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Dear Caregivers,
Welcome to another week and G'mar Chatimah Tovah – May you be sealed in the Book of Life for a good year. Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is a time of reflection, repentance, and renewal. It is a day when Jewish people around the world come together to seek forgiveness, make amends, and reflect on their actions over the past year. It is a time for fasting, prayer, and self-examination, and it reminds us of the importance of humility, compassion, and the pursuit of a better self.
See below for this week's news and announcements.
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CAREGIVING SELF-EFFICACY QUESTIONNAIRE
5 Minutes/8 Items
Your completion of this assessment will help us measure the effectiveness of the COMPASS program's interventions.
From the literature: "Caregiving self-efficacy generally pertains to one’s confidence in performing various caregiving tasks and coping with the difficulties of caregiving. Caregiving self-efficacy is thus a powerful concept that can help us understand how caregiver interventions work to reduce perceived burden and psychological distress (depression, anger)."
There are 8 questions assessing how sure you feel that you can keep up your own activities and also respond to caregiving situations for your care partner (the person you care for).
Please click here to take the assessment. Thank you!
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COMPASS TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Barb Hughes, LMSW
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My name is Barb Hughes, LMSW and I'm thrilled to be part of the COMPASS team! I've been with JFS since July 2023, as part of the JFS Fellowship Program, which provides support and training for master's level social workers pursuing clinical licensure as therapists in Delaware. My master's training at Bryn Mawr College focused on Social Work with a relational approach to helping individuals, couples, and families cope with trauma and grief.
As a fellow, I work with a diverse population in Delaware, reaching out to both small and large communities. My work centers around family systems and the impact relationships have on our emotional, physical, and mental well-being.
As part of the COMPASS program, I'm passionate about working with caregiving families, individuals, and couples to maintain their mental health. I'm particularly excited to join Laura Dickol, LMSW in leading the Savvy Caregiver training program, which provides caregivers with strategies and tools to support their family member with dementia. I look forward to meeting and working with more of you over time!
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CAREGIVER TIP OF THE WEEK
Understanding Cognitive Changes
From Week 2 of the Savvy Caregiver Training Program
Hello, Caregivers!
This is Barb Hughes, LMSW, COMPASS social worker and Savvy Caregiver assistant Group Leader. It was wonderful to see many of you for our second session on Tuesday and to welcome a few new faces as well -- and to see our Savvy Caregivers express excitement about the knowledge gained and the mutual support provided by the group in improving their abilities. Here’s a recap of some of last week’s learning, for all COMPASS caregivers to benefit from.
During last week's class, we learned about different types of dementia and how we can benefit from better understanding our person's changing thinking abilities to help tailor caregiving strategies accordingly. We applied a practical worksheet to help us assess the eight Elements of Thought (key functions the brain performs) for the person we care for:
- memory
- language
- reasoning
- judgment
- perception
- abstraction
- attention
- organization
Caregivers were able to analyze their person's behavior, note their strengths and losses, and assess the effectiveness of their interventions. For each element of thought, caregivers learned a framework to:
- Keep in mind what's happening
- Adjust expectations
- Develop caregiving strategies
This week, see if you can apply a similar mindset when confronted with a difficult situation with your person -- by pausing, reminding yourself that your person is experiencing brain changes, and it's our job to adjust our expectations and try different approaches.
Stay tuned for tips from Week 3 of the Savvy Caregiver next week!
Barb Hughes, MSS LMSW (she/her/hers)
COMPASS Social Worker
Assistant Group Leader, Savvy Caregiver Training Program
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Savvy Caregiver Training Program and Memory Cafe
Tuesday September 26, 10a-12p
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 and Memory Cafe is currently closed but be on the lookout for spring 2024 registration in the coming months.
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COMPASS Caregiver Therapy and Support Group
Wednesday October 4, 5-6 PM
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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.
Please note that this group is currently at capacity. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please email Kate.
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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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