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Dear Caregivers,
Welcome to another week!
See below for this week's news and announcements.
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SPOTLIGHT ON COMPASS MEMORY CAFE
We are continuing with our spotlight on the COMPASS Memory Cafe, sharing more about the program and staff. Memory Cafe meets on Tuesdays from 10am-12pm at the JCC, and is a safe, supportive space for individuals experiencing memory changes to enjoy socialization and engaging activities through an individualized, inclusive approach. We welcome participants with varying degrees of cognitive impairment, from mild to more advanced -- all are welcome! Caregivers can attend with their person with dementia or patients can attend alone. Registration is required. Contact Kate for more info.
Meet Takiyah Augustine - COMPASS Memory Cafe
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Hello, COMPASS Caregivers! My name is Takiyah Augustine and I would like to introduce myself to everyone. I am a counseling intern at JFS and I work closely with Memory Cafe lead, Vlad Cerbov, as a group therapist for the COMPASS Memory Cafe on Tuesdays.
I am currently attending Wilmington University to get my master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. I will eventually become an LPCMH (Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health) after graduating and taking a national counseling exam for licensure. I previously worked as a mental health technician at Dover Behavioral Health for 4 years with individuals experiencing psychosis and I am very interested in how the brain operates during a psychosis. Based on this experience, my dream after completing my LPCMH is to work with clients who have psychiatric disorders. In addition to my studies and internship role with Memory Cafe, I work for the State of Delaware Division of Family Services as a hotline call representative. In my free time, I love traveling (plane, car, ship, etc.), reading novels, and going to the beach.
While I am a newer addition to the COMPASS team, I bring a lived experience of helping to care for a loved one who had dementia and how my family and I were able to cope with this new normal. My grandmother had dementia which went undiagnosed back in 2014 and passed away in 2016. My family would have benefitted from the Savvy Caregivers/Memory Cafe program when we were experiencing this new change in our lives. I enjoy the creativity and individuality that our members bring to Memory Cafe. It creates such a unique atmosphere every Tuesday. My goal for Memory Cafe is to help provide the extra emotional support for caregivers and their loved ones with a diagnosis of dementia. I am happy to be part of an innovative experience that gives back to a community that is bigger than myself, combating loneliness and creating community, with co-leadership from Memory Cafe leader, Vlad Cerbov.
I look forward to meeting many more of you over time!
Take care,
Takiyah Augustine, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters Student
JFS Counseling Intern, COMPASS Memory Cafe
taugustine@jfsdelaware.org
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CAREGIVER TIP OF THE WEEK: BOUNDARIES
Part 1 of 4: What are Boundaries?
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This week, we will reprise our 4-part series on Boundaries, which has been very well-received in years past, adapted from content originally authored by JFS Fellowship Program Director, Wendell Covell, LCSW. We hope it will continue to be a helpful support to you as we head into the holidays.
What are boundaries?
The challenges of the caregiving relationship have been a common discussion topic with caregivers. As dementia changes a person's personality and capabilities, this can impact the nature of the relationship that you have with your loved one. Caregiving can also change the way that you relate to others in your life - you may find yourself with less time to socialize and more in need of support from others. One concept that can help us to better understand the nature of these ever-changing relationships is boundaries. We will spend the next few weeks reviewing what boundaries are, how they impact us, and how we can alter them to lead to more desirable outcomes in our lives.
Caregiving is a full-time job and it comes with a lot of overtime. Sometimes extended family/friends work to influence what we are doing as caregivers, or with other places in our life, sometimes adding more to our plate (sometimes they realize it, sometimes they don’t). The ultimate goal is for us to establish healthy boundaries in our relationships to keep our workload manageable and find time to prioritize ourselves.
Before we get into the different types of boundaries and how to identify them, it is important to talk about what boundaries are. There is a different “normal” that lives within each relationship we have and it is defined by rules, patterns, and limits. These are established through boundaries that exist between the people in the relationship, and their job is to define what is okay and not okay in the relationship. What we allow and don’t allow in each relationship is influenced by the amount and intensity of the boundaries we set. These boundaries can keep us safe and protect our energy, or they can leave us drained, alone, or feeling taken advantage of. This means that we owe it to ourselves to set boundaries in our relationship that meet our needs. In the coming weeks, the Caregiver Tip of the Week will identify three different types of boundaries, how to recognize them, and how to work towards healthy boundaries when we realize they are missing.
