tyler Creek Senior Living and Colonial Cafe.

A new program for Caregivers is called Stress Busters. The first 9 week session was held at Foss Park District in North Chicago this past April/May. The program was well received by all participants. The Agency on Aging trained 15 grantees and community facilitators to facilitate the Stress Busters program region wide. The next 9 week session will be at Kankakee Community College starting September 13th.
Join Us and Walk to End Alzheimer's!
Join the Agency on Aging as we Walk to End Alzheimer's®!

We will be walking at Kankakee Community College on Saturday, September 15 and at Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles on Saturday, September 22nd. Registration beings at 8:30 AM and the ceremony begins at 9:30 AM.

If you are unable to participate, please consider making a donation to our team page. Every dollar advances the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association!

Attend the FREE Caregiver Seminar
Living with Alzheimer’s disease is challenging, changing life for both the person with the 
disease and their family. But what if someone diagnosed was in their early 60s, 50s or even as young as in their 30s? Younger onset Alzheimer’s disease affects people 65 years old or younger. 

Susan Frick, MSW, LSW, Director of Without Warning ® , a support program for individuals and families who live with younger onset Alzheimer's, will be presenting Too Soon To Forget, a documentary on younger onset Alzheimer's and there will be a discussion about Dementia Friends.

“Too Soon to Forget” takes an in-depth look at the particulars of younger onset Alzheimer’s and provides information to help educate viewers about the effects and its impact. With 
stories of nine families from the RUSH Alzheimer’s Disease Center’s support group, Without Warning®, this documentary will begin a national conversation that encourages awareness, understanding and acceptance. 
Join us on Tuesday, August 21st
at Drury Lane

Doors Open at 6 PM
Program begins at 6:30 PM

Walk Ins are Welcome!
Discover the Sweeter Side of Aging at the Senior Lifestyle Expo!
August 21 & 22, 2018
9 AM to 2 PM
Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace

Make sweet memories and "Discover the Sweeter Side of Aging" with us at the 23rd Annual Senior Lifestyle Expo!

The Expo will feature "Sweet" entertainment, Senior Idol competition, knowledgeable exhibitors, health & wellness screenings, flu shots, seminars and more!

In partnership with Comfort Keepers, we will have a food drive to continue our goal of keeping at-risk seniors independent, fed and cared for. Please consider bringing a non-perishable food donation to the Expo!

What you can do : Contact U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and your U.S. Representative to express your opinion on this important issue. We hope you share our support for the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, S 337/HR 947.

The Agency on Aging Supports Proposed Caregiver Legislation
The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois Board of Directors voted unanimously at our August Board meeting to support Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, S 337/HR 947 otherwise known as the Family Act.

This bill would create a new trust fund within the Social Security system, to be used only to provide benefits for people while they are caregiving and therefore not working. It would cover care for a newborn baby, for a sick child or spouse, for elderly parents, or any other caregiving that would qualify for unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The new benefit would cover up to 60 days or 12 5-day weeks.

The benefit would be funded by a new payroll tax of 0.4%, paid by both workers and employers, or $200 a year for someone earning $50,000. This payroll tax revenue would be deposited in a new trust fund , the Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) trust fund. No funds would be transferred to or from the Social Security retirement or disability funds.     
Join Our Team and Make a Difference!
The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois is looking for candidates who are interested in sitting on our Board of Directors or Advisory Council!

Candidates should be interested in helping seniors, have a desire to make the public aware of services available to seniors, work or reside in the county you represent, will advocate and provide feedback to the Agency and the community it serves and serve as an unbiased voice for program development and resource distribution. Persons with the ability to attend meetings, an annual meeting and Agency events are encouraged to apply to Linda Williamson at
630-293-5990 or lwilliamson@ageguide.org
Advisory Council Vacancies
Kane County
Kankakee County
Lake County
McHenry County
Will County
Board of Directors Vacancies
Will County
Lake County
27th Annual Celebrity Chefs Brunch Benefiting Holiday Meals on Wheels
Sunday, November 4, 2018

Keep Calm & Put Your Jammies On
Because Hunger Never Sleeps

Food • Silent Auction • Photobooth • Wine • Live Auction • Wine Pull • Beer

For more information about attending, donating or sponsoring, contact Kaitie at 630-293-5990 
The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois was established in 1974. Services funded or coordinated by the Agency on Aging meet the diverse needs of the most rapidly growing population in Illinois. Over 654,000 seniors age 60 and over live in the agency's eight-county service area:

DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties

Agency on Aging | 630-293-5990 |  info@ageguide.org  |  http://www.ageguide.org
P.O. Box 809
Kankakee, IL 60901-0809

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