Vol. 13, No. 8

August 2022

Dear Friends:

Family caregivers by necessity become experts in providing long-term care. This specialized knowledge can include medication management, dietary requirements, understanding the best way to communicate with a person, transferring skills, toileting skills, and knowing specific emotional needs. But what happens if illness or injury should strike the caregiver? Who will step in to provide the needed essential care? How will they manage without the benefit of the family caregiver’s person-specific expertise and experience?

FCA’s new fact sheet, “What If Something Happens to Me?” covers this important topic with information on how to manage your concerns, how to identify a backup caregiver, and what information to include so the backup caregiver can provide the best care possible in this situation. The fact sheet also includes two checklists to help you plan.

Sincerely,

Calvin Hu

Education Coordinator

edprograms@caregiver.org

“Every storm runs out of rain.”

— Maya Angelou

New Infographics Feature FCA’s Most Popular Family Caregiving Tips

FCA’s infographics feature quick tips and insights based on our most popular caregiver fact sheets and 40+ years of experience supporting and working with family caregivers. These infographics are packed with helpful tips on a range of topics including self-care for caregivers, communicating with people with dementia, types of residential care, and more.

Please click here to view, download, or print.

Newly Translated Fact Sheets

FCA regularly translates caregiver resources into multiple languages including Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean. Family caregivers come from diverse backgrounds and FCA is dedicated to making high-quality information accessible and available to all caregivers. The newest batch of translated FCA fact sheets are: 

• Home Away From Home – Relocating Your Parents
• Living with Incontinence: Social and Emotional Challenges
• Parkinson’s Disease and Caregiving
• Questions to Ask when Considering Psychotropic Medication for Someone with Dementia
• Questions to Ask when Considering Surgery for a Person with Dementia
• Vascular Dementia
• Advanced Illness: Feeding Tubes and Ventilators
• Advanced Illness: CPR and DNR
• Brain Tumor
• Caregiving with Your Siblings
• Multiple Sclerosis 
• Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome  
• Depression and Caregiving 
• Introducing In-Home Help When Your Friend or Family Member Says ‘No”  

Please click here to view these fact sheets in multiple languages. 

San Francisco Bay Area Young Adult Caregivers Support Group

This FCA support group focuses on the needs of family and friend caregivers under the age of 40. The Young Adult Caregivers Support Group is designed for family caregivers who are caring for someone 60 or older with any diagnosis, or an adult between the ages of 18-59 with an adult-onset cognitive or neurological impairment. Connect with other caregivers to get support and learn.

The support group meets online (via Zoom) twice monthly on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday — 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Participants should live in the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, or Santa Clara counties).

To register: call (415) 434-3388 or email mcai@caregiver.org.

This program is funded by the California Department of Aging, Alameda County Department of Adult and Aging Services, Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging, San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services.

Lift Up Your Voice — Caregiver Advocacy Training

The California Coalition on Family Caregiving and Community Catalyst invite family caregivers and service providers to a two-part caregiver advocacy training on Tuesday September 13 and Wednesday September 14, from 1 to 3 pm (PT). This training will provide concrete strategies and increase participants’ confidence to advocate for policies that improve caregiver support and recognition in government, social service, and healthcare systems.

The training covers: how to turn personal stories into persuasive and effective messages for policy makers, identification of barriers to accessing care, and how to use social media to gather support.

Please click here to register.

The California Coalition on Family Caregiving is a coalition of caregivers and organizations committed to advocating for California policies and services that support diverse unpaid family caregivers and those who need assistance. The coalition is convened by USC Family Caregiver Support Center/LACRC, FCA, and Los Angeles Alliance for Community Health and Aging with funding from Community Catalyst and Archstone Foundation. The coalition is currently recruiting new members interested in caregiver advocacy. Please email cacfc@usc.edu to learn more or join. Membership is not required to attend this training.  

Caregiver Resource Center Classes 

The California Caregiver Resource Centers (CRC) serve families and caregivers of adults affected by chronic and debilitating health conditions (FCA is the San Francisco Bay Area CRC). FCA is now hosting a calendar of classes, workshops, and events compiled from each of the 11 CRCs and open to family caregivers across the country.

For more information on September events, please click here.

Managing Caregiver Stress

Caregiving responsibilities can cause a lot of stress. Jerry Fenter and Helen Bauer from The Heart of Hospice podcast will talk about the benefits of streamlining caregiving tasks and how to create a “caregiving village.” They’ll also share ways caregivers can reduce stress by caring for themselves – mind, body, and spirit.

Participants will learn about:

• How to streamline caregiving tasks
• How to create a caregiving village
• Caring for the caregiver – mind, body, and spirit
• How to utilize stress management techniques
• 
  

When: Wednesday, August 31, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon (Pacific time)

Where: ONLINE

Cost: No charge

Registration: Click here

Presenter bios:

Jerry Fenter has a 10+ year history in hospice chaplaincy. He currently works as System Director of Spiritual Counselors for Harbor Healthcare System, a multi-site hospice company. He holds a BS in Healthcare Management as well as certificates for both Basic and Advanced Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplaincy from the Institute for Palliative Care at California State University in San Marcos. Jerry is the co-host of The Heart of Hospice podcast, devoted to encouraging and supporting anyone experiencing a hospice journey.