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JFS COMPASS Holiday Gathering
Tuesday December 12, 10:30a-12:00p
Location: SIEGEL JCC (building connected to JFS)
Please join us for a festive gathering for COMPASS patients and caregivers to come together with each other and with the COMPASS Team this holiday season. Feel free to join for some or all of the time. Coffee and light refreshments will also be provided.
More information to come in the following weeks!
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Savvy Caregiver Training Program
Tuesday November 7, 10:15a-11:45a
Savvy Caregiver is a nationally recognized leading evidence-based dementia family caregiver training program designed to provide mastery over caregiving skills. Led by COMPASS team social workers, Laura Dickol, LMSW and Barb Hughes, LMSW, the program will provide participants mastery of dementia knowledge and caregiving skills as you care for your relative living with dementia. As an option for your person with dementia, we will also be offering Memory Cafe to run concurrently at the JCC from 10am-12pm.
Registration for the fall 2023 session of Savvy Caregiver is currently closed but be on the lookout for spring 2024 registration in the coming months.
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Memory Cafe
Tuesday November 7, 10:00a-12:00p
We have decided to open up a few more slots for COMPASS patients to attend the COMPASS Memory Cafe! Any COMPASS patient is now welcome to enroll (it is no longer required that attendees have a caregiver who is enrolled in the Savvy Caregiver class). Memory Cafe is a safe, supportive space for individuals experiencing memory changes to enjoy engaging activities that focus on strengths and are planned to encourage inclusion of all guests. Memory Cafe is facilitated by JFS staff and caregivers are welcome to accompany their person with dementia or patients can attend alone.
- Every Tuesday until 12/5, 10a-12p (no Memory Cafe on 11/21)
- Held at the JCC but please enter through JFS
Registration for Memory Cafe is required in advance. Please contact Kate to register.
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COMPASS Caregiver Therapy and Support Group
Wednesday November 15, 5-6 PM
Did you know that the COMPASS community has an ongoing therapy group for caregivers? The COMPASS Caregiver Therapy and Support Group is co-led by JFS social work clinicians (Emily Barnshaw and Jordan Gerecke) and is billed through our participant’s insurance. It is strictly for COMPASS caregivers, and the focus for each session is on introducing and developing various therapy concepts that directly connect to the caregiving experience and stress that comes with it. It is an active group, and participants often use their insight and personal experiences to take the conversation into productive and new directions. We meet virtually on a bi-weekly basis (every other Wednesday from 5-6pm). Due to insurance, this group is only available to caregivers who reside in Delaware.
Limited spots are now available. Please email Kate if you would like to enroll in this group.
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PHONE NUMBER: (302) 530-3159
HOURS: Weekdays/Business Days: 5PM – 8AM
Weekends/Non-Business Days: 24/7
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The COMPASS On Call service is available to assist with urgent patient/caregiver needs related to the patient’s dementia care plan, such as providing support and guidance if the patient is experiencing a behavioral symptom crisis or if the caregiver is experiencing a caregiver stress crisis.
- The COMPASS On Call Service is staffed by JFS clinical staff from across the agency, including social workers and care managers, who work closely with the COMPASS team. Your call will be returned within 1 hour.
- Non-urgent needs, such as canceling/rescheduling appointments or prescription refill requests, are best addressed by the COMPASS team during business hours. Non-urgent information can still be sent to COMPASS team members after hours by voicemail or portal message.
- Patients and Caregivers are directed to contact the patient’s primary care provider regarding concerns related to the patient’s general medical conditions and any urgent medical symptoms. For medical emergencies, call 9-1-1.
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Access the COMPASS portal here or click on the box below. | |
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The JFS COMPASS Mission is to provide specialized medical care for older adults with dementia and just as importantly, critical support for their caregivers—including education, counseling and improved access to services—with the over-arching goal that patients and families affected by dementia in our community will receive the care and support they need to navigate the challenges they face. We strive to do this with a spirit of service and compassion. | |
Jewish Family Services of Delaware (JFS) is a nonprofit human services agency with a mission to strengthen individuals, families, and the community by providing counseling and support services. With an interdisciplinary and innovative approach, we combine talent, expertise, and leadership to make our robust therapeutic and support services available to everyone, regardless of religion, race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or special need.
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99 Passmore Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
20684 John J Williams Hwy, Suite 4
Lewes, DE 19958
(302) 478-9411
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