Helen Bauer, RN BSN CHPN, has a 30 year history in nursing, specializing in hospice care for over 10 years. She holds a certification in hospice and palliative care nursing and works as an independent hospice consultant. Helen is the co-owner of The Heart of Hospice, LLC, and is one of the hosts of The Heart of Hospice podcast, committed to enhancing the end of life journey for both consumers and providers of hospice care

This webinar is funded by Alameda County Department of Adult and Aging Services, Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging, the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, and the California Department of Aging.

Service Dogs Offer Help and Friendship to People with Alzheimer’s

Service dogs are trained to assist a person with a disability, performing tasks that directly help with that disability. They are not commonly trained to help those living with dementia, but this may change in the coming years as the population ages. Next Avenue’s Ashley Milne-Tyte explains some of the benefits and drawbacks of a service dog for a person living with dementia and also interviews couples who have benefitted from these specialized working dogs.

Need for Home Care Rising, but Caregivers are Hard to Find in Rural WA

Americans are getting older, and more adults are in need of paid caregiving help. Unfortunately, there are not enough paid caregivers to meet the demand, and these workers are in particular short supply in rural communities and places far from large metropolitan areas. Paige Cornwell writing for the Seattle Times explains the reasons for this shortage, and also illustrates how this is affecting families in the small communities of Washington state.  

CAREGIVERS CONNECT:

FCA EVENTS

Let’s Get Away Together

This series is comprised of interactive sessions with each week focusing on a new place or cultural activity, while incorporating storytelling, music, poetry writing, and/or a simple craft. Each session will include a follow-up message filled with tips, activities, and recipes for families to continue to enjoy after the virtual trip. The focus of each group is to explore a new world, experience a variety of engaging opportunities, and enjoy a sense of camaraderie and community. 

Let’s Get Away Together is intended to be an enjoyable activity for family caregivers and the person they care for. Those receiving care who are able to participate in the discussion and activities are encouraged to attend with their family caregiver. Read a Q&A about the series here.

August 30

Let’s go to Yellowstone National Park! 

We’ll explore the geysers, wildlife, and breathtaking scenery together with Katrina!

September 6

Let’s Explore the Season of Fall!

Autumn has almost fallen! Join Alicia as we tour Autumn through art and photography.

When: Tuesdays, July 19 to September 6, from 1 to 2 p.m (PT)

Where: Online

Cost: No charge  

Registration: Click here 

This class is funded by Alameda County Department of Adult and Aging Services, Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging, the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, and the California Department of Aging.

CAREGIVERS CONNECT:

FCA EVENTS FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Powerful Tools for Caregivers

This free six-part class offers new skills and tools for family caregivers of those with a chronic health condition such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, or stroke. At Powerful Tools, you will learn how to: reduce stress, make difficult caregiving decisions, communicate more effectively during challenging situations, and prevent caregiver burnout.

When: Six consecutive Wednesdays, September 7, 14, 21, 28, and October 5, and 12, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (PT)

Where: ONLINE

Cost: No charge

Contact: Adriana Sanchez, asanchez@caregiver.org, (415) 434-3388, ext. 316

Registration: Click here

This class is open to family caregivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As each class builds upon previous classes, we require attendance at all six sessions.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is funded by Alameda County Department of Adult and Aging Services, Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging, the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, and the California Department of Aging.

CAREGIVING POLICY DIGEST

Caregiving Policy Digest is a publication of the National Center on Caregiving, a program of FCA. The newsletter offers a fresh look at the rapidly changing world of caregiving policy―at the local, national, and international levels.

You’ll receive briefings on key legislation, news on innovative public programs, and the latest information on caregiving and long-term care policy at national and state levels. Subscribe here.

Professional Research Listings

• Families Coping Together with Alzheimer's Disease Study (FACT-AD)
• Free Online Health and Wellness Education for Caregivers of People With Alzheimer’s
• Life Enhancing Activities for Family Caregivers (LEAF) (SP0044459; NCT03610698)
• Memory Loss Study
• Project Respect: LGBTQ+ Experiences with Healthcare Providers for Serious Illness
• We Need Your Help! Research Study Participants (Caregivers) who know Someone with a Disability Wanted for Interviews

Graduate Student Research Listings

• Seeking volunteers for a study examining the daily stress and well-being of caregivers
• The Relationship Between Caregiver Burden and Anxiety and Depression in People with Chronic Headaches
• The Relationship Between Uncertainty Associated with Patient’s Delirium and Psychological Distress Among Family Caregivers in the Intensive Care Unit
• UW Caregiver Study: Caring for a Parent who Harmed